It has been an exciting early morning, with the World’s 50 Best Restaurants announced from Cipriani Wall Street in New York from 2h00 this morning. The Test Kitchen has done our country and Cape Town in particular proud, by becoming the 22nd Best Restaurant in the World! Osteria Francescana in Modena in Italy, owned by Chef Massimo Bottura, is the World’s Best Restaurant.

For the first time in the 15 years of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards the ceremony has been held in New York, seeing the world’s fifty chefs from around the globe congregating in the Big Apple, including Chef Luke Dale-Roberts. It was announced that the Awards will be held in Melbourne in 2017.

The initiative of Restaurant magazine in the UK, and using 900 judges from around the world, a total of about 7000 votes were cast to vote for the world’s best restaurants.  The world was divided into 27 regions, chaired by an expert for each region.  Tamsin Snyman heads the Africa panel, members having had to eat at 4 local as well as at 3 international restaurants to cast their vote.  No score was required – the vote is purely for the best restaurants they ate at, and must be presented in ranked order.  Every year 10 panelists step down per region, to be replaced by new ones.

Following Osteria Francescana in second place was last year’s winner El  Celler De Can Roca from Spain, with Eleven Madison Park in third place. The Award Tweets reflect that Noma’s fifth rank was a shock.

The Test Kitchen was at number 28 last year, having sped up the top 100 list, coming in at 48th in 2014. In 2013 it was named ‘One to Watch‘, a tremendous honour, when it was ranked at 61st Best, having entered the Top 100 at number 74 in 2012. When Chef Luke was at La Colombe, the restaurant was in the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list in 2009, and in 2010, when it reached its highest level at 12th Best in the World! It was named as the Best Restaurant in Africa.

The One to Watch went to Den in Tokyo; The World’s Best Pastry Chef was named as Pierre Hermé, described as a ‘Master of Macaroons‘ and the ‘Picasso of Pastry‘; The Chef’s Choice went to Joan Roca of El Celler De Can Roca; The highest New Entry Award went to The Clove Club, while the Highest Climber Award went to Maido, climbing 31 spots. Relae won the Sustainable Restaurant Award. Alain Passard of Apérge won the Lifetime Achievement Award, saying that cooking is like music – it is nothing without practice! Dominique Crenn was named the World’s Best Female Chef. A new Award for the Art of Hospitality went to Eleven Madison Park.

Last week the fifty restaurants bubbling under the World’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced, the list containing La Colombe, at number 76.

The 2016 World’s 50 Best Restaurants are:

1.   Osteria Francescana
2.   El Celler de Can Roca
3.   Eleven Madison Park
4.   Central
5.   Noma
6.   Mirazur
7.   Mugaritz
8.   Narisawa
9.   Steirereck
10.   Asador Etxebarri
11.   D.O.M
12.   Quintonil
13.   Maido
14.   The Ledbury
15.   Alinea
16.   Azurmendi
17.   Piazza Duomo
18.   White Rabbit
19.   Apèrge
20.   Amber
21.   Arzak
22.   The Test Kitchen
23.   Gaggan
24.   Le Bernardin
25.   Pujol
26.   The Clove Club
27.   Saison
28.   Geranium
29.   Tickets
30.   Astrid y Gastón
31.   Nihonryori RyuGin
32.   Restaurant Andre
33.   Attica
34.   Restaurant Tim Raue
35.   Vendôme
36.   Borago
37.   Nahm
38.   De Librije
39.   La Calandre
40.   Relae
41.   Fäviken
42.   Ultraviolet
43.   Biko
44.   Estela
45.   Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
46.   Combal Zero
47.   Schloss Schauenstein
48.   Blue Hill at Stone Barns
49.   Quique Dacosta
50.   Septime

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter: @WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein