Jean-Georges Vongerichten is making an appearance at his namesake restaurant, Vong, at the Mandarin Oriental, from May 20-25. The chef, who has branches of Vong in New York, Chicago and London, is here to create new dishes which will be available from Monday. They include spiced lamb with eggplant caviar and mint yoghurt; white asparagus soup with lemon and caviar ravioli; crab salad with three seasonings and buckwheat crepes; and roast salmon with mango kimchee. The chef will also cook for a four-course tasting dinner on Thursday with Moet & Chandon champagne, wine, music and dancing; it costs $988 plus 10 per cent. On May 25, Vongerichten will present seven new dishes in a dinner that includes wines and live jazz; it costs $1,888 plus 10 per cent. For information phone 2825 4028.

A number of Australian wine dinners are coming up in the next week. Alla Wolf Tasker from the Lake House Restaurant in Daylesford, Victoria, is guest chef for Wednesday's dinner at the Peak Lookout. The six-course dinner includes tortelloni with salmon and yabbies, lamb rump marinated with Moroccan flavours, and Victorian cheeses. The wines are selected and presented by wine writer and consultant Roy Moorfield and include the 1991 Penfolds Grange, the 1987 Leeuwin Estate cabernet sauvignon and 1998 Turramurra Estate cabernet sauvignon. The dinner costs $998; call 2849 1000.