Lifestyle / Gastronomy

The world’s best restaurant is…

El Celler De Can Roca restaurant in Girona, Spain has been named the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine.

Apr 30, 2013 | By AFPRelaxnews

TOP 50 Best Restaurants 2013

Spain’s El Celler De Can Roca edged past Denmark’s Noma and Italy’s Osteria Francescana to be named the world’sĀ best restaurantĀ on Monday in a ceremony in London.

Itā€™s been a long time coming for the Girona restaurant in the northeast of Catalona, Spain, having spent the last two years fixed at the No. 2 position on theĀ Worldā€™s 50 Best RestaurantsĀ list and the last seven ā€œwaiting in the wingsā€ for its turn at the spotlight.

Steered byĀ Roca brothers —Ā Ā Joan, the chef or ā€œarchitect of tasteā€; Jordi, the pastry chef; and Josep, the sommelier — the restaurant has built a steady and faithful fan base for its ā€œfreestyleā€ cooking, avant-garde techniques, and innovative ideas.

But Mondayā€™s new title is sure to do forĀ El Celler de Can RocaĀ what it did previously for a small restaurant in Copenhagen years ago, and turn it into a household name for even the tepid food-lover.

Since owning the No. 1 spot three years running,Ā NomaĀ chefĀ RenĆ© Redzepi, for instance, has graced the cover of mainstream news magazine “Time.”

Spanish chefĀ Ferran AdriĆ Ā of now-closedĀ El Bulli,Ā likewise garnered near mythical status after snapping up the title of worldā€™s best restaurant five times, inspiring a handful of books and big-budget movies.

Meanwhile, if the winners of the Best Restaurants awards are known for pushing the culinary envelope and challenging dinersā€™ concepts of traditional dining, the Roca brothersā€™ award is richly deserved.

Whether it be playing with essential oils to develop a menu, trying to mimic the texture and bubbles of Cava in an oyster dish, or bottling the memories of childhood in a milky, lemon muffin perfume, the restaurant has never been content to rest on its three Michelin-starred laurels.Ā Restaurant cuisine is described as ā€˜freestyle cookingā€™ that hinges on Catalan dishes using cutting-edge techniques.

El Celler de Can Roca

Hereā€™s are the Top 50 restaurants in the world according to a panel of 900 food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and ā€œgastronomesā€ tapped into the food scene:

1 El Celler de Can Roca – Girona, Spain
2 Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
3 Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
4 Mugaritz – San SebastiĆ”n, Spain
5 Eleven Madison Park – New York, USA
6 D.O.M. – SĆ£o Paulo, Brazil
7 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, UK
8 Arzak – San SebastiĆ”n, Spain
9 Steirereck – Vienna, Austria
10 VendĆ“me – Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
11 Per Se – New York, USA
12 FrantzĆ©n/Lindeberg – Stockholm, Sweden
13 The Ledbury – London, UK
14 Astrid y GastĆ³n – Lima, Peru
15 Alinea – Chicago, USA
16 Lā€™ArpĆØge – Paris, France
17 Pujol – Mexico City, Mexico
18 Le Chateaubriand – Paris, France
19 Le Bernardin – New York, USA
20 Narisawa – Tokyo, Japan
21 Attica – Melbourne, Australia – NEW ENTRY
22 Nihonryori RyuGin – Tokyo, Japan
23 Lā€™Astrance – Paris, France
24 Lā€™Atelier Saint-Germain de JoĆ«l Robuchon – Paris, France
25 Hof Van Cleve – Kruishoutem, Belgium
26 Quique Dacosta – DĆ©nia, Spain
27 Le Calandre – Rubano, Italy
28 Mirazur – Menton, France
29 Daniel – New York, USA
30 Aqua – Wolfsburg, Germany
31 Biko – Mexico City, Mexico
32 Nahm – Bangkok, Thailand
33 The Fat Duck – Bray, UK
34 FƤviken – JƤrpen, Sweden
35 Oud Sluis – Sluis, Netherlands
36 Amber – Hong Kong, China
37 Vila Joya – Albufeira, Portugal
38 Restaurant Andre – Singapore – NEW ENTRY
39 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana – Hong Kong, ChinaĀ  – NEW ENTRY
40 Combal.Zero – Rivoli, Italy
41 Piazza Duomo – Alba, Italy
42 Schloss Schauenstein – FĆ¼rstenau, Switzerland
43 Mr & Mrs Bund – Shanghai, China – NEW ENTRY
44 Asador Etxebarri – Atxondo, Spain
45 Geranium – Copenhagen, Denmark
46 Mani – SĆ£o Paulo, Brazil
47 The French Laundry – Yountville, USA
48 Quay – Sydney, Australia
49 Septime – Paris, France – NEW ENTRY
50 Central – Lima, Peru – NEW ENTRY


 
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