Everyone has a different idea about what constitutes good food. For me, it’s my mom’s homemade clam chowder, or a piping hot piece of her meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes. Mmm-mmm!
I’m not one for over-the-top meals, but I definitely have a lot of respect for chefs who treat food like art and transform it into a rollercoaster of flavors for our taste buds. And for one foodie in particular, Imgur user Hoptail, it’s a ride she cannot quit — no matter how much it costs.
Back in March 2017, Hoptail, who normally resides in Queensland, Australia, was on a business trip in San Francisco.
According to her Imgur post, she’s a student, but also has jobs that include furniture sales and contract work, hence the travelling.
She also mentions that during trips, like the one she took to San Fran, her favorite thing to do is treat herself to a meal at her destination’s best restaurant.
“I only eat out like this a few times a year, if that, and I’m very intentional about setting aside part of my pay so that I can do stuff like this later. Some people save up for game consoles or nice clothes. I eat out,” she writes.
While in San Francisco, she decided to eat at one of the top spots in the United States: Saison, which offers a dining experience most of us would never fathom trying.
For this particular food adventure, Hoptail ordered Saison’s $600 meal-for-one. Yup, you read that right!
In total, the meal cost her a whopping six hundred smackers. For someone whose favorite meal is homemade meatloaf, the notion of paying that much money for food obviously made my jaw drop.
And even though she was met with a lot of harsh criticism about her dining decision, Hoptail couldn’t care less about the haters out there.
“For those of you with the disparaging comments about this endeavour not being worth it, or that I shouldn’t be spending my money on stuff like this if I’m not financially well-to-do. Kindly shove it up your arse. It’s my money, and this is what I like.”
Also, if you were wondering how a student living off of part-time and contract work could ever afford a $600 meal, she makes sure to address that issue in her post, too.
“A lot of people reckon I’m full of crap and can’t afford something like this as a student. Sit down, I’m about to blow your mind… I saved up, yo.”
So, what did Hoptail get for her $600?
Well, the meal started with a lemon water tea that was flavored by a bushel of douglas fir, yarrow, chamomile, lemon balm, anise, and hyssop — all freshly picked from the restaurant’s farm.
This was followed by a serving of baby spinach and roasted kelp cooked in clarified butter and topped with proprietary caviar.
Other dishes included turbot fish, fresh sea urchin, roasted pumpkin served three ways, and antelope — one of the few parts that didn’t sit well with Hoptail.
“The fact that it was sourced from a ranch in Texas did nothing to abate my Lion King flashbacks and my childhood sentimentality got in the way of really being able to [enjoy it],” she writes in her post.
However, one of the craziest things on the $600 menu was a serving of geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck), which is an extremely large clam found in the Pacific Northwest.
Finally, to end the meal — which lasted four hours, by the way — dessert was served.
It included mouthwatering dishes like smoked ice cream covered in salted caramel, an orange buttermilk creamsicle, and Saison’s Snickers bar, which consists of a dark chocolate nut brownie, salted caramel, chocolate ganache, and a 24k gold topping!
“Honestly this was an awesome experience and, for me, well worth the money.”
To see Hoptail’s meal in its entirety, along with all of her detailed descriptions, check out her post on Imgur.
Would you ever drop $600 on a meal? Do you think you would enjoy the dishes that were served at Saison?
Let us know in the COMMENTS,and then SHARE this wild food adventure with others!
