Noma Named World’s Best Restaurant, Finally Toppling El Bulli
Chef Rene Redzepi outside his restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. The Danish chef will visit London next month to promote his book about the restaurant. Photographer: Richard Vines/Bloomberg
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Andrea Catherwood reports on Danish restaurant Noma, winner of the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant award. Award winners are picked by more than 800 chefs, food writers and restaurateurs from around the world. Bloomberg's food critic and judging panel member Richard Vines also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg)
Ferran Adria, the chef at the Michelin starred El Bulli restaurant. The eatery lost its top slot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants awards. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg News
Chef Heston Blumenthal at Selfridges, on Oxford Street, in London. Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant was named at the No. 3 Best Restaurant in the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants at the Guildhall in London. Photographer: Robert Gunning/Selfridges via Bloomberg
Noma’s victory at the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants last night is a triumph both for the Copenhagen eatery and for the awards, which were stuck in a rut, handing out first place each year to El Bulli.
Danish chef Rene Redzepi was there to collect the crown that had gone for the past four years to Ferran Adria for his establishment north of Barcelona. El Bulli has been in the top three every year since the awards were founded in 2002.
Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck has been the other big winner, coming first in 2005 and always making the top three since 2004. The U.K. restaurant came third last night, behind El Bulli. The only other winner has been the French Laundry, in 2003 and 2004. Noma, which seats 42 diners, was founded in November 2003.
The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants were named at a reception in London’s Guildhall attended by chefs and restaurateurs including Daniel Boulud, whose New York flagship surged 33 places to No. 8. The awards started as a magazine feature and have grown to international prominence.
Noma -- which stands for Nordisk Mad, or Nordic Food -- is housed in a converted warehouse by the waterside in the Danish capital’s Christianshavn district. Redzepi, 32, travels the region in search of ingredients and culinary inspiration for his seasonal menu. Noma entered the table at 33 in 2006 and had risen to third by last year.
“When I first got an invitation saying, ‘Congratulations, you are now on the 50 Best Restaurants list,’ I’d never really heard about it,” Redzepi said in an interview at Noma in February. “But immediately after the award show, you realized it was something special by the press coverage, the phone calls.
‘Turning Point’
“From there on, our restaurant really started to take off. It was like a turning point being on that list. So it went from something that perhaps I didn’t acknowledge in the way that I should to something that’s been crucial for us.”
El Celler de Can Roca and Mugaritz, both in Spain, took fourth and fifth places. The highest U.S. entry was Alinea, of Chicago, in seventh place. New York restaurants Daniel, Per Se and Le Bernardin, took eighth, 10th and 15th, respectively.
The London winners were St. John, at 43, and Hibiscus, at 49. Adria was chef of the decade, and the chefs’ choice award went to the Fat Duck. La Colombe, Cape Town, was top in Africa and the Middle East; D.O.M. of Sao Paulo came first in Latin America; and Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, topped Asia.
Ramsay, Wareing
Gordon Ramsay failed to make the top 100 for the second straight year. The British chef’s former associate, Marcus Wareing, came 58th with his restaurant at the Berkeley.
The winners are picked by more than 800 chefs, food writers and restaurateurs from around the world. I’m a member of the U.K. panel and each of us votes confidentially, without meeting -- or even necessarily knowing the identity of -- the other panelists. The U.K. and Ireland panel is headed by Jay Rayner.
Members of the voting academy are required to have eaten in the restaurants we nominate within the previous 18 months and we have to vote for at least two places outside our own region.
Everyone knows the list is imperfect. Asia is historically underrepresented, while the Top 10 includes four restaurants in Spain and not a single one in France. There’s no controlling hand behind the World’s 50 Best and -- even though I’m a voter -- I’ve found myself checking the names of places in Russia, Slovenia and Croatia that have made the Top 100 this year.
The awards started in 2002 as a feature in “Restaurant,” a U.K. publication founded the previous year. The writer Joe Warwick said he sent e-mails to journalists and chefs to pick their favorite places, like a music magazine naming best albums. That first year, British venues did suspiciously well: Gordon Ramsay came second and the Ivy took eighth place. El Bulli won.
Academy Idea
“The next year, we did a little event and, lo and behold, Ferran Adria showed up,” said Warwick, who went on to become the magazine’s editor. “I thought: Hang on, we’d better do this properly, so we came up with the idea of the academy.
“Nobody had done this before, and we got a lot of stick for it. But people love lists and the thing took off. People ask me now: Best for what? Well, we never defined that.”
At the center of Redzepi’s cuisine are fine, seasonal Nordic ingredients: halibut, wild salmon, seaweed and curds from Iceland; lamb, musk ox, berries and the purest drinking water from Greenland, according to Noma’s Web site. While the style is modern -- Redzepi’s resume includes El Bulli and the French Laundry -- the focus is on the produce, not the technique.
Tasting Menu
When I ate there in February, the seven-course tasting menu cost 995 kroner ($180) plus service; matching wines were 895 kroner, or juices 395 kroner; there was a 595 kroner lunch menu.
There were six different types of canape, including pickled quail eggs smoked on a bed of hay, and smoked cod roe on toast with vinegar. That’s before we got onto the 10-course meal, which included squid and lingon berries, cream and dill; sour grape juice from the isle of Lilleo, caramelized onions and thyme leaves; beef cheek and pickled flowers and winter cabbage.
As I was leaving, Redzepi said he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to attend the awards again this year.
“Spring is late and I don’t know if I’ll have time to leave the restaurant: I need to be in the kitchen,” he said.
He made it to London last night and was looking very happy.
Top 50 List: 1 Noma, Denmark (+2) http://www.noma.dk 2 El Bulli, Spain (-1) http://www.elbulli.com 3 The Fat Duck, U.K. (-1) http://www.thefatduck.co.uk 4 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+1) http://www.cellercanroca.com 5 Mugaritz, Spain (-1) http://www.mugaritz.com 6 Osteria Francescana, Italy (+7) http://www.osteriafrancescana.it 7 Alinea, U.S. (+3) http://www.alinea-restaurant.com 8 Daniel, U.S. (+33) http://www.danielnyc.com 9 Arzak, Spain (-1) http://www.arzak.es 10 Per Se, U.S. (-4) http://www.perseny.com 11 Le Chateaubriand, France (+29) 12 La Colombe, South Africa (+26) http://www.constantia-uitsig.com 13 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-4) http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com 14 Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+2) http://www.philippe-rochat.ch 15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (=) http://www.le-bernardin.com 16 L’Astrance, France (-5) http://www.lastrance.abemadi.com 17 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+9) http://www.hofvancleve.com 18 D.O.M., Brazil (+6) http://www.domrestaurante.com.br 19 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+10) http://www.oudsluis.nl 20 Le Calandre, Italy (+29) http://www.alajmo.it 21 Steirereck, Austria (+9) http://www.steirereck.at/wien restaurant 22 Vendome, Germany (+3) http://www.schlossbensberg.com 23 Chez Dominique, Finland (-2) http://www.chezdominique.fi 24 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (-4) http://www.narisawa-yoshihiro.com 25 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (+25) http://www.mathiasdahlgren.com 26 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (+5) http://www.momofuku.com 27 Quay, Australia (+19) http://www.quay.com.au 28 Iggy’s, Singapore (+17) http://www.iggys.com.sg 29 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-11) http://www.joel-robuchon.com 30 Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland (New Entry) http://www.schauenstein.ch 31 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+6) http://www.lequartier.co.za 32 The French Laundry, U.S. (-20) http://www.frenchlaundry.com 33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (=) http://www.martinberasategui.com 34 Aqua, Germany (New Entry) http://www.restaurant-aqua.com 35 Combal Zero, Italy (+7) http://www.combal.org 36 Dal Pescatore, Italy (=12) http://www.dalpescatore.com 37 De Librije, Netherlands (New Entry) http://www.librije.com 38 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-21) http://www.tetsyuas.com 39 Jaan par Andre, Singapore (New Entry) http://www.swissotel.com/singapore-stamford 40 Il Canto, Italy (New Entry) http://www.certosadimaggiano.com 41 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France (Re-entry) http://www.plaza-athenee-paris.com 42 Oaxen Krog, Sweden (-10) http://www.oaxenkrog.se 43 St John, U.K. (-29) http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com 44 La Maison Troisgros, France (Re-entry) http://www.troisgros.fr 45 wd~50, U.S. (Re-entry) http://www.wd-50.com 46 Biko, Mexico (New Entry) http://www.biko.com.m 47 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (-24) http://www.traube-tonbach.de 48 Nihonryori RyuGin, Japan (New Entry) http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com 49 Hibiscus, U.K. (New Entry) http://www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk 50 Eleven Madison Park, U.S. (New Entry) http://www.elevenmadisonpark.com The next 50: 51 Maison Pic, France http://www.pic-valence.com 52 Jean Georges, U.S. http://www.jean-georges.com 53 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China http://www.joel-robuchon.com 54 Wasabi, India http://www.tajhotels.com 55 Robuchon A Galera, China http://www.joel-robuchon.com 56 Bras, France http://www.michel-bras.com 57 De Karmeliet, Belgium http://www.dekarmeliet.be 58 Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, U.K. http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk 59 Lung King Heen, China http://www.fourseasons.com 60 Rouge, Canada http://www.rougecalgary.com 61 Etxebarri, Spain http://www.asadoretxebarri.com 62 Tantris, Germany http://www.tantris.de 63 Akelarre, Spain http://www.akelarre.net 64 GasteHaus Klaus Erfort, Germany http://www.gaestehaus-erfort.de 65 Bo Innovation, China http://www.boinnovation.com 66 Zuma, U.K. http://www.zumarestaurant.com 67 Marque, Australia http://www.marquerestaurant.com.au 68 Restaurant Sant Pau, Spain http://www.ruscalleda.com 69 Chez Panisse, U.S. http://www.chezpanisse.com 70 Quique Dacosta, Spain http://www.elpoblet.com 71 Ristorante Cracco, Italy http://www.ristorantecracco.it 72 Pujol, Mexico http://www.pujol.com.mx 73 Attica, Australia http://www.attica.com.au 74 Rust En Vrede, South Africa http://www.rustenvrede.com 75 Varvari, Russia http://www.anatolykomm.ru 76 La Grenouillere France http://www.lagrenouillere.fr 77 Langdon Hall, Canada http://www.langdonhall.ca 78 Les Amis, Singapore http://www.lesamis.com.sg 79 Can Fabes, Spain http://www.canfabes.com 80 La Gazzetta, France http://www.lagazzetta.fr 81 Plavi Podrum, Croatia http://www.gastronaut.hr 82 The River Cafe, U.K. http://www.rivercafe.co.uk 83 Mirazur, France http://www.mirzazur.fr 84 Gunther’s, Singapore http://www.gunthers.com.sg 85 Doce Uvas, Russia http://www.doceuvas.ru 86 Manresa, U.S. http://www.manresarestaurant.com 87 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy http://www.http://www.enotecapinchiorri.com 88 Quintessence, Japan http://www.quintessence.jp 89 JB Restavracija, Slovenia http://www.//jb-slo.com 90 Amber, China http://www.mandarinoriental.com 91 Masa, U.S. http://www.masanyc.com 92 Le Gavroche, U.K. http://www.le-gavroche.co.uk 93 Cafe Pushkin, Russia http://www.cafe-pushkin.ru 94 Semifreddo, Russia http://www.semifreddo-restaurant.com 95 Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, U.K. http://www.alainducasse-dorchester.com 96 C3page by Les Amis, Hong Kong http://www.lesamis.com.sg 97 La Pergola, Italy http://www.romecavalieri.it 98 Le Louis XV, France http://www.alain-ducasse.com 99 Le Pre Catelan, France http://www.precatelanparis.com 100 Amador, Germany http://www.restaurant-amador.de
(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.
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