The chef’s table has grown up. Once a behind-the-scenes peek for favoured diners squeezed into a hot corner of a busy kitchen, it’s now front-row seats. Dishes are presented to diners by the chefs, who go on to explain where ingredients have come from and what has been done to transform them. And forget menus — the chefs are free to be guided by their creativity. One of the biggest inspirations for this boom is the Japanese art of omakase. This style of dining leaves the choice of dishes largely to the chef — the direct translation is ‘I leave it up to you’ — and was born out of Japan’s financial boom in the 1990s, when newly minted diners were embarrassed about their lack of menu knowledge and deferred to the chef. From these origins, the chef’s table has become about the pursuit of perfection, eating the best ingredients served in peak condition, expertly prepared right in front of diners.