The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

Once again El Bulli, Ferran Adria’s restaurant on the Costa Brava north of Barcelona is at first place.


The kitchen at El Bulli

Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck is second and this is fourth year in a row.

But for me, the most exacting moment is actually Noma! This is chef Rene Redzepi’s restaurant in Copenhagen. Noma has jumped from from 10th to 3th place and he also took the Chefs’ Choice award.


René Redzepi @ Noma

He is the half-Danish, half-Macedonian and the head chef and co-owner of Noma. Noma is the only two-Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen and one can freely say that he, together TV chef Claus Meyer (probably the the godfather of New Nordic cuisine) have reinvented the Nordic cuisine. The third partner in Noma is Swedish sommelier Pontus Elufsson. I guess that's a good receipt for a restaurant...

The worse surprise is Gordon Ramsay. His flagship restaurant in London dropped out of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and failed even to make in the Top 100!

Bit trivia, The Fat Duck (2nd), was closed for a month earlier this year after ca. 500 guest reported sick. Anyway, according to the health officials, reason was a virus Winter Vomiting Disease.

This is the Top 100 list (the change in position from 2008 in brackets), made by 800+ food writers, critics and commentators and I can conclude I'm a lucky guy as I've been in quite few of them...

Enjoy:

1 El Bulli, Spain (=)
2 The Fat Duck, U.K. (=)
3 Noma, Denmark (+7)
4 Mugaritz, Spain (=)
5 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (+21)
6 Per Se, U.S. (=)
7 Bras, France (=)
8 Arzak, Spain (=)
9 Pierre Gagnaire, France (-6)
10 Alinea, U.S. (+11)
11 L’Astrance, France (=)
12 The French Laundry U.S. (-7)
13 Osteria Francescana, Italy (New Entry)
14 St. John, U.K. (+2)
15 Le Bernardin, U.S. (+5)
16 Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland (+11)
17 Tetsuya’s, Australia (-8)
18 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France (-4)
19 Jean Georges, U.S. (-2)
20 Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan (New Entry)
21 Chez Dominique, Finland (+18)
22 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (+21)
23 Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany (+12)
24 D.O.M., Brazil (+16)
25 Vendome, Germany (+9)
26 Hof van Cleve, Belgium (+2)
27 Masa, U.S., (Re-entry)
28 Gambero Rosso, Italy (-16)
29 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (+13)
30 Steirereck, Austria (New Entry)
31 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (New Entry)
32 Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden (+16)
33 Martin Berasategui, Spain (-4)
34 Nobu U.K. (-4)
35 Mirazur, France (New Entry)
36 Hakkasan, U.K. (-17)
37 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (+13)
38 La Colombe, South Africa (Re-entry)
39 Asador Etxebarri, Spain (+5)
40 Le Chateaubriand, France (New Entry)
41 Daniel, U.S. (=)
42 Combal Zero, Italy (Re-entry)
43 Le Louis XV, France (-28)
44 Tantris, Germany (+3)
45 Iggy’s, Singapore (New Entry)
46 Quay, Australia (New Entry)
47 Les Ambassadeurs, France (-2)
48 Dal Pescatore, Italy (-25)
49 Le Calandre, Italy (-13)
50 Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden (New Entry)

51 Zuma, China
52 Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, U.K.
53 Spondi, Greece
54 L’Arpege, France
55 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, China
56 Hibiscus, U.K.
57 Aqua, Germany
58 Le Gavroche, U.K.
59 Chez Panisse, U.S.
60 Les Amis, Singapore
61 El Poblet, Spain
62 Maison Pic, France
63 Cafe Pushkin, Russia
64 Le Meurice, France
65 Bukhara, India
66 Varvari, Russia
67 Schauenstein, Germany
68 RyuGin, Japan
69 La Maison Troisgros, France
70 Wasabi, India
71 The River Cafe, U.K.
72 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Italy
73 Le Cinq, France
74 Allegro, Czech Republic
75 Quintessence, Japan
76 Restaurant Dieter Mueller, Germany
77 Geranium, Denmark
78 Caprice, China
79 Jardines, South Africa
80 Amador, Germany
81 Biko, Mexico
82 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon U.S
83 Fasano, Brazil
84 Mozaic, Bali
85 Obauer, Austria
86 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, France
87 L’Ambroisie, France
88 Maison Boulud, China
89 De Librije, Netherlands
90 Babbo, U.S.
91 Maze, U.K.
92 Zuma, U.K.
93 Manresa, U.S.
94 Pier, Australia
95 De Karmeliet, Belgium
96 Aubergine, South Africa
97 Bo Innovation, China
98 Rust en Vrede, South Africa
99 Del Posto U.S.
100 Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, UAE

Rambles in Skopje, in a thousand words...

Some of my friends making remarks like I’m more or less focused on Japanese kitchen... that’s absolutely not true ;-)

So, I decided to present you a few Macedonian dishes.

I’ve arrived in Skopje just in time for the weekly after work late lunch at Kamin Camo (Fireplace Camo), a small family restaurant serving traditional Macedonian cuisine. Happens each Thursday and it starts quite relaxed and easy going... but always end ups with a small band coming and playing some traditional urban music...


A part of l'equipe Kamin Camo...


and me with Emil.

There isn’t any a la carte order, so one gets what’s freshly made. This is what we got…


Calf in a sauce with boiled potato @ Kamin Camo


Baked beans; it has a creamy texture and delicate flavor @ Kamin Camo


Polenta (made from cornmeal) with white cheese @ Kamin Camo


Stewed chopped pork with vegetables @ Kamin Camo


Dolmades in large grape leaves and yogurt @ Kamin Camo


Skopski kukurek (lamb intestines and sweet-bread, paprika, garlic and bay @ Kamin Camo


Kitchen utensils @ Kamin Camo

Next day, it is time for a lunch on the terrace of the restaurant Meana B. Their signature dish is a lamb.


Lamb cutlets @ Meana B


Calf filler with potatoes @ Meana B


Lamb kidney and pluck @ Meana B

Of course... next day at Urania...


Catfish cutlet @ Urania


Chopped pork tenderloin, with dried chili paprika and spring onions @ Urania

That's all… now I'll use next couple of weeks for digesting :-)

Restaurant & Enoteca The Hunter's Lodge

Time for a leisure lunch on Monday during Easter holidays… and if you are in Skopje, one of best place is enoteca/restaurant “The Hunter’s Lodge”. It is a part of the Hotel Hunter's Lodge "Kamnik" and it is located at the entrance to Skopje.

This is a restaurant where one can enjoy wild game specialties and approximately 100 different wines from all over the world including wine made at the same location by Kamnik.

I'll mention that by my humble opinion, Kamink’s wines are probably one of the best in Macedonia and wider in the region.


Traditional haters lodge interior ...


with all necessary elements…


A perfect antipasto dish: different types of wild boar & deer salami, smoked deer and fresh and tasty porcini


Main dish a slow cooked deer escalope…

And the star of the day:

Chateau Kamnik Cuvée de Prestige 2006 Barrique
Eye: Deep dark red
Nose: Blackberry, coffee, dark chocolate…
Palate: Very ripe, silky style, intense and same as on the nose, plus some licorice and spice.
Finish: Very long and nice mouthwatering feel.
Decanted: ca. 30 min.
Note: Amazing elegance. It will definitely gain complexity from aging. (89 pts.)

What is the verdict? If you are around, go for it!

Rating: 7.5 (out of 10.0)

Hotel Hunter's Lodge Kamnik
Kamnik b.b.
1000 Skopje, Macedonia

Picasso: Challenging the Past

I'm positive none will dispute that Pablo Picasso is, or rather was, a genius.

Personally, I adore his works. I've always been conscious about his place in the modern art, especially by his later works, but this retrospective if you like, of Picasso’s work is simply astonishing.

From his start as a passionate student until end of his live, he always was ready to explore and make his commentary on the images captured by the old masters and some of his contemporaries and major rivals.

One can easily notice Picasso competitiveness with Poussin, Delacroix, Manet, Degas, Henri Matisse, to name but a few.


Pablo Picasso, ‘Man with a Straw Hat and an Ice Cream Cone’, 1938, Musée Picasso, Paris © RMN / Jean-Gilles Berizzi / Succession Picasso / DACS 2009

Highly recommended.

National Gallery, London
Period: until 7 June 2009


Of course, a perfect place for later reflection is seated at sushi counter at Matsuri Restaurant.

I had an assorted sashimi (tuna, salmon, shrimp, sea bass…) and this was one of the freshest sashimi I had in Europe, though bit pricey. I’ll be going again and I definitely recommend it.

Matsuri St James's
15 Bury Street
London SW1Y 6AL