The world's 50 best restaurants 2011

Restaurant Magazine's annual World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards were announced recently. How important are they? Do they influence the way we eat out?

Every year, there’s a heightened flurry of excitement around the annual S. Pellegrino ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards’.  Founded by the Restaurant Magazine around a decade ago as a publicity stunt, the much-discussed awards are now prestigious and highly respected. 

In the intervening years though, the way we dine out – preferring informal venues and shared plates – has changed. Restaurant awards are two a penny these days; and despite sparking some new controversy or other each year, Michelin has lost none of its lustre. In the age of Facebook and Twitter, even the way we communicate about restaurants has changed.

So how relevant is the ‘World’s 50 Best’ list? And who decides what ‘the best’ means anyway? Does a list such as this matter? Should we take notice of it?

The awards manifesto

I admit that at first I was sceptical about the idea of the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ – until I noted that the list is compiled stringently by over 800 restaurant industry experts from all over the world, including top food critics, chefs and restaurateurs. Truly international in its scope, and without any restraining set criteria, I believe it’s more wide-ranging, accessible and inclusive than the myth and mystique of Michelin. 

During this year’s awards ceremony, the organisers happily admitted that the list would be controversial and provoke debate. I suspect that, in part, is its intention. In fact, according to the awards’ manifesto, it is meant to be “an annual snapshot” of the experts’ personal opinions and experiences, rather than a definitive list: “An honourable survey of current tastes and a credible indicator of the best places to eat around the globe.” 

So the list is compiled by the industry, primarily for the industry. Food and wine writer Douglas Blyde says: “Its main influence is to show chefs as rock stars. It’s not really for consumers, it’s very much for trade. To make the list work better, it needs to reach out to the public and take it further.” But still, Wine Tipster Neil Phillips points out, “it inspires you to visit these restaurants when you’re travelling abroad”.

What do chefs think about the awards?

After this year’s awards, I asked Heston Blumenthal, whose restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray was voted number 5, how significant he found the list. “Very,” he said, “Although it hasn’t changed the way we cook and hasn’t altered the business, the important thing is that it recognizes younger talent. It’s good for the international restaurant business.”

Rene Redzepi, of number 1 restaurant Noma of Copenhagen, agrees: “It’s certainly changed our restaurant. We have the freedom to cook whatever we want to, rather than resorting to ‘evergreens’ for businessmen! We now have unlimited number of guests, and I think the restaurant will continue to be full even if we dropped down in the rankings. Now that the awards momentum has picked up, the entire city and region are getting the attention.”

The CEO of Slow Food UK, Catherine Gazzolli, echoes this view. “It’s fantastic for Scandinavia. There’s a huge food scene in Sweden and Denmark, and the produce is different – it’s very local. So it’s not just about France and Italy anymore.”

“It’s a very significant list, very special”, she adds. “It’s a dialogue about terroir. The local producers’ angle is very strong throughout the list. The winners are very ‘Slow Food’ in their philosophy, which is why we love being associated with the awards.”

Perhaps Bryan Webb, chef-proprietor of Michelin starred Tyddyn Llan in Denbighshire in north Wales, sums it up the best: “The list is very relevant as it raises the profile of establishments that are producing quality food, and that has a knock-on effect for the industry as a whole, as it encourages and inspires people to eat out in quality restaurants.”

It certainly inspired me. I remember the moment I discovered the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list in the glossy pages of Restaurant magazine almost ten years ago. Looking for a career change at the time, it set me on my path to becoming a food critic. And having eaten at many awful restaurants over the years, I find a guide such as this reassuringly handy.

The world’s 50 best restaurants in 2011 

So what’s your opinion on the ’50 Best’ list? Do you agree with who’s been included? Do you find it a reliable pointer – or is it totally irrelevant? Does it inspire you to travel, be more adventurous and explore different cuisines? Let us know using the comments box below!  

Also worthy of your attention: 

Giles Coren Meets Rene Redzepi