The Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca has been named the World’s Best Restaurant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list announced in London on Monday. This year, Zuma Dubai tied with The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais (South Africa) at No 88, down from No 77 last year, while Mikla, a restaurant in Istanbul, came in at 96, making them the only two restaurants in the region among the top 100.
The list is compiled by nearly 1,000 international food experts for Britain's Restaurant magazine. Since the awards began in 2002, just five restaurants have been named the world's best: Noma (Denmark), El Bulli (Spain), The French Laundry (USA), The Fat Duck (Britain) and El Celler de Can Roca (Spain).
El Celler de Can Roca, No 2 on last year’s list, has dethroned Noma, a Denmark restaurant that has been No 1 four times in the past five years. Noma dropped to No 3 while chef Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana (Italy) squeezed in at No 2. Foodies in the capital may remember Bottura’s dinner at Emirates Palace during Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2014, where his signature food was paired with an opera performance.
But the list does not come without controversy. This year, critics put up a petition on occupy50best.com (a nod to the Occupy Wall Street Movement) urging sponsors to stop supporting the World’s Best 50 list.
Among their objections: it is not known how judges are chosen, some of the judges are also chefs who make it in the top 50, there’s no criteria grid given to jury members, no justification is required for a judge’s top restaurant pick; no proof is required that a judge has eaten in a restaurant he or she votes for; and the list is not representative – half of this year’s top 50 restaurants are in Western Europe; one in Africa; and none in the Middle East.
“If we are told that there are 50 best restaurants in the world, we would, at least, like to know why,” read one comment on occupy50best.com.
Carlos de los Mozos, executive chef at Crowne Plaza Dubai, says he signed the petition.
“I don’t understand how we can believe [this] list can cover the best of millions of restaurants around the globe,” he says. “How you can say that a restaurant is better than another when they are not playing in the same league? How can someone say Zuma is better than a Lebanese restaurant here in Dubai? A real list does not compare a chef or restaurant with others; it just scores it independently as Michelin does with their one- to three-star rating.”
The manifesto on www.theworlds50best.com states: “Academy members must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate in the last 18 months and are asked to confirm this fact for each of their nominations. Academy members are not permitted to vote for restaurants they own or have a financial interest in. There are no criteria that a restaurant has to meet. Restaurants cannot apply to be on the list and cannot be nominated. Every restaurant in the world is eligible.
“What constitutes ‘best’ is left to the judgement of these trusted and well-travelled gourmets. There is no predetermined checklist of criteria. The results are a simple computation of votes. Given that this list is based on personal experiences, it can never be definitive, but we believe it is an honourable survey of current tastes and a credible indicator of the best places to eat around the globe.”
• Visit www.theworlds50best.com for the full list
sjohnson@thenational.ae
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
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RESULTS
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ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The%20specs%3A%20Macan%20Turbo
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The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Two-litre%20four-cylinder%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E235hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nine-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh167%2C500%20(%2445%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now