Elite Traveler May-June 2016

INSPIRE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS

13

DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL London, UK Head chef: Ashley Palmer-Watts 2015/25

56 Les Prés d’Eugénie Eugénie-les-Bains, France Head chef: Michel Guérard 2015/73 57 Al Sorriso Novara, Italy Head chef: Luisa Valazza 2015/53 58 The NoMad New York, US Head chef: Daniel Humm 2015/89 59 Le Pavillon Ledoyen Paris, France Head chef: Yannick Alléno 2015/60 60 Toqué! Québec, Canada Head chef: Normand Laprise 2015/70 61 Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare New York, US Head chef: Cesar Ramirez 2015/54 62 Bras Laguiole, France Head chef: Sébastien Bras 2015/55 63 Tantris Munich, Germany Head chef: Hans Haas 2015/68 64 La Vague d’Or Saint-Tropez, France Head chef: Arnaud Donckele 2015/20 65 Arzak San Sebastián, Spain Head chef: Juan Mari Arzak 2015/67 66 Schloss Schauenstein Fürstenau, Switzerland Head chef: Andreas Caminada 2015/76

67 Vue de Monde Melbourne, Australia Head chef: Shannon Bennett 2015/81 68 Dal Pescatore Mantua, Italy Head chef: Nadia and Giovanni Santini 2015/71 69 Coi San Francisco, US Head chef: Matthew Kirkley 2015/65 70 Attica Melbourne, Australia Head chef: Ben Shewry 2015/72 71 Cosme New York, US Head chef: Enrique Olvera NEW ENTRY 72 De Karmeliet Bruges, Belgium Head chef: Geert Van Hecke 2015/82 73 Restaurant Andre Singapore Head chef: André Chiang 2015/75

74 Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Dublin, Ireland Head chef: Guillaume Lebrun 2015/74 75 Kitcho Kyoto, Japan Head chef: Kunio Tokuoka 2015/78 76 Momofuku Ko New York, US Head chef: Sean Gray 2015/99 77 Quay Sydney, Australia Head chef: Peter Gilmore 2015/97 78 Le Taillevent Paris, France Head chef: Alain Solivérès 2015/41 79 Quintonil Mexico City, Mexico Head chef: Jorge Vallejo NEW ENTRY 80 Mirazur Menton, France Head chef: Mauro Colagreco NEW ENTRY 81 Benu San Francisco, US Head chef: Corey Lee 2015/77 82 Le Cinq Paris, France Head chef: Christian Le Squer 2015/90 83 Funky Gourmet Athens, Greece Head chef: Georgianna Hiliadaki,

10 MINUTES WITH… Heston Blumenthal

Asked to pick his favorite culinary resource, Heston Blumenthal's eyes sparkle behind his black-framed glasses. Where fellow chefs pick Scottish grouse or Brittany oysters, Heston’s reply is unhesitating. “It's the rabbit hole that leads to Alice in Wonderland.” In other words, it's the entrance to a magical world where the seemingly impossible is possible. At The Fat Duck, his three-Michelin-starred restaurant by the River Thames in Bray, that means harnessing chemistry to gastronomy, with a dazzling sense of theater. Now, at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, he's offering a walk on the wild side of history. With his faithful executive chef, Ashley Palmer-Watts, he has recreated dishes from medieval England – 14th century Frumenty (octopus and spelt in smoked sea broth) is the earliest, Meat Fruit (liver parfait in a mandarin skin) the most celebrated. These and other delights that include Powdered Duck Breast and Salamagundy (chicken oysters, horse radish and pickled walnuts) have rocketed Dinner to number one in the UK and 13 in the world on the Elite Traveler Top 100 Restaurants 2016. That's a rise from number two and 25 last year. “It’s an absolutely amazing achievement for Ashley and the entire team,” says Blumenthal with typical generosity when I catch up with him the day the news is announced. “The opinion of every one of our guests is important and for Elite Traveler readers to take the time to vote for us is simply quite humbling. “Of course, it’s an honor to come top in the UK, but awards or accolades are not a race. We want our guests to enjoy what we do, but going out to eat is really so subjective. I recognize that people want different restaurants for different things.” Minty Clinch “The opinion of every one of our guests is important and for Elite Traveler readers to take the time to vote for us is simply quite humbling” Heston Blumenthal

Nick Roussos NEW ENTRY 84 Mélisse Los Angeles, US Head chef: Josiah Citrin 2015/86