RESTAURANT NEWS
According to Restaurant Magazine’s San Pellegrino ranking of the world’s top 50 restaurants, announced on April 21, the giants are still Ferran Adrià of El Bulli and Heston Blumenthal of the UK’s Fat Duck, who once again came in first and second respectively. But there has been plenty of musical-chair playing further down the list, with France’s own national treasure, Pierre Gagnaire, slipping from last year’s third place to ninth this year, Gordon Ramsay tipped out of the top 50, and, the big surprise, Iñaki Aizpitarte and his Chateaubriand in Paris leaping into 40th position from nowhere. Time for a return visit.
French trade magazine L’Hotellerie Restauration reports that there’s a three-month waiting list for a dinner table at newly starred Bigarrade in the 17th arrondissement. Chef Christophe Pelé cooks with what he finds on the markets four times a week. Average spend seems to have climbed since our visit last year: €70 for lunch and €100 for dinner.
Richard Hesse