worldrestaurant

Charlie Trotter's

2007-11-19T02:53:00.000+07:00

Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago, which opened in 1987, was named as the 30th-best restaurant in the world

Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago, which opened in 1987, was named as the 30th-best restaurant in the world, and 5th-best in the USA in 2007 by the well-respected "Restaurant Magazine". It has received awards and praise from other publications and travel guides. Trotter owns Trotter's To Go, a high-end delicatessen and catering store in Lincoln Park, Chicago. In 2006 he opened Trotter's To Go Express, a simplified delicatessen located in Chicago's downtown Equinox Fitness Club selling fast food to carry away. In February 2004, C, a seafood restaurant, opened in Los Cabos, Mexico under the direction of Charlie Trotter. Trotter announced in 2006 that he would open a new restaurant, as yet unnamed, in the new Elysian tower near Michigan Avenue in Chicago to open in late 2008. Trotter is scheduled to open a seafood restaurant at the Palazzo casino in Las Vegas. The hotel is scheduled to open in December 2007.
Behind the stove:
Owner and Chef Charlie Trotter and Chef de Cuisine, Matthias Merges
Always on the menu:
The menu is seasonal and constantly changes
Random fact:
When Trotter left college he worked at 40 restaurants over four years, learning all he could about food
Wine list: $22 - $12,000 (£11 - £5,994)
Menu: The $125 Vegetable Menu to the Grand Menu at $145
816 West Armitage Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA
+1 773 248 6228
brought from :
www.charlietrotters.com,
www.theworlds50best.com

Hakkasan

2007-11-05T16:08:00.000+07:00

Only Alan Yau could take an unlovely car park in a skanky alleyway at the wrong end of London's Oxford Street and turn it into a breathtakingly beautiful and unstoppably popular restaurant. And only Alan Yau could make a table at his high-end restaurant as desirable to the hardcore foodie as it is to the fashion crowd. When Yau opened Hakkasan back in 2001, he brought Chef Tong Chee Hwee over from Singapore with a promise of a suitably stylish venue in which his gorgeous creations, like Silver Cod in Chinese Honey and Champagne or Jasmine Tea-Smoked Chicken, would shine

Only Alan Yau could take an unlovely car park in a skanky alleyway at the wrong end of London's Oxford Street and turn it into a breathtakingly beautiful and unstoppably popular restaurant. And only Alan Yau could make a table at his high-end restaurant as desirable to the hardcore foodie as it is to the fashion crowd. When Yau opened Hakkasan back in 2001, he brought Chef Tong Chee Hwee over from Singapore with a promise of a suitably stylish venue in which his gorgeous creations, like Silver Cod in Chinese Honey and Champagne or Jasmine Tea-Smoked Chicken, would shine. What's remarkable is that even on London's fickle dining scene, Hakkasan is still the favourite of the beautiful people. The Christian Liaigre-designed interior and refurbished Ling Ling Bar contribute in no small part to its success. With over 300 guests coming through the doors each night, it's hardly a boutique operation, yet standards have remained consistently high since day one. Yau hopes to emulate the achievement in Istanbul where his second Hakkasan opens this year. Meanwhile, in London, his dim sum restaurant Yauatcha continues to perform as well as ever. We eagerly await Yau's new restaurant Cha Cha No Hana, slated to open in London later this year.

Behind the stove:
Tong Chee Hwee

Always on the menu:
Pipa Duck; Stir-fry Black Pepper Rib Eye Beef in Merlot

Random fact:
A master of Feng Shui visits the restaurant three times a year to check that everything is in good order

Wine list:
£24 - £1,722

Menu:
Dim sum is available at lunch, from £3.50. From the à la carte menu, try the Peking Duck with Royal Beluga Caviar, £140, for two to three people, served over three courses

8 Hanway Place, London W1T 1HD, England
+44 (0)20 7927 7000
Brought to you from:www.theworlds50best.com

Le Bernardin

2007-11-03T17:19:00.000+07:00

Le Bernardin, New York's internationally acclaimed four star seafood restaurant, was born in Paris in 1972 by sibling duo Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze. Dedicated entirely to the cuisine of Gilbert Le Coze, the self-taught seafood wizard, it only served fish: Fresh, simple and prepared with respect. Le Bernardin was named after an order of monks who liked to eat and drink and a song about the monks that Gabriel Le Coze, Maguy's and Gilbert's father, kept singing to them.
Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze were born and raised in a small village called Port Navalo in Brittany, France. Le Coze's parents owned and operated a small restaurant and inn, the Hotel de Rhuys. Gilbert received his cooking lessons by helping his grandfather and father in the kitchen and on the fishing boat while Maguy Le Coze worked alongside her mother in the dining room
Le Bernardin, New York's internationally acclaimed four star seafood restaurant, was born in Paris in 1972 by sibling duo Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze. Dedicated entirely to the cuisine of Gilbert Le Coze, the self-taught seafood wizard, it only served fish: Fresh, simple and prepared with respect. Le Bernardin was named after an order of monks who liked to eat and drink and a song about the monks that Gabriel Le Coze, Maguy's and Gilbert's father, kept singing to them.
Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze were born and raised in a small village called Port Navalo in Brittany, France. Le Coze's parents owned and operated a small restaurant and inn, the Hotel de Rhuys. Gilbert received his cooking lessons by helping his grandfather and father in the kitchen and on the fishing boat while Maguy Le Coze worked alongside her mother in the dining room.
The dual combination of Gilbert's new cooking techniques — unheard of in the Haute Cuisine-obsessed salons of Paris' better restaurants in the early seventies—with Maguy's energy and drive in the dining room propelled Le Bernardin to one Michelin star in 1976. Considering that Le Bernardin was opened on a shoestring budget with Maguy's and Gilbert's parents helping out in the kitchen as the only employees on opening night, the Michelin accolades were an incredible accomplishment.
Continuing its success story, in 1980 the restaurant moved to a larger location garnering two coveted Michelin stars. This was the highest acclaim for a seafood-only restaurant since the powerful Michelin organization reserves the right to bestow three stars to restaurants with menus that also offer meat, games, poultry and fish to its diners. Le Bernardin insisted on only serving the best fish, carving out a niche in the competitive restaurant world of Paris and establishing an international reputation.
Inspired by the triumph of Le Bernardin in Paris and its many American clients, the Le Coze's sought to open a Le Bernardin in New York in 1986. By again employing the technique of "divide and conquer", Maguy commanded the functions of the dining room and décor, while seafood virtuoso Gilbert took control of the kitchen.
In no time, Le Bernardin became a four star restaurant which is renown for setting standards in the cooking of seafood in America. The restaurant holds several records in New York: it received its four star review from the New York Times only three months after opening—that's how much Gilbert's unconventional cooking had taken New Yorkers—and is the only New York four star restaurant that has maintained its status of excellence for more than 10 years. Reviews have come in 1986, 1989 and 1995 with the same verdict: Four stars.
After the unexpected death of her brother Gilbert in 1994, Maguy Le Coze is now working closely with her partner/chef Eric Ripert. Ripert, one of the brightest talents in the kitchens of the world, and Le Coze continue to uphold Le Bernardin's position as one of the world's premier restaurants. In 1998, Maguy Le Coze won the coveted James Beard Award for "Outstanding Restaurant" in America, and in May 2003 Eric Ripert was named "Outstanding Chef" by the James Beard Foundation. The 2004 Zagat's Guide rated Le Bernardin number one for food in New York.

Behind the stove:
Executive Chef/Co-Owner Eric Ripert

Always on the menu:
Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Random fact:
The LeCozes got their first big break in their father's seaside disco

Wine list:
$45 - $8,000 (£22 - £3,989)

Menu:
City Harvest Menu $40 (£20) for three courses; $5 (£2.50) is donated to food rescue organization City Harvest. Six-course Chef's Tasting Menu with wine, $320 (£160) per person

155 West 51st Street, The Equitable Building, New York City, NY 10019, USA
++1 212 554 1515
www.le-bernardin.com
Brought to you by
www.theworlds50best.com

Pierre Gagnaire

2007-11-03T16:56:00.000+07:00

There's been a lot of flowery prose describing Pierre Gagnaire's cooking. The generally accepted view is that he personifies the romantic idea of 'the chef as artist' better than anyone in France today - and there's a lot of competition for that title. This is understandable, his approach to cooking is most definitely of the cerebral school. He frequently collaborates with friend, the famous French physical chemist Hervé This, his menus often read like Rive Gauche poetry and there's a section on his website entitled Mon Universe.
There's been a lot of flowery prose describing Pierre Gagnaire's cooking. The generally accepted view is that he personifies the romantic idea of 'the chef as artist' better than anyone in France today - and there's a lot of competition for that title. This is understandable, his approach to cooking is most definitely of the cerebral school. He frequently collaborates with friend, the famous French physical chemist Hervé This, his menus often read like Rive Gauche poetry and there's a section on his website entitled Mon Universe. Looking like the suave Gallic answer to Kris Kristofferson, until recently, Gagnaire's image did nothing to discourage the notion that he was all tortured culinary jazz daddy chained to his stove.
But since 2003, when he started consulting on the ambitious Sketch in London, Gagnaire has both opened up and opened more restaurants, including the casual experimental Gaya, on gay Paris' Left Bank, and international operations in Tokyo and Hong Kong, with a Dubai outpost about to open. Nevertheless, it's at his eponymous Paris flagship that his creativity still flows most fluently, the kitchen throwing out the sort of combinations that seem insane on paper but look like works of art on the plate and feel like them on the palate.
What you're left with at the end is an overwhelming sense that he simply wants to feed and please his customers.

Behind the stove:
Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Nave

Always on the menu:
Le Grand Dessert Pierre Gagnaire

Random fact:
Gagnaire served as an Admiral Chef in the French navy

Wine list:
€55 - €8,500 (£37 - £5,755)

Menus:
From lunch for €95 (£64) to €245 (£166) for the dégustation menu

6 Rue Balzac, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0)1 58 36 12 50
Brought to you from
www.theworlds50best.com

El Bulli

2007-11-02T09:05:00.000+07:00

For the second year in a row, el Bulli has topped our poll. Including its triumph in our inaugural 2002 list, it's now been voted Best Restaurant in the World an unprecedented three times.There's not a lot that hasn't been written about el Bulli and - to give him his full name - Fernando Adrià Acosta. This magazine has talked about his food as "21st Century tapas made by an eccentric scientist with an artistic bent" (2002); we've pointed out that "no other restaurant in the world concentrates more on what's in front of you on the plate" (2003); we've noted that when visiting, "the only thing customers know to expect is the unexpected" (2004) and - clearly written by a member of the Restaurant team with a shoe fetish - that in the kitchen Adria "paces the sections in his orange Prada sneakers and is always tasting, tasting, tasting" (2005).
For the second year in a row, el Bulli has topped our poll. Including its triumph in our inaugural 2002 list, it's now been voted Best Restaurant in the World an unprecedented three times.There's not a lot that hasn't been written about el Bulli and - to give him his full name - Fernando Adrià Acosta. This magazine has talked about his food as "21st Century tapas made by an eccentric scientist with an artistic bent" (2002); we've pointed out that "no other restaurant in the world concentrates more on what's in front of you on the plate" (2003); we've noted that when visiting, "the only thing customers know to expect is the unexpected" (2004) and - clearly written by a member of the Restaurant team with a shoe fetish - that in the kitchen Adria "paces the sections in his orange Prada sneakers and is always tasting, tasting, tasting" (2005).
This year, our spies tell us that some of the dishes that made their debut earlier this month include Fried Brioche Shanghai; Pita of Iberian Ham Fat and Veal Bone Marrow; Crab Marrakech; and The Sea.The last point to be made - and yes, we've made this one before too - is that, aside from what's coming out of the kitchen, the whole experience, from the setting to the service and the wine list, is world class.
Behind the stove:
Ferran Adrià and his two Executive Chefs Albert Raurich and Oriol Castro
Always on the menu:
New cooking techniques developed in the six months the restaurant is closed each year at the el Bulli Taller (lab/workshop) in Barcelona
Random fact:
Adrià took his first job in a restaurant as a pot wash to pay for a summer holiday raving in Ibiza
Wine list:

€15 - €3,500 (£10 - £2,377)
Menus:
The tasting menu is €185 (£125)
www.theworlds50best.com
Apartado 30, 17480 Roses en Cala Montjol, Spain
+34 97215 04 57 (after 3pm during the season)

Le Louis XV

2007-10-28T02:34:00.000+07:00

Chef Alain Ducasse is a busy man, so he's installed trusty cohorts at each of his outposts. Executive Chef Franck Cerruti of Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo is one such colleague, a local whose heart is in cuisine at its most pure, simple and seasonal.
The four-course Les Jardins de Provence - mainly vegetarian- is a fitting introduction to the locale. Dishes like Fraises des Bois in their Natural Juice, Mascarpone Sorbet, Veal cooked 'en cocotte', Baked Potatoes and Braised Lettuce,
Chef Alain Ducasse is a busy man, so he's installed trusty cohorts at each of his outposts. Executive Chef Franck Cerruti of Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo is one such colleague, a local whose heart is in cuisine at its most pure, simple and seasonal.
The four-course Les Jardins de Provence - mainly vegetarian- is a fitting introduction to the locale. Dishes like Fraises des Bois in their Natural Juice, Mascarpone Sorbet, Veal cooked 'en cocotte', Baked Potatoes and Braised Lettuce, or Risotto with Artichokes are perfect examples of Riviera cuisine.
The setting, however, is sheer extravagance. The dining room, decorated in the style of 17th Century Versailles, sparkles with gold and mirrors, mixed with the bright light flooding in through French windows. For the lucky few, there's the magnificent Aquarium, a smaller dining room in the heart of the kitchen where six video screens stream in the action. The two marble clocks in the dining room have stopped at midday. This is no accident: the point is clear. The guest is there for the sole purpose of enjoying a magnificent repast. Nothing else matters, at least in that moment.

Behind the stove:
Alain Ducasse and Franck Cerruti

Always on the menu:
Provence Garden Vegetables cooked with Black Truffles, Terre Bormane Taggiasche Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and top-quality salt

Random fact:
So devoted is Franck Cerrutti that he's often spotted selecting food for the restaurant at the market on his days off

Wine list:
€50 - €11,560 (£34 - £7,827)

Menu:
Two-course 'Club Déjeuner de Saison' at €125 (£85) to a four-course 'Pour les Gourmets' tasting menu, €225 (£152), both including cheese and desserts

Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino,MC 98000, Monaco
+377 98 06 88 64 www.theworlds50best.com

Hof van Cleve

2007-10-27T00:51:00.000+07:00

From 1914 to 1970, this idyllic Flemish farmhouse, built in 1870 in Kruishoutem, close to Ghent, was home to one solitary hermit, a certain Mr van Cleve. Since 1992, when chef Peter Goossens took it on as a gastronomic restaurant, it's enjoyed an altogether different existence.
It still resembles the humble Ardennes farmhouse of its former life, but its previously sparse rooms have been filled with 100 types of handmade cigars (a collection of 10,000 in total), 200 spirits, 70 types of tea, 50 types of whisky, not to mention eight exclusive paintings by contemporary Belgian artists. But that's allso much background detail to the main event.

From 1914 to 1970, this idyllic Flemish farmhouse, built in 1870 in Kruishoutem, close to Ghent, was home to one solitary hermit, a certain Mr van Cleve. Since 1992, when chef Peter Goossens took it on as a gastronomic restaurant, it's enjoyed an altogether different existence.
It still resembles the humble Ardennes farmhouse of its former life, but its previously sparse rooms have been filled with 100 types of handmade cigars (a collection of 10,000 in total), 200 spirits, 70 types of tea, 50 types of whisky, not to mention eight exclusive paintings by contemporary Belgian artists. But that's all so much background detail to the main event.
In the foreground, you have Goossens' precise, luxurious cuisine, seen in the indulgent Simmenthal Entrecôte under a Crust of Salt with Truffles, Young Cabbage, Celeriac Cream, Panisse for two, or Crunchy Veal Sweetbreads with Penne au Gratin, Melted Foie Gras, Spinach and Whelks. Lunch is a simpler affair, themed on 'a walk around the market', with ingredients chosen in tune with the seasons. The wine cellar stores some 1,250 wines, the bulk of which are from France, Italy and Spain.
This year, Goossens and restaurant designer Antoine Pinto launched the Museum Food project, a brasserie, coffee bar and café at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels.

Behind the stove:
Peter Goossens and Michael Vrijmoed

Always on the menu:
Turbot with Belgian Sevruga, Leek Stoemp, Lager Beer Sauce, Broccoli, Prawns

Random fact:
Goossens' food may be classy, but there's nothing the chef likes more than a good filthy joke

Wine list:
€45 - €8,200 (£30 - £5,550)

Menu:
€80 (£54) for three courses to €175 (£118) for eight

Riemegemstraat 1, 9770 Kruishoutem, Belgium
+32 (0)9 3838 584 www.hofvancleve.com
www.theworlds50best.com

Per Se

2007-10-25T23:21:00.000+07:00

Prior to the spring of 2004, New Yorkers were right to be kicking themselves. Though superstar chef Thomas Keller started off his stellar career in the Big Apple at acclaimed restaurants La Reserve, Restaurant Raphael and Rakel, it was at The French Laundry on the Californian coast that he hit his stride and came to be seen as the US' greatest
chef. How could they have let him get away?
When Keller came back to New York to open his East Coast outpost in 2004, he was welcomed with open arms. He opened Per Se in the Time Warner Centre, an upscale mall of smart shops and smarter restaurants, at Columbus Circle at the south-east corner of Central Park. Renowned designer Adam Tihany makes the most of the setting where you'll find a version of the famous blue door - fashioned after the French Laundry's own, an elegant fireplace and a field-stone interior in a crisp, urban environment, with excellent views of the park and just 15 coveted tables.

Prior to the spring of 2004, New Yorkers were right to be kicking themselves. Though superstar chef Thomas Keller started off his stellar career in the Big Apple at acclaimed restaurants La Reserve, Restaurant Raphael and Rakel, it was at The French Laundry on the Californian coast that he hit his stride and came to be seen as the US' greatest chef. How could they have let him get away?

When Keller came back to New York to open his East Coast outpost in 2004, he was welcomed with open arms. He opened Per Se in the Time Warner Centre, an upscale mall of smart shops and smarter restaurants, at Columbus Circle at the south-east corner of Central Park. Renowned designer Adam Tihany makes the most of the setting where you'll find a version of the famous blue door - fashioned after the French Laundry's own, an elegant fireplace and a field-stone interior in a crisp, urban environment, with excellent views of the park and just 15 coveted tables.

Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno has followed a nicely varied East-West learning curve. The CIA grad started in the Bay Area at Michael Mina at Aqua before joining Chef Keller in Napa. He ended up back on the East Coast, where he accrued experience at major names such as Daniel, Les Célébrités, Gramercy Tavern and Craft.

He was soon drawn back to Napa for 18 months where he worked with Keller on the Per Se concept. There are two menus only, both nine courses, a chef's tasting and a vegetable tasting menu. Classics from the French Laundry, such as the famed Oysters and Pearls and the Salmon Tartare, are there, but the daily-changing menu also includes perfect examples of the Per Se style, complete with Keller's signature speechmarks - "Schnitzel Holstein" Pan Roast "Ris de Veau", Sunny-Side Up Quail Egg, Herb "SpŠtzle"; or "Omelette aux Fines Herbes", Herb Roasted Salsify, "B‰tons" and "Coulis de Cresson".

Behind the stove:
Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Benno runs the kitchen under Thomas Keller

Always on the menu:
There is no one dish always on the menu as it changes daily

Random fact:
Keller's kitchen is modelled on that of fellow top 50 restaurant Taillevent, where he worked in the '80s

Wine list:
$50 - $18,000 (£50 - £8,992)

Menu:
Prix Fixe $250 (£125)

10 Columbus Circle (at 60th Street), 4th Floor, New York, NY 10019, USA
++1 212 823 9335 www.perseny.com

Can Fabes

2007-10-25T01:14:00.000+07:00

Santi Santamaria is from a long line of devoted Catalan farmers and although he chose a different profession, far from leaving his roots behind, Santi has continued to honour the land he adores. He and his wife çngels have been enjoying success in their own establishment for more than a quarter of a century. Faithful to local produce, methods and growers, he also embraces ingredients and techniques from around the world
Santi Santamaria is from a long line of devoted Catalan farmers and although he chose a different profession, far from leaving his roots behind, Santi has continued to honour the land he adores. He and his wife çngels have been enjoying success in their own establishment for more than a quarter of a century. Faithful to local produce, methods and growers, he also embraces ingredients and techniques from around the world. Via his philosophy on the equal importance of time past, present and future, he creates an ongoing zeitgeist in food and environment. Parts of the farmhouse venue have been restored, while others adopt a modern design, with two dining rooms representing both the old and the contemporary. There's one important motive - to provide guests with a formidable dining experience. And the common denominator bringing it all together is great food from the fat of the land.
Behind the stove:

Santi Santamaria
Always on the menu:

Formatges Fabes (local cheeses)
Random fact:

Can Fabes is Santamaria's childhood home
Wine list:

€40 - €84 (£27 - £57)
Menu:

From €130 (£88) to €170 (£116)

Sant Joan, 6 Sant Celoni 08470, Spain
+34 938 672 851
www.canfabes.com

Noburestaurants

2007-10-23T23:54:00.000+07:00

Black Cod with Miso, £1,000 bribes for tables, that broom cupboard incident... there are many reasons why Nobu London enjoys such a special place in the public consciousness. But it does the restaurant a disservice to dwell on such old news. The first London scion of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's 17-strong restaurant group (in partnership with Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro) is 10 years old this year, and the 150-cover first-floor restaurant at London's Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane is as fashionable as ever, with the kitchen, under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards,

Black Cod with Miso, £1,000 bribes for tables, that broom cupboard incident... there are many reasons why Nobu London enjoys such a special place in the public consciousness. But it does the restaurant a disservice to dwell on such old news. The first London scion of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa's 17-strong restaurant group (in partnership with Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro) is 10 years old this year, and the 150-cover first-floor restaurant at London's Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane is as fashionable as ever, with the kitchen, under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards, still delivering its oft-imitated, never bettered modern Japanese cuisine. Most guests will have tried the famous Black Cod by now, as well as much-loved Nobu classics like New-Style Sashimi, Oysters with Three Salsas, and Dover Sole with Black Bean Sauce. The South American influence - dating back to a formative period Matsuhisa spent in Peru and Argentina - remains keenly felt, manifesting itself in such dishes as Anti-Cucho Peruvian Style Spicy Tea-smoked Lamb and Tomato Rock Shrimp Ceviche.
Luxury additions like caviar, foie gras, and truffles keep Matsuhisa's faithful jet-set crowd coming back for more. Nobu's other two London outposts, Ubon by Nobu in Canary Wharf - now six years old - and Nobu Berkeley Street in Mayfair give the brand's London fans reason to stray from the Park Lane original.

* Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills, California (opened 1987)
* Nobu New York (opened 1994)
* Nobu London (opened 1997)
* Matsuhisa Aspen, Aspen, Colorado (opened 1998)
* Next Door Nobu, New York City (opened 1998)
* Nobu Tokyo (opened 1998, closed 2006)
* Nobu Malibu (opened 1999)
* Nobu Las Vegas (opened 1999)
* Ubon Los Angeles, CA (@ the Beverly Center) (opened 1999, closed c.2001)
o (Ubon is Nobu spelled backwards)
* Armani/Nobu Milan (opened 2000)
* Ubon by Nobu, London (opened 2000)
* Noby Paris (opened 2001, closed 2003)
* Nobu Miami Beach (opened 2001)
* Nobu Fifty Seven, New York City (opened 2005)
* Nobu Berkley, London (opened 2005)
* Nobu Crescent Court, Dallas (opened 2005)
* Nobu Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas (opened 2006)
* Nobu Hong Kong (opened on 24 December 2006)
* Nobu Dallas (Opened 2006)
* Nobu Waikiki (Opened May 2007)
* Nobu Melbourne (Opened on 16 August 2007)
* Nobu Los Angeles (Opening August 2007)
* Nobu San Diego (Opening October 2007)

in the Nobu London :
Behind the stove:
Scott Hallsworth under Group Executive Chef Mark Edwards
Always on the menu:
Chocolate Bento Box
Random fact:
Nobu restaurants worldwide last year served 1.6 million customers
Wine list:
£23 - £5,200
Menu:
£25 set lunch, omakase menu £90
Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane, London W1, England
+44 (0)20 7447 4747
www.theworlds50best.com
Nobu Matushisa's official website

The Fat Duck

2007-10-23T01:34:00.000+07:00

The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. In 2005 it was named as the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine, and it came second in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Unlike most of the top ranked restaurants, which are located in exclusive districts of major cities, The Fat Duck is to be found in a modest cottage style house in a country village. Bray is also home to Michel Roux's Waterside Inn, which was ranked as the sixth best restaurant in the UK and the nineteenth best in the world.
In the 12 years since he opened The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal has succeeded in luring gastronomes from all over the world to his petite Bray restaurant. British gastronomy (ha!) is given a shake-up care of intriguing dishes like his Salmon Poached with Licorice and Sardine on Toast Sorbet.

The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. In 2005 it was named as the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine, and it came second in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Unlike most of the top ranked restaurants, which are located in exclusive districts of major cities, The Fat Duck is to be found in a modest cottage style house in a country village. Bray is also home to Michel Roux's Waterside Inn, which was ranked as the sixth best restaurant in the UK and the nineteenth best in the world.
In the 12 years since he opened The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal has succeeded in luring gastronomes from all over the world to his petite Bray restaurant. British gastronomy (ha!) is given a shake-up care of intriguing dishes like his Salmon Poached with Licorice and Sardine on Toast Sorbet.
Blumenthal has a deep interest in the history of food, and the French culinary traditions in particular. The Fat Duck began as a bourgeois French restaurant, and many of dishes are variations on traditional French dishes, such as petit sale - a method of cooking poultry by steeping it in spicy salt water. As of March 2007 there are two menus

A la carte costs £80 per person and the tasting menu costs £115 per person, excluding wine and an optional 12.5% service charge. A selection of 8 wines to accompany the 16-course tasting menu can be had for £90 per person, with an alternative selection of more expensive wines available for £295. In addition, at the end of the meal there is a tea menu with a selection of herbal and fine Chinese teas in the £5 to £20 per person price range.

Behind the stove:
Heston Blumenthal and Head Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts

Always on the menu:
A variation on the famous Egg and Bacon Ice Cream - Nitro-scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice Cream, Pain Perdu, Tea Jelly (2006)

Random fact:
Much has been made of Blumenthal's hobby of kickboxing, but apparently in his youth, breakdancing was his thing

Wine list: £30 to £5,500
High Street, Bray, Berkshire, SL6 2AQ, England
+44 (0)1628 580333www.fatduck.co.uk

Tetsuya's

2007-10-23T01:26:00.000+07:00

Tetsuya's Restaurant is regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world - Tetsuya Wakuda is the chef of this internationally-acclaimed restaurant in Tetsuya’s Restaurant is located at 529 Kent Street Sydney, Australia, housed in the former Seagram's buildingTetsuya Wakuda has refurbished a heritage-listed site in the city to create his dream restaurant. The restaurant offers sophisticated and intimate private dining rooms for group bookings, and two larger main dining rooms overlooking a Japanese garden. Tetsuya’s cuisine is unique, based on the Japanese philosophy of natural seasonal flavours, enhanced by classic French technique. Tetsuya’s renowned degustation set menu changes frequently. A typical meal could start with a plate of hors d’oeuvres — a gazpacho with spiced tomato sorbet, west Australian marron with asparagus and truffle mayonnaise, tartare of tuna with fresh wasabi, marinated fillet of trevally with preserved lemon set on sushi rice and tataki of venison with rosemary and honey

Tetsuya's Restaurant is regarded as one of the finest restaurants in the world - Tetsuya Wakuda is the chef of this internationally-acclaimed restaurant in Tetsuya’s Restaurant is located at 529 Kent Street Sydney, Australia, housed in the former Seagram's buildingTetsuya Wakuda has refurbished a heritage-listed site in the city to create his dream restaurant. The restaurant offers sophisticated and intimate private dining rooms for group bookings, and two larger main dining rooms overlooking a Japanese garden. Tetsuya’s cuisine is unique, based on the Japanese philosophy of natural seasonal flavours, enhanced by classic French technique. Tetsuya’s renowned degustation set menu changes frequently. A typical meal could start with a plate of hors d’oeuvres — a gazpacho with spiced tomato sorbet, west Australian marron with asparagus and truffle mayonnaise, tartare of tuna with fresh wasabi, marinated fillet of trevally with preserved lemon set on sushi rice and tataki of venison with rosemary and honey.
Tetsuya’s signature dish follows, confit of ocean trout served with unpasteurised ocean trout roe, followed by double cooked de-boned spatchcock with braised daikon and bread sauce, followed by a grilled fillet of grain fed beef with sansho & shiitake mushrooms. Desserts include an orange, honey and black pepper sorbet served prior to a blue cheese bavarois. Finally, early season berries with orange and Grand Marnier jelly and champagne ice cream, a floating island with vanilla and praline anglaise, and a flourless chocolate cake with a bitter chocolate sorbet and orange ice cream. Tetsuya’s offers one of Sydney’s most remarkable wine lists, and will match the dishes with wine available by the glass. Tetsuya’s serves a ten-course degustation menu, which is $195* (GST inclusive) per person, plus drinks. Tetsuya’s opens for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 6.00pm and for lunch Saturday only from 12noon. Bookings are essential and can be made by phoning +61 2 9267 2900 or faxing +61 2 9262 7099. All major credit cards are accepted. Proudly, this year year Tetsuya's was awarded the highest rating in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 (Three Chef's Hats), Restaurant of the Year and Best Fine Dining at the Restaurant & Catering Association Awards 2005.In his long-awaited first book, simply titled Tetsuya, he shares his inspiring story, legendary recipes and his passion for the good things in life (the book is available in all good book stores and from the restaurant).
Behind the stove: Tetsuya Wakuda
Always on the menu:
Confit of Petuna Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Konbu, Daikon and Fennel
Random fact:
Wakuda was so hands-on in the kitchen that he only sat down in his restaurant to eat once in 14 years. He was so exhausted he fell asleep at the table
Wine list:
A$45 - A$10,500 (£19 - £4,378)
Menu:
Ten course dégustation, $185 (£77)
529 Kent Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
+61 2 9267 2900 www.tetsuyas.com

Mugaritz

2007-10-23T01:07:00.000+07:00

Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz doesn't offer the headline-grabbing fireworks of most fashion-forward and playful modern Spanish cuisine, but is nevertheless setting the agenda for the next generation of chefs. A subtle, intellectual and harmonious cuisine - one that divides opinion - is delivered in a pastoral environment (a former cider bar) in the hills outside San Sebastian in the Basque country. Aduriz has worked with a roll-call of Spanish legends, including el Bulli, with Hilario Arbelaitz at Zuberoa, Arzak and Pedro Subijana at Akelarre. His pedigree is self-evident, though he is more frequently compared with Michel Bras than his fellow Spanish chefs.
Vegetable cookery is stellar as evinced by Vegetables, Oven-roasted and Raw, Sprouts and Greens, Wild and Cultivated, Seasoned with Browned Butter and Dusted with Seeds and Petals, Emmental Cheese

Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz doesn't offer the headline-grabbing fireworks of most fashion-forward and playful modern Spanish cuisine, but is nevertheless setting the agenda for the next generation of chefs. A subtle, intellectual and harmonious cuisine - one that divides opinion - is delivered in a pastoral environment (a former cider bar) in the hills outside San Sebastian in the Basque country. Aduriz has worked with a roll-call of Spanish legends, including el Bulli, with Hilario Arbelaitz at Zuberoa, Arzak and Pedro Subijana at Akelarre. His pedigree is self-evident, though he is more frequently compared with Michel Bras than his fellow Spanish chefs.
Vegetable cookery is stellar as evinced by Vegetables, Oven-roasted and Raw, Sprouts and Greens, Wild and Cultivated, Seasoned with Browned Butter and Dusted with Seeds and Petals, Emmental Cheese.
Foie Gras is another speciality - Aduriz worked with the University of Granada's liver transplant unit to better understand the DNA of duck livers. He is said to discard some 70 per cent of what he buys, serving only the finest lobes, cooked in a multi-stage process of searing, roasting, smoking and resting.
Adurix is routinely described as the future of Spanish cuisine, the one to pick up Adrià's baton - high praise, indeed, given that the one-time reluctant student had to retake a year at catering school.
Behind the stove:

Andoni Luis Aduriz
Always on the menu:

Ground Espresso Coffee on Chocolate Sauce, Light Chicory Cream and Natural Farmhouse Milk Skin
Random fact:

Aduriz' perfectionist streak is such that he studied chemistry of coagulation for two years to perfect egg cookery
Wine list:

€18.20 - €4,985 (£12.30 - £3,375)
Menu:

€85 (£58) for eight courses to €112 (£76) for 11

Mugaritz, Otzazulueta Baserria, Aldura Aldea 20 zk, Errenteria 20100, Gipuzkoa, Spain
+34 943 522 455
www.theworlds50best.com

Le Calandre

2007-10-19T03:01:00.001+07:00

The Alajmo brothers have done more than simply keep the family business ticking along. Since 1994, when Massimiliano took over the kitchen from mother Rita, and brother Raffaele took over management of the dining room, they've added café bar Il Calandrino, traiteur and deli A Vittorio, and the restored Hotel Maccaroni to their mini gastronomic empire in the otherwise undistinguished town of Sarmeola di Rubano near Padova.

The brothers' parents remain involved in the family business, while sister Laura manages Il Calandrino. Despite the array of gastronomic temptations on offer, it's fair to say that most have come for one thing: Chef Massimiliano's tasting menus, dubbed Adesso, I Grandi Classici and in.gredienti. All showcase the experimental bent you'd expect of a Veyrat alum, but one that's married to deep regard for his local cuisine. For Alajmo's most popular and most frequently requested dishes, try I Grandi Classici, including his Saffron Risotto, Squid Ink Cappuccino, Suckling Pig with Mustard and Coffee Powder, and Tiramisu. Sommelier Angelo Sabbadin will gladly pair any of the menus to a range of solely Italian, or international wines. The simultaneous publication last year of the restaurant's cookbook in.gredienti in Italian and English brought Massimiliano's complex cuisine to a wider audience. Their current project is the recently launched satellite of Le Calandre in Tokyo. www.theworlds50best.com

Behind the stove: Massimiliano Alajmo

Always on the menu: The most popular dish is the Radicchio alla Milanese with Mustard Sorbet and Pomegranate Perfume with Raspberry Vinegar

Random fact: Le Calandre's customers report that the classic dish Risotto with Saffron and Liquorice Powder has strong aphrodisiac qualities

Wine list: €28 - €4,500 (£19 - £3,047)

Menu: Adesso €175 (£118), I Grandi Classici €175 (£118), in.gredienti €200 (£135)

Le Calandre, Via Liguria 1, 35030 Sarmeola di Rubano, Italy
+39 04 96 30303 www.calandre.com

The French Laundry

2007-10-12T02:33:00.000+07:00

California's been good to Thomas Keller. Though he made his name in New York at La Reserve, Restaurant Raphael and Rakel, it was really since 1994, when he took over The French Laundry in Yountville, Napa, that his reputation as a perfectionist and as one of

America

's finest chefs went global. The rock and timber Napa Valley property was ideally suited to the chef's reinvention. In the 1920s, it housed a steam laundry, called the French Laundry on account of the high levels of skill and quality finish there. Under Keller's stewardship it has gone from country inn to internationally renowned gastronomic mecca.

Aided by Chef de Cuisine Corey Lee and a top pastry chef in Brit, Claire Clark (latterly of London's the Wolseley), Keller's cuisine, despite the 'French' moniker, is contemporary American cooking through a sunny Californian lens. Pick from either of the two daily-changing nine course menus, the Chef's or the Vegetable Tasting Menu There are three menus daily. Each is $240 (as of 2007) including service. One is a prix fixe menu; the second is a tasting menu, and the third is a vegetable tasting menu. During the holiday season, the restaurant may offer special dishes that would not otherwise be on the menu.Tasting menus consist of between five and eleven dishes, often with some optional courses (for example white truffles, foie gras or Wagyu beef or black truffles) for about $30 to $100 more - a "supplement." Unadvertised, but available by arrangement, is a special tasting menu with approximately twenty courses at about $400. Thomas Keller's per se in New York shares a similar menu and pricing structure.

Behind the stove: Thomas Keller, Chef de Cuisine Corey Lee and Pastry Chef Claire Clark

Always on the menu: Oysters and Pearls, Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Beau
Soleil Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

Random fact: The French Laundry sold 24,000 Oysters and Pearls last year,
going through 200kg of caviar in the process

Wine list: $35 - $7,900 (£17 - £3,947)

6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599, USA
++1 707 944 2380 www.frenchlaundry.com