London and Tokyo are blazing ahead of Paris and other centres of fine dining with a crop of exciting restaurants in a new list of the world’s best.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants will be announced on October 5, but on Thursday organisers whetted the appetite of discerning diners with the new 51-100 list.
The list is a celebratory taster of gastronomic delights, from West African cuisine in London to French influences in Tokyo, via Brazil and India and to all corners of the globe.
Only London and Tokyo had four restaurants in the 51-100 list.
The list contains 21 restaurants from Europe, 13 from Asia and nine from South America, covering a total of 22 countries.
Japan has the most entries - five - for any single country and its capital, alongside London, hosts the most for a city.
In London, Ikoyi, based in St James Park just minutes from Buckingham Palace, and Brat, in buzzing Shoreditch, are new entries — at 87 and 78 respectively.
Staying on the list is Heston Blumenthal's Dinner, in Knightsbridge, and Clare Smyth's Core, in the heart of Notting Hill — at 65 and 64 respectively.
At Ikoyi, chef Jeremy Chan takes spices and influences from west Africa - Ikoyi is a neighbourhood in the Nigerian city of Lagos - and imports ingredients and ideas from Asia to create mouth-watering dishes.
“We are extremely humbled by the recognition on the global stage and proud of our small, hard-working team. We are also grateful to our producers, without whom this success would not be possible,” the chef said.
Brat is an old English word for turbot and the restaurant's chef Tomos Parry draws on flame grilling techniques in his wood-lined first-floor bistro.
"This means the world. I am so proud of the team, the continued integrity, passion and hard work paid off," a spokeswoman said.
Outside of the more renowned culinary hotspots are some finds including Willem Hiele at No.77, in the Belgian seaside town of Koksijde, La Grenouillère in northern France, and La Colombe, in Cape Town.
“With restaurants in 22 countries, the 51-100 list this year recognises a broader range of destinations than ever. We're thrilled to see 13 new entries join the 51-100 list for the first time, as the gastronomic world continues to overcome the huge challenges wrought by the pandemic,” said William Drew, director of content for The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
The annual list is created by a voting panel of more than 1,000 independent authorities in the world of gastronomy, from renowned chefs and food journalists to travelling gastronomes.
