Brett Graham’s Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury triumphed at this year’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, climbing from number 20 to 14, becoming the highest-ranked UK restaurant on the annual list. Last year’s highest UK entry, Dinner by Heston in Knightsbridge, dropped from number 7 to 45, while Shoreditch’s, The Clove Club leapt from number 55 to 26.
The World’s Best Restaurant? This year, that title belongs to Italy’s Osteria Francescana, following two years in second place and replacing Spain’s El Celler de Can Roca, now at number two. The domain of Massimo Bottura (who opened a three-day pop-up restaurant at Sotheby’s in 2015), Osteria Francescana sits on a quiet Modena back street, celebrating and subverting Italian cuisine.
Recently placed at number 65 on our first-ever London’s Hot 100 restaurants list and with four Squaremeal stars, The Ledbury (above) has been described as "an incredible dining experience" and "faultless in every respect" by Squaremeal readers. We can't fault it either, from the light-filled dining room with its judiciously placed mirrors to Brett Graham's extraordinarily precise and harmonious cooking. Expect that waiting list to continue growing…
With Dinner by Heston at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel falling from number 7 to 45, The Clove Club (below) in Shoreditch is now the second-highest-ranking UK restaurant on the list. Named the BMW Squaremeal Restaurant of the Year 2015, Isaac McHale’s smash hit jumped from number 55 to 26. Pre-payment is now a requirement for this celebration of modern British food, marking it out as a trailblazer on the London restaurant scene.
Clove Club founder Isaac took a quick break from partying in New York (probably) to tell us "we are proud of what our little team has achieved in such a short space of time at The Clove Club, and really excited to be recognised in this way by our peers. Thanks everyone."
Overall it was a disappointing night for Heston Blumenthal: his recently refurbished and world-famous The Fat Duck in Bray disappeared from the top 100, having been placed at number 73 in 2015. This also means that there are no non-London UK entrants on the list this year.
Follow this link to watch our recent SquareReel News video, filmed at The Fat Duck.
From numbers 51 to 100: Hedone in Chiswick was placed at number 60, Shoreditch’s Lyle’s debuted at number 65 and St John in Clerkenwell came in at number 91.
Next year, the ceremony is going down under to Sydney, so you’ll have to wake up extra early for that scoop… we suggest sticking with Squaremeal instead.
For the full top 100, visit www.TheWorlds50Best.com
This article was published 14 June 2016