Gastro Global: World’s 50 Best Restaurants


Posted March 4, 2014 in Food & Drink

 

50bestrestaurantsIn April 2013, English Restaurant Magazine featured the prestigious list of world’s 50 best restaurants of the year. The winners were celebrated in the classic Guildhall in London, before the eyes of the entire world’s chef elite. Spanish El Cellar de Can Roca was named the winner and thus poked Danish Noma from the first place, for the first time in three years. Two Swedish restaurants managed to enter the top 50; Frantzén, located in Old Town at 12th place and Åre’s pride and foy, Fäviken, at the 34th spot. Will they hold their spots in 2014? We will soon see, but until then we indulge you in some background on those who still hold the top spots!

The Best

Number one on the list, El Cellar de Can Roca, first entered the list’s top 50 in 2007. It was then listed as numer 21, but has steadily climbed the rankings ever since – and this year it was their turn to win. The restaurant carries the title rightly and lives up to our expectations by a wide margin. The amazing raw materials on the menu are creatively processed and served as artwork to the guests. In addition, the restaurant also has a complete wine cellar – to make the dining experience perfect.

Second place went to Noma, with its’ Executive chef René Redzepi. The restaurant is the foremost representative of the Nordic cuisine on the list, and has long been recognized as one of the world’s most prominent restaurants. René has, by innovatively creating different dishes where the Nordic ingredients are emphasized, pioneered Nordic chefs and restaurants and highly served as a model for most.  One of these chefs is Magnus Nilsson, at number 34 on the list. He has, with his restaurant Fäviken developed the art of using local, nordic raw material in his cooking, and follows the seasonal variations and traditions.

The chef that ended up in third place was the Italian chef Massimo Bottura, with his restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena, near Bologna. From my visit to the restaurant, I recall an exquisite delicate pasta that looked just like guitar strings, swimming in squid sauce, filled with fine-de-claire-oysters and a divine olive oil. Massimo’s ”ice cream” on foie gras flavoured with calvados – stuffed with long stored balsamvinegar from Modena, surrounded by crushed hazelnuts was also quite extraordinary.

Our personal favourite restaurant Mugaritz stepped down to the 4th place on this year’s list. The restaurant, with Executive chef Andoni Luis Aduriz at the head, is said to be a world leader in natural cuisine. Much of the raw materials used in the restaurant are grown in their own garden –and their vegetarian dishes offer a pleasantly surprising experience. One dish that is particularly memorable from my visit is their thinly sliced artichoke, flavoured with Iberia ham and served on a bed of salad. On top of that, their menu contained the most delicious dessert; seasonal wild berries with a cream foam. Every delightful flavour could be distinguished from the blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, goosberries, wild strawberries and currant.

Just outside the top 10 we find the Swedish restaurant Frantzén, at a well earned 12th place. That means that the restaurant has climbed 16 places since 2012 year’s list – which is highly impressive. One can certainly ask oneself when it is time for Björn and his restaurant to finally achieve the so coveted third star.

The presence of female star chefs on the list is low, but they have their own award in Restaurant Magazine’s ranking. Italian chef Nadia Santini from Dal Pescatore in Mantova was named the winner of 2013. Previous winners in this category is well known chefs Elena Arzak (2012) and Anne Sophie Pic (2011), all three winners run three star restaurants.

800 selected food experts, bloggers, chefs and journalist from around 27 regions are involved in the development of the list. To participate in the process a requirement is that the participant have no personal interest in the restaurants – which they also must have visited the past 18 moths. The list is then determined by vote and the jury votes on restaurants from both within and outside their own region.

There is also some criticism directed against the list, primarily from French sources – as no French restaurant succeeded in entering the top 15.  In 2003, four French restaurants were in the top 10, and it is clearly seen as a major failure to lose them all. The regional spread of votes allows many lesser-known restaurants with quite a few votes to get prominent placement in the list. However, the biggest criticism is directed towards the fact that the voters themselves pay for their restaurant visits and other costs, such as travel and hotel. What’s in it for the selection of restaurants, and objectivity from the voters? Nothing but a system completely contrary to the one that venerable Michelin Guide has.

The World’s Top 10 in 2013

  1. El Cellar de Can Rocca, Girona. Spain
  2. Noma, Köpenhamn, Denmark
  3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
  4. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
  5. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA
  6. D.O.M., Sao Paulo, Brazil
  7. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, England
  8. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
  9. Steirereck, Wien, Austria
  10. Vendomé, Gladback, Germany


The World’s Best Restaurants

Words by Paul Dahlgren

 

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