There's beef, there's good beef and, somewhere stratospherically off the scale, there's Kobe beef. It comes from the Japanese Wagyu cattle, which are fed the best grass, sake and other posh stuff while being massaged daily. The resulting meat is uniquely marbled and a meal that features it can set you back £150 in Japan.

But for this price tag you get yourself a cut of meat with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and subtle taste you probably wouldn't believe actually existed. How it's best served is a matter of preference. The Japanese eat it thinly-sliced and grilled rare or dipped in a steaming broth. London restaurant Zuma has been known to serve it as a burger, while at department store Selfridges in London it comes in a deluxe sandwich (£85 since you ask). Stateside, New York's Kobe Club invites customers to take sampling 'flights' to experience a Kobe rib eye, fillet and strip loin.

Dressing for dinner: With all that massaging, Kobe beef is pretty relaxed. Make sure you are too by donning chinos and a cashmere jumper.

To experience caviar at its best simply cut to the chase and order beluga. You might want to re-mortgage your house first, mind, for this stuff doesn't come cheap. Premium grade beluga caviar costs about £300 for 50g - and that's not even in a restaurant, that's delivered in the post.

Still, you get what you pay for and with beluga caviar - which comes from the Caspian Sea-residing beluga sturgeon - you get an intense explosion of complex flavours with a luxurious, buttery texture. Unlike most caviar it's not generally eaten on a blini, but rather in a purer state on a bit of toast. Probably not Mother's Pride bread though. And according to caviar aficionados it's the best of the best.

You can try it for yourself at Caviar House in London's West End, though if you want a truly authentic experience there's only one place to go: St Petersburg in Russia. Here establishments such as the Caviar Bar and Restaurant at the Grand Hotel Europe and the Caviar Bar at the Angleterre Hotel will provide a truly memorable gastronomic experience.

Dressing for dinner: Ok, if you're going to Russia in winter your light polo shirt and linen jacket are going to be fast track to pneumonia. Still, no reason not to dress classily, and a finely-cut suit with an overcoat and cashmere scarf should do the trick.

The white Alba truffle, which grows in the hills of the Langhe, south of Alba in northern Italy, is the God of all fungi. They can only be harvested between September and December, need to be sniffed out by dogs (pigs used to do the job but couldn't resist eating their finds) and are highly sought after by sophisticated foodies. And, if you were listening at all in your GCSE Business Studies lessons, you'll know that limited supply + huge demand = massive cost.

So you're looking at between £1300 and £2600 for a kilogramme of the stuff. Taste-wise they're not a million miles away from the mushroom, but it's always recommended to eat truffles with simple foods so you can appreciate the flavour. Celebrated Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli prefers his in a risotto, but equally they work just as well shaved uncooked over pasta dishes, salads or omelettes.

Dressing for dinner: Given the white Alba is very much an autumn/winter affair, best kit yourself out in some knitwear to embrace the changing seasons. A matching V-neck cashmere sweater and scarf would be perfect.

Top of most people's list when it comes to dessert is chocolate and if you're serious about the stuff then get to know Amedei Porceleana. Made in Tuscany from the rare, refined, nutty and caramel flavoured Porcelana bean, 50g of this premium grade stuff will set you back the best part of £10, so you'd better be in the mood for something a little more sophisticated than a Twix.

If you want to experience Amedei Porceleana in its full glory and you happen to be in New York looking to spend $1000 on a dessert - and aren't we all? - then you'd be in luck. Order the grand opulence sundae at the Serendipity restaurant and you'll get candied fruits, marzipan cherries, truffles, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream decorated with a 23 carat edible gold leaf, served with a gold spoon and drizzled in Amedei Porceleana.

Dressing for dinner: You might be tempted to scoff this down unceremoniously, so probably best to avoid the white shirt. A colourful shirt might be more appropriate.