So, it turns out Chef Hermes was right and Noma has been voted top of the list in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards - congratulations to Rene Redzepi. Top British performer was the Fat Duck in third.
But do you agree with the verdict? Were there any glaring omissions of restaurants that you feel deserved a place but didn't get one? And were there any restaurants that you feel should have been higher up the list (or even lower down)?
Many thanks.
The like of Ducasse, Robuchon, Gagnaire and Ramsay, ie the global branding of the Superchef, don't seem to have fared to well.
Sketch is an outstanding restaurant from the meals I had there, RHR - rumours circulate about losing a rosette, and rightly so. Food is bland & uninspired, service has now disappeared up it's own hole. If it does lose a rosette he'll just do what he did with the Petrus escapade for those of you that remember, and throw his toys out of the pram.
Does this mean that Ducasses Beige doesnt warrant it's accolades & has traded off the connection of it's master, well no. The food is excellent.
Yet the politics of the list have been revealed. Apparently the reason St Johns makes the list (despite mixed reviews from various souces) is because they host a lunch the following day after the awards and therefore all the judges will have eaten there in the past 18months (which is part of the criterea).
So this year they are going to Daniel B's gaff at the Mandarin Oriental, so watch that make the list next year.
The Chef Hermes Blog
There certainly seems to be some inconsistency involved in the judging process.
Noma is the restaurant du jour - every foodie and their dog has flown to Copenhagen in the past year or so - so it's no wonder that so many of the judges have voted for it. But does that alone make it the best restaurant in the world?
Don't get me wrong, I think Noma is a fantastic restaurant that displays some wonderful creativity, culinary skills and attention to detail and Rene Redzepi should undoubtedly be rated among the top chefs in Europe.
But having eaten at both the Noma and the French Laundry in recent weeks, I find it mind-boggling how the French Laundry, which was named the best restaurant in 2003 and 2004, can be listed in place 32. The only explanation I can come up with is that none of the judges made it out to California recently because the French Laundry's novelty has worn off and that's why they haven't voted for it.
I guess at the end of the day the Top 50 is more about the publicity than providing an accurate or remotely relevant list of top restaurants in the world. It's a bit of fun and as far as that goes, it does a very good job.