The Pat Nourse Polaroid files: “These pictures were taken at the winners’ lunch at St John restaurant the day after the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony. I’ve had the pleasure of chairing the Australian and Pacific votes. It’s not a paid gig, but an invite to join the critics who head the other voting panels and the award-winning chefs at a lunch hosted by Fergus Henderson is incentive enough. This year’s menu kicked off with an ox heart salad (the hearts of oxen, not a type of tomato), followed by pig’s head and potato pie (with plenty of mustard) and ice-cream flavoured with the Dr Henderson, Fergus’s favourite cocktail of Fernet Branca and crème de menthe.”
Ferran Adrià, El Bulli
Ferran Adrià, El Bulli
Ferran Adrià, El Bulli
“‘And the winner is…’ In some ways, it’s no surprise that El Bulli, perhaps the most talked-about restaurant in the world tops the list for the third time in a row and the fifth time since the inception of the 50 Best in 2002. Last year he dedicated his win to Alinea’s Grant Achatz, who was then recovering from cancer of the mouth. This year he prefaced his remarks by saying he’d been asked, in the event of another win, to not make his acceptance speech quite so long. “I’m not going to do that,” he (partly) joked, before going on to use the opportunity to honour his comrade-at-knives, Heston Blumenthal, just recently himself recovered from a media frenzy over a spate of incidences of food poisoning at The Fat Duck.”
Juan-Mari Arzak, Arzak
Juan-Mari Arzak, Arzak
Juan-Mari Arzak, Arzak
“A father figure of the contemporary Spanish food movement, Juan Mari Arzak is a fixture of the 50 Best, with Arzak, the San Sébastian restaurant he operates with his daughter Elena, clocking in at number eight this year. A perpetually jovial figure, he hasn’t let the fact that he doesn’t speak English in any way impede his bonding with the other winning chefs. He is a master of the bear-hug and the Basque-style man-kiss.”
Grant Achatz, Alinea
Grant Achatz, Alinea
Grant Achatz, Alinea
“The quietly spoken Grant Achatz has been one of the best liked figures at the 50 Best in the three years since his Chicago restaurant, Alinea, joined the list. It now sits at #10, the highest-ranked American restaurant after The French Laundry and Per Se, both owned his mentor, Thomas Keller. This photo, taken outside St John, showed Achatz in one of the rare moments of his visit to London where he wasn’t attended by at least two attractive young women. Expect to see him closer to home soon – hot chicks in tow – as he’s tipped to headline one of the coming Australian food festivals.”
Momofuku’s David Chang and St John’s Trevor Gulliver
Momofuku’s David Chang and St John’s Trevor Gulliver
Momofuku’s David Chang and St John’s Trevor Gulliver
“The other biggest cheer at the awards was undoubtedly for New York’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar. They placed at #31, quite an achievement for a no-bookings East Village hangout that wasn’t on the list at all last year, and undoubtedly another pointer to the growing importance of restaurants serving brilliantly constructed food, but in a more playful manner and in an informal setting. Chef and owner David Chang came to London with Momofuku chef de cuisine Tien Ho, beverage director Cory Lane and pastry chef Christina Tosi; Chang’s posse, along with St John’s colourful co-owner Trevor Gulliver, were among the heartiest post-awards partiers.”
René Redzepi, Noma
René Redzepi, Noma
René Redzepi, Noma
“Copenhagen’s Noma got the biggest cheer of the awards when it stormed in number three in the awards, despite the fact that as recently as three years ago few people had heard of the restaurant. Chef and owner René Redzepi further endeared himself to the crowd with his speech: “They called us the seal f-kers. They called us the stinking whale. They asked us if we had braised whale’s penis on the menu, ” he said. “Look who’s laughing now.” Redzepi befriended many and impressed more at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and at the 50, Noma was also the winner of the chef-voted Chefs’ Chef award; expect to hear more from them in the years to come.”
Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck
Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck
Heston Blumenthal, The Fat Duck
“The Fat Duck was named the number-two restaurant again this year, but because the awards are announced in London and because he’s the highest-placing chef who speaks English, Heston Blumenthal bears the brunt of media attention for the 50 Best. Here he’s pausing for breath between interviews at the St John bar. He’s doing very well for the man who also hosted the unofficial after-party at Shochu in Soho following the awards the night before. A thoroughly decent chap.”
