By Janice Teh & Ashley Lazaroo
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – Resy One To Watch Award 2023
On 20 June, the world of gastronomy came together in Valencia, Spain, to celebrate The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2023. Sponsored by S Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, Lima’s Central was named The World’s Best Restaurant 2023, as well as The Best Restaurant in South America 2023. The awards ceremony, held at the city’s Les Arts Opera House, honours the pinnacle of gastronomic talent from 24 territories across five continents.
Central, the flagship Lima restaurant of chefs Virgilio Martinez and Pía León, is crowned in the first position, taking over from the 2022 winner, Geranium, Copenhagen, which is now elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame. Placed second in the 2022 list, Central is an ode to Peru, with a menu that celebrates the unique biodiversity of the country’s indigenous ingredients – guided by its research arm, Mater Iniciativa – along with its traditions and history, while championing sustainability. Central is followed by Disfrutar in Barcelona and Diverxo in Madrid as the second and third world’s best restaurants, respectively.
The 50 World’s Best Restaurants
1. Central, Lima
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In 2008, Virgilio Martínez opened Central in Lima with a vision of creating a fine dining experience rooted in Peruvian ingredients and cooking techniques. Pía León joined in 2009, then went on to become Martínez’s head chef and wife.
Both share a deep passion for the Peruvian pantry. As Central’s concept developed over the years, a menu took form that takes diners through 15 different Peruvian ecosystems, categorised by altitude. Each dish reflects the origin of its ingredients, from Dry Valley (shrimp, loche squash, avocado) to Amazonian Water (pacu fish, watermelon and coca leaf).
2. Disfrutar, Barcelona
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Chefs Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch and Mateu Casañas launched Disfrutar to create food that surprises and delights in equal measure, using modern technique and pristine ingredients that challenge traditional preconceptions of fine dining.
The Disfrutar menu changes a couple of times a year, although with each iteration come new, innovative courses. Proceedings may begin with the Panchino, a contender for the most decadent dish in the world, where a doughnut is filled to the gunnels with caviar and cream cheese.
The surprises then come thick and fast, with a frozen gazpacho ice cream sandwich scented with vinegar followed by a modernist multispherical pesto with pistachios and eel. Savoury courses conclude with The Prawn, where a pool of dry ice is presented to the diner.
3. Diverxo, Madrid
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More than a restaurant, Diverxo is an easel for chef Dabiz Muñoz’s creativity, with diners brought along for the ride of their lives.
Diverxo’s tasting menu stretches out over 12 courses of pure theatre, beginning with XO tapas of roasted baby octopus with jamón essence and ending with mochi bonbons with Thai-style dulce de leche and finger lime. Asian influences are present throughout, in everything from sea cucumber yakisoba to lobster-head vindaloo.
4. Asador Etxebarri, Atxondo
Set in a quiet Basque village surrounded by mountains and greenery, Asador Etxebarri is a true destination restaurant to experience the magic of chef Victor Arguinzoniz. The chef turns humble ingredients like milk and beef into unforgettable dishes with the help of a little fire.
The tasting menu is the best way to enjoy everything Etxebarri has to offer. Over 14 courses, customers may enjoy Arguinzoniz’s homemade chorizo and seasonal delicacies like baby eels and caviar-like Basque peas. The highlight is a juicy beef chop – its succulent texture and extraordinary flavour mean the plate is almost always sent back clean.
5. Alchemist, Copenhagen
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When you enter Alchemist, be prepared for a journey unlike anything else you’ve experienced in the world’s best restaurants. The experience is divided into several ‘acts’, taking the guests through different locations, types of art and extraordinary craftsmanship along the way – it’s the realisation of head chef and mastermind Rasmus Munk’s dream of a holistic dining experience.
Expect several different types of caviar, the best seafood and pigeon aged in beeswax, just to mention a few delicacies – always presented in creative ways that will impress as well as bring out your inner child.
6. Maido, Lima
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Originating from the Japanese word that means “welcome”, Maido takes you on a flavourful journey with head chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura’s mouth-watering dishes. Combining Japanese techniques and Peruvian ingredients, Mitsuharu prepares 10 to 14 different courses of dishes, which include Nigiris a lo Pobre – thinly sliced Angus beef along with ponzu-injected quail egg.
As the season changes, so does the exciting menu at Maido. With the use of coral rocks and edible stones, the restaurant entertains its customers imaginatively when it comes to plating and serving their dishes.
7. Lido 84, Gardone Riviera
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Serving classic Italian food, Lido 84 incorporates years of research with local ingredients, old recipe books and worldwide cooking tactics into creating and cooking up exquisite meals and dishes fit to serve a king. The building was once a beach club for families – a lido – hence the name of the restaurant today. In 2013, the building was bought over by the Camanainis and revamped into the beautiful restaurant that it is today, adorned by varied pieces of eyecatching art.
The best in town, Chef Riccardo is well known for adding new and improved dishes to the menu. Out of all the mouth-watering meals he has prepared, Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe en Vessie is the most notable of all. Cooked in a pig’s bladder, the pasta dish is emulsified by its juices together with a mixture of cheese that gives the dish the right amount of creaminess to it.
8. Atomix, New York
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Inspired by owners Chef Junghyun and Ellia Park’s background, the 12-course menu has Korean touches to it. Korean elements such as fermentation make the dishes unique and different from others. The name of the restaurant derives from the Korean word “ato”, which means “gift”, and is a perfect explanation of the owners’ vision. Coming up with low-key but modern Korean dishes is the goal of the couple.
Prepare to be blown away when trying the magical dishes of the chef. Dishes vary from a steamed carrot cake with a sea urchin, to kohlrabi with yellow beetroot and mussels.
9. Quintonil, Mexico City
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A husband-and-wife duo takes on Mexico City with their delectable creations. Using only fresh, local ingredients and traditional Mexican flavours and techniques, chef Jorge Vallejo and wife Alejandra Flores’ Mexican cuisine is an advancing classic. After redecorating, the restaurant now has a new and improved menu, which consists of tacos that include insects, making it one of the most bizarre yet unique dishes the restaurant has to offer.
Acquiring fresh ingredients from an urban garden , Quintonil brings a different type of creativity to its dishes. Special dishes like cactus sorbet, blue corn tostadas and braised oxtail in traditional black recado sauce are what make the menu of the restaurant so different from the rest.
10. Table by Bruno Verjus, Paris
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Owned by 63-year-old Bruno Verjus, the restaurant exudes a warm and inviting atmosphere along with outstanding dishes. The most notable item on the menu is an iconic dessert, a tartlet with dark Peruvian chocolate along with a caper-infused cream and, to take it to the next level, Ossetra caviar is used to top it all off.
Expect to be blown away as you enter Table – with an open kitchen and long counters, customers are given the opportunity to witness first-hand the preparation of their meals. From how Bruno Verjus uses a gentle hand when it comes to cooking to the use of seasonal herbs and vegetables, the restaurant provides a homely and loving touch to its dishes.
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