“Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add 1kg of mussels, six finely chopped shallots and two cloves of garlic, and fry gently. Pour in a bladderful of fresh urine and simmer until cooked."

No, Darina Allen isn't having a psychotic episode. That was the cordon bleurrrrrgh treat served to a hated customer at one of the establishments Anthony Bourdain cheffed in during the '70s.

As gloriously gonzo as Hunter S. Thompson ever was, the New York motormouth has risen from the depths of short-order hell to the pinnacle of Michelin-starred excellence. Along the way, he's encountered Mafia dons, arse-fondling Puerto Ricans, three-foot parasitical worms, Madonna and a $200 a day heroin habit.