For the third time my beloved Noma has been declared the world’s number one restaurant at Restaurant Magazine’s and San Pellegrino’s The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Congratulations René and team, and thank you for making Copenhagen stand out. It is fantastic!
The top 10 for 2012 is
- Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark (Yay!)
- El Celler De Can Roca – Girona Spain
- Mugaritz – San Sebastian, Spain
- D.O.M – Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
- Per Se – New York, USA
- Alinea – Chicago, USA
- Arzak – San Sebastian, Spain
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, England
- Eleven Madison Park – New York, USA
Geranium enters the list at no. 49 – congratulations to Rasmus and Søren – and Relæ is in the top 100 at #75! Also, the incredible Fäviken on Sweden is new on the list and enters at no. 34 – and in a couple of weeks I will dine at No. 28, Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo. I’m so excited.
Also, I’m very happy that Elena Azark was rewarded Best Female Chef. I heard her speak at Chef Sache in November last year, and she is incredibly inspiring. Well done!
Chef Redzepi spoke at UCLA yesterday. It was sold out before I even found out about it, but I couldn’t go anyway, too busy. I’m just happy to be able to say I’ve been to his restaurant once. Maybe next year…
Congratulations to Noma and to Chef Redzepi. Two things on my culinary bucket list…dine at Noma and be invited to Cook It Raw (Perhaps the first thing is more likely than the second). I hope Chef Redzepi’s Cook It Raw message will spread. I would love to see smaller, local Cook It Raw dinners. There’s an article about it on TickTickVroom.Blogspot.com.
“We often talk about the best chef in the world when in reality, cuisine – like other activities – cannot be measured, quantified or calculated. There is no such thing as the best. But it is possible to point out something much more important: the chef who is the most influential, the one who establishes the way forward.”
I saw the interview as well – and the part I chose to highlight is pretty much the crux of why Noma is number one again imo.
The very nature of rating Noma against eg. Mugaritz or Oud Sluis even, in terms of flavour or quality is really quite silly, but I am sure that the global impact Noma has had with the focus of regional produce is paramount in the voting process which led to “being number one” again. Just like El Bulli influencing the world with molecular gastronomy in the past.
The genius of Noma (by the genius of elBulli)
Ferran Adrià on why René Redzepi’s Noma scored a third win at The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards 2012
“The spirit of a cuisine doesn’t emerge out of nowhere. It is formed and defined with time and, as in the case of my restaurant elBulli, by the people who pass through its kitchen. There is no doubt that René Redzepi, who worked at elBulli during the 1999 season, contributed to its legacy. He then took that spirit, combined it with his approach to life, personalised it and created his own cuisine.
What makes up that spirit? Ethics, passion, creativity, freedom, the willingness to take risks. With his restaurant Noma, René, has done something historic. He has placed Copenhagen and the Nordic countries on the global map of gastronomy. Today he is at the apex of the culinary world.
We often talk about the best chef in the world when in reality, cuisine – like other activities – cannot be measured, quantified or calculated. There is no such thing as the best. But it is possible to point out something much more important: the chef who is the most influential, the one who establishes the way forward. René occupies this position. He is influencing chefs around the world not just with his cooking but with his philosophy. That is why I am convinced that his influence will endure.”
Hey Fergus
Thanks very much for your contributions here. I actually agree with what Ferran Adria has said about Rene. I felt positive that noma would be #1 again because I think it has a strong effect to become number one. Then more people wants to visit and luckily for CPH/Denmark been amazed.
That said, I’m not sure noma will be at the top next year. Of course I hope so, but since the rules changed so that you can only wote for three restaurants outside you region perhaps the jurors will put their votes differently. Also one visit can provide opportunity to vote twice in a row, but not three times.
As to Agape Substance, I’d put my money on it entering least the 100 best. 🙂
Hi Trine,
OK so I was wrong about Number 1 moving back to Spain, but it will happen sooner rather than later, Congrats of course to Noma – As for David Toutain from Agape Substance making it into the Top 100 I was wrong about that too, he has only been open for 8 months – watch this space/place. Le Chateaubriand still in the Top 20 what a joke, I would rather Jamie Oliver take the place, maybe Inaki would to 😉 after watching the live streaming on Monday night!
Babot & Passard stay where they should. I am happy to have reserved a table at number 34 before 30th April 2 weeks ago when it was number 71! (July will be my first time to Sweden & the farthermost north I have been!) As for the Brits – Dinner I don’t understand but they have done alright in the Top 100 which is what I think the list should be called 😉
Best regards
Fergus
@Angelika – me too 🙂
@Gastropassion – Enig og god fornøjelse hos noma-drengene! Her er det rå rejer med søpindsvin som sne (frossen og pulveragtigt).
@Thorsten 🙂
@James – I have never been to Dinner but agree with you that it looks very surprising and weird that this restaurant ends up in top 10. Seems like it has (almost) swapped place with St. Johns 😉 – Which I love by the way but don’t consider 50 best worthy though.
Dinner by Heston already in the top 10?
Quite surprised – I thought it was a bistro style place, and not a nother top notch fat duck type place.
CONGRATULATIONS NOMA AND STAFF FROM AN ADMIRER FROM HOLLAND
Det er helt fantastisk med de nye danske restauranter på listen. Ser meget frem til at opleve noma om små to uger.
Et super flot billede i øvrigt. Hvad består retten af?
Alt godt.
Mikkel
I love the new entries of the north! Geranium, Fäviken, …