Something to Brae About

IN a perfect culinary universe, all chefs would have their own farms. They would grow and harvest their own produce, and know other friendly farmers down the road who will supply them with other vegetables they need, and the occasional happy, pasture-raised lamb, pork or beef. Sometimes, a neighbour or two will show up with figs and olive oil - surpluses from their own home gardens. And these chefs would work with motivated staff to serve beautifully composed dishes every night to guests lucky enough to snag a reservation, especially now that they're in the World's Best 50 Restaurants list.

If he isn't already in his perfect universe, Dan Hunter is pretty close in his three-year-old restaurant Brae, set in an undulating 12 hectares of organic farmland up in Birregurra, Victoria - just one-and-a-half-hour's drive from Melbourne. If it was hard to get a reservation before, it's worse now that Brae recently breached the World's Best 50 list at 44th spot. Together with Ben Shewry's Attica (#32), they are the only two Aussie restaurants on that list.

Even if the recent accolades mean extra pressure, Chef Hunter's real pride and joy comes from Brae - his first self-owned restaurant after a career of working for other people including Mugaritz in Spain and the highly acclaimed Royal Mail in Dunkeld, Victoria. He runs it with his wife Julianne and two friends-turned-partners. Together they have turned Brae into not just one of Australia's best restaurants, but also one of the most upscale boutique properties, with six super-luxury villas priced upwards of A$600 (S$622) a night.