Finally in London for the World's Best Restaurant Awards which was held at Guild Hall last night, April 30. The World's Best Restaurant Awards is an annual ranking of restaurants
around the world by Restaurant Magazine. It has a jury called "The Academy" that is made up of food critics, chefs,
restaurateurs and "highly regarded ‘gastronomes’" each of whom has seven
votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to
recognize restaurants outside your region.
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| The World's Best: Thomas Keller (in pink tie), Elena Arzak, Juan Mari Arzak (in glasses to the left of Rene), Rene Redzepi (arms crossed), Massimo Bottura (polk dotted shirt), Yoshihiro Narisawa (rightmost) |
This year's Top Ten are:
- Noma, Denmark
- El Celler de Can Roca, Spain
- Mugaritz, Spain
- D.O.M., Brazil
- Osteria Francescana, Italy
- Per Se, New York
- Alinea, Chicago
- Arzak, Spain
- Dinner, London
- Eleven Madison Park, New York
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| With Noma's Chef Rene Redzepi, Worlds #1!!! |
Denmark's Noma once again received the much coveted title of World's Best Restaurant. So
I was happy to find myself beside Chef Rene Redzepi after the awards,
while he was being bombarded with highfalutin questions on his cuisine:
"How does it feel to be the standard bearer of the Nordic movement?" Weh. A
casual, cheerful chef who kept patting his colleagues on the back and
smiled tirelessly, broke down his formula for becoming the world's #1 to
this: it's just about deliciousness!
"It's about becoming a temple of deliciousness, if you will," he said in a quick interview. And it's as simple as that: everything centers around this mission to make what you eat delicious. "Cavemen used to just drink and eat," he explained. "But for us it's about keeping a moment." It's really nothing fancy, he emphasized. "We support our colleagues who are into this movement to promote organic produce. The choice for a healthy ecology is indeed life changing. But in the end, it goes back to deliciousness. We realize that the quest for healthy produce is in sync with our quest for deliciousness. It's simple, if it's fresh, organic - it's more delicious. There is a symbiosis."
Redzepi was extremely grateful to the awards body, sharing that it has increased the number of reservations at Noma profoundly. The number he gave was indeed astounding: for this coming Saturday, Noma has 1,204 reservations. And his restaurant only seats 40. Otherwise, he says, "Nothing much has changed with me - except I now have two kids."
He is now being compared to El Bulli's Ferran Adria, which was ranked World's #1 a record five times. But the humble Redzepi demurred. "Ferran will be (the greatest) chef of all time," he said in clear admiration for Adria.
"It's about becoming a temple of deliciousness, if you will," he said in a quick interview. And it's as simple as that: everything centers around this mission to make what you eat delicious. "Cavemen used to just drink and eat," he explained. "But for us it's about keeping a moment." It's really nothing fancy, he emphasized. "We support our colleagues who are into this movement to promote organic produce. The choice for a healthy ecology is indeed life changing. But in the end, it goes back to deliciousness. We realize that the quest for healthy produce is in sync with our quest for deliciousness. It's simple, if it's fresh, organic - it's more delicious. There is a symbiosis."
Redzepi was extremely grateful to the awards body, sharing that it has increased the number of reservations at Noma profoundly. The number he gave was indeed astounding: for this coming Saturday, Noma has 1,204 reservations. And his restaurant only seats 40. Otherwise, he says, "Nothing much has changed with me - except I now have two kids."
He is now being compared to El Bulli's Ferran Adria, which was ranked World's #1 a record five times. But the humble Redzepi demurred. "Ferran will be (the greatest) chef of all time," he said in clear admiration for Adria.
Another much admired chef who was honored that night was Thomas
Keller of Per Se (2012 Best Restaurant in North America) and French
Laundry. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance
speech, he shared the philosophy that drives him to be so thorough in
his cuisine: "Food is about nurturing." It's not just about flavors; it
must captivate one's soul.
Meanwhile the Veuve Cliquot Best Female Chef Award went to Elena Azrak.
Except for a few Asians that I had
met at the Miele Guide Awards in the past years, it was very unfamiliar
territory - I was the lone Filipino present, even if I have had the honor and
pleasure of having been part of the jury, called the Academy, for the
past five years. It was only this year I attended the awards for the first time. Nevertheless, everyone was friendly, especially Kate Bosomworth of KTB PR who was part of the team that successfully managed the event for the evening.
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| India Chair Rashmi Uday Singh and KTB PR's Kate Bosomworth at the Guild Hall |
This year was especially monumental as it celebrated
the tenth anniversary of the awards. Per Se's Thomas Keller, Daniel Bouloud, Osteria Francescana's
Massimo Bottura, Iggy's Ignatius Chan, Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation,
were among the chefs of the top 100 restaurants in the world who
gathered at the London's Guild Hall for this prestigious event.
As yet there is no recognition whatsoever of Filipino
chefs. But just as Filipino chefs and restaurateurs have made their mark
in Asia's Miele Guide, I believe our time will come - sooner than
later! Next year, Restaurant Magazine is launching Asia's 50 Best
Restaurants in Singapore. Within the next five years, I hope to see a
Filipino chef not just on Asia's Best list but also on the World's Best
list, alongside the likes of Thomas Keller, Alex Atala of D.O.M. Brazil,
and yes, Rene Redzepi of Noma.
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| My personal favorite: New York's Daniel Bouloud |
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| With Massimo Bottura |
