Who should you listen to in the world of restaurant guides? The Worlds 50 best or the Michelin? Certainly one of them makes more of a fanfare of its existence, while the other is the respected old man.
Most likely not to be seen dancing at a wedding Disco.
Well this year I managed to gain entry to the worlds 50 Best event, and well it was truly great Night out.
Chefs a far as the eye can see, media crews and photographer’s, trailing them around. The grand Guildhall yard was awash with Journalists trying to get the best picture and interview. Glamour and Clamor A very modern event under the gothic spires of the Guildhall.
It’s so rare all the chefs actually get to meet up in one place but for these awards they do, and you can see the genuine camaraderie and joy when they meet again.
After the time spent in the yard people started to decamp into the hall where drinks and canapés were being served, here you could gage the excitement and enjoy an endless flow of canapés and the odd drink or two. The difficulty was finding anyone in the melee it was shoulder to shoulder. I bumped into Massimo and when I suggested he would win this year, he was surprised by that remark he was convinced it would be 11 Madison Park.
The call to enter the grand hall for the presentation came and all filtered down to their seats.
Once everyone was ready the countdown began. The 100-51 were preannounced this year so we were straight in at number 50 and were soon approaching the top five, it was always going to be a little up in the air this time it seemed to be a forgone conclusion that Noma was not going to be in top spot but who would be the winner? I was kept guessing right down to the wire I was convinced it was going to be Massimo Bottura.
So second place was revealed and It was Massimo, so back into first place Cellar Can Roca for the second time you could not have seen three happier guys anywhere.
So it was off to the crypt as the guest of Mexico, the themed after party This was rather rock and roll with champagne and cocktails A good amount of chefs were there enjoying the hospitality. But the most of the young guns went to the now well established party at the Clove Club well into the night I’m sure it was a great party especially as this will be the last time the event is hosted in London for some time as it is going global, New York 2016.
`Where does this leave Michelin, Probably just where they want to be!
Slightly aloof.
Does a guide listing make a difference or does being in the top fifty? Drive more customers to the door.
After speaking to a few people it seems that worlds best seems to generate trade on a massive scale none more so than Noma , in fact now almost 80% of people that travel to Denmark have eating out very high on the list of priorities and this influx has made a huge difference to the countries tourism industry.
There has been some ruffling of feathers this year, attacks in the press and web that the style of judging is not as transparent as it should be.
As far as I see its still down to someone’s opinion who is worthy of a placement. Michelin still review in secret after many visits before committing to the guide. I really don't see much difference in the end result, except that the two bodies do not always agree who is deserving of the top awards Noma Has won worlds top 50 4 times but still remains two stars. This year however Cellar Can Roca with Three stars has taken number one spot, so it's a level playing field.
In the in end I would rather have a party with the chefs than a press release.
Cooking Has always been the new rock n` roll lets keep it that way.