Brett Graham’s The Ledbury slid from 14 to 27 while Heston’s Dinner climbed nine places to 36, but it was The Clove Club which triumphed at this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony. The Shoreditch restaurant held steady at 26 to become the UK’s highest ranked on the list, which for the first time was topped by New York’s Eleven Madison Park.
Words: Neil Simpson
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants marked its fifteenth year by moving its awards ceremony to Melbourne, where earlier today guests watched New York’s Eleven Madison Park knock Modena’s Osteria Francescana down to second place. Co-owned by chef Daniel Humm (above, second from right) with Will Guidara (centre), Swiss-born Humm became executive chef at the restaurant in 2006, making a name for himself with his signature roasted duck dishes. The restaurant is actually closing for a refurbishment in June but if you’re in NYC this summer, you’ll be pleased to hear that they’re opening a pop up in The Hamptons, darling.
The Clove Club’s Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis
Named our Restaurant of the Year in 2015, The Clove Club clearly continues to knock it out of the park, sitting pretty at number 26 as the highest-ranking of the three UK restaurants in the top 50. It has achieved its success by doing things differently, such as adopting a pre-paid ‘ticketed’ booking system for dinner reservations, a first for London, as well as delivering a procession of thrilling, enthralling and seriously on-point seasonal British cooking. Co-founded by Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith, all three travelled to Oz to celebrate in person.
L-R: Daniel Willis, Heston Blumenthal, Johnny Smith, Brett Graham and Isaac McHale
Meanwhile, it was a big night for Heston Blumenthal, who won a lifetime achievement award, while his Dinner at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel climbed up to number 36 (after a big fall from 7 to 45 in 2016). This year also saw Brett Graham’s The Ledbury in Notting Hill usurped by The Clove Club as the UK’s biggest hitter, falling from 14 to 27. In more good news for Londoners, Dominique Ansel (who opened Dominique Ansel Bakery in Belgravia last year) was named The World’s Best Pastry Chef.
Dominique Ansel winning The World’s Best Pastry Chef
The top 10
1 Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA – up 2 places
2 Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy – down 1
3 El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain – down 1
4 Mirazur, Menton, France – up 2
5 Central, Lima, Peru – down 1
6 Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain – up 4
7 Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand – up 16
8 Maido, Lima, Peru – up 5
9 Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain – down 2
10 Steirereck, Vienna, Austria – down 1
