Dining at some of the world’s most competitive restaurants
5 KINDS of cheese in one dish
It was the height of winter, but my sister Goldee and I, determined to try as many restaurants on the World’s 50 Best list as we could, braved the foggy roads of Italy to meet our reservation at Osteria Francescana, then the No. 3 Best Restaurant in the world and just this June 1 voted World’s No. 2.
It was pure white beyond the windshield of our rented car, and possibly the scariest moment of our lives. Our only comfort was the equally slow driver of the cargo truck behind us. It was as if God sent a guide to make sure that no one hit would us from behind in the thick of the fog.
Effect of World’s 50 Best list
Thankfully, in spite of the date being Friday the 13th, we made it to the restaurant alive … and ready to have the best Valentine’s date of our lives.
That is the effect of making it on the list of the World’s 50 Best. People may kill or risk being killed just to make it to the restaurant.
Last year, after regaining its post as World’s No. 1, Denmark’s Noma is said to have received 60,000 reservations. It is almost impossible to get a seat. It’s the same with most other restaurants on the list.
I don’t think I would’ve gotten a seat at Osteria Francescana either—especially not with just three days notice—had it not been for the kindness of friends in the World’s 50 Best academy.
When Riccardo of Team Bottura called and said in his charming, heavy Italian accent, “We have a table for you,” I literally jumped for joy, even if we were about to spend 300 euro a head. The influence of this list is just crazy.
MASSIMO Bottura’s Caesar Salad
“Bula-cular” gastronomy
The awards started around a decade ago, with an esteemed lineup of judges called The Academy. It includes chefs, food writers and restaurateurs. Published on the website of World’s 50 Best, it was an initiative of the UK’s Restaurant Magazine and sponsored by S. Pellegrino.
In 2002, El Bulli was named No. 1; Gordon Ramsay was No. 2; and Thomas Keller’s French Laundry was No. 3.
El Bulli held on to its title for several years, greatly influencing chefs the world over, with molecular gastronomy taking the place of nouvelle cuisine and fine dining restaurants serving bubbles and essence versions of everything—foie gras, vegetables, chocolate, etc. (Claude Tayag joked that it’s “bula-cular” gastronomy—“puro bula.”)
This influence has also been apparent in subsequent lists. Today’s Top 10 restaurants, for instance (list below), mostly have menus that make guests think.
At Osteria Francescana, the server challenges you to find and name all 22 ingredients of a traditional Caesar salad hidden in the leaves. At Dinner by Heston, ranked No. 7, you are served an “orange” as an appetizer … but it is actually a ball of foie gras! Mugaritz, maintaining its rank as No. 6, is known for serving “stones” that are in fact potatoes.
This kind of dining experience is evident all the way to the restaurants ranked 51 to 100. Josean Alija of Nerua in Bilbao, Spain, welcomes guests with a quick tour of their “laboratory”/kitchen, and a presentation of how they turn bacalao into something that tastes like chicharon.
Nerua, this year, beat legendary restaurants like Daniel and French Laundry, who have maintained the classical way of cooking.
Going local
Aside from employing modern techniques that require machines and a laboratory, restaurants on the list also emphasize and promote local ingredients. Chefs are now the ambassadors of every country’s local products and produce.
Bottura promotes Italy’s Parmesan cheese with a dish that is made with 5 kinds of this cheese.
“This is made of just Parmesan cheese and time,” the server explained to us.
Nerua goes to great lengths to promote the Basque region’s vegetables and spider crab. Restaurant Arzak, No. 17, highlights Spain’s barramundi.
Dinner at Heston, meanwhile, promotes English cuisine in a unique way: Blumenthal’s menu is based on historical British recipes, with the year of the recipe’s conception.
Controversy
There are some who still don’t trust the list.
“There is not one French restaurant in the Top 10!” commented someone on my Facebook page.
“I still rely on the Michelin guide and recommendations of locals,” another said.
“How can you trust it when you have a judge who hasn’t even eaten outside of Asia for the past ten years?” said another foreign chef.
The inclusion in the Academy in the past year of blogger/food writers who trade honesty for a free meal has also been a downer.
Nevertheless, the list does boast of restaurants that offer exemplary experiences. Bottura, I can personally testify, was worth driving blind for. The setting is calming in its elegant austerity. The service is not only accommodating but attentive and almost like a production number. And the food is not just gimmickry, but truly filling and fascinating.
Bottura starts with a “memory of mortadella”—all the joys of the flavors of mortadella made into a light and fluffy pate. Then he tricks you with what tastes like veal but is actually from a full grown cow; it tastes like it was grilled but was actually cooked sous vide to achieve the texture of veal. Then as a pre-dessert, you are given a “lollipop,” but inside the cover of almonds is a terrine of foie gras. As an ode to Italy, it is accented with 50-year old balsamic vinegar. The entire menu is just magical.
This is one chef who truly understands his craft, who is equally committed to his country’s products, and who consistently remains current in his presentation of dishes. That’s why he’s on the Top 10 of the World’s 50 Best.
There are many Botturas around the world though, that simply haven’t been “discovered” yet. It’s true that the list is confined to what the Academy has been exposed to.
Here in Manila, Chele Gonzalez at Vask has found his stride, employing modern techniques with Filipino ingredients. I am also still hoping that Margarita Fores will one day be acclaimed one of the Best Female Chefs of the world, following the footsteps of Elena Arzak (World’s Best Female Chef 2012).
Someday, we will also have food hounds braving storms to eat at our most competitive restaurants.
Top 10
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015 was revealed last June 1 in London. Here’s the Top 10:
- El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
- Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
- Noma, Copenhagen
- Central, Lima
- Eleven Madison Park, New York
- Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
- Dinner, London
- Narisawa, Tokyo
- D.O.M., São Paulo
- Gaggan, Bangkok
For the complete list (Top 50 and Top 100), visit margauxsalcedo.com.
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