Good fight by “Den” who won the highest ranking among Japanese athletes.
Which restaurants around the world should we pay attention to this year?

The World's 50 Best Restaurants is sponsored internationally by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. The 2019 award ceremony was held in Singapore on June 6th. The festival, which began in 25 and is also known as the ``Academy Awards of Gastronomy'' or ``Oscars of Gastronomy,'' will be held in Asia for the first time this year. More than 2002 food experts, chefs and journalists from all over the world gathered at Marina Bay Sands.

The number one spot in 2019 is "Mirazur - Menton, France," which has jumped up from third place last year. This is a long-awaited first place for Mirazur, and surprisingly, it is also the first time that a French restaurant has won first place at this award. Second place went to the renewed NOMA Copenhagen, Denmark, and third place went to Asador Etxebarri, Spain. The detailed rankings are as follows:Official websiteI would like you to take a look at it, but I would like to explain the top rankings and give my personal opinion.

First, there were two major rule changes starting this year. This will have a big impact on the ranking, so I would like to tell you this first. One is that 50% of all voters are now women. This is a rule change led by the management headquarters that introduces women's participation to voters as part of the award's philosophy of diversity. More research is needed to determine how this will affect the rankings, but there is no doubt that the viewpoints of female voters are reflected in the results.

Another rule change is that restaurants that have won first place in this award in the past will be upgraded to the "BEST OF THE BEST" (Hall of Fame) category starting this year, and will no longer be part of the actual ranking. It becomes. As a result, eight restaurants have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including last year's No. 1 restaurant, Osteria Francescana - Modena, Italy, which has been removed from the rankings. The only new restaurant, Noma, was relocated and renovated, making it 2nd place this year as a new restaurant.

There are pros and cons to this Hall of Fame induction system from the chairman, voters, and journalists, but the aim is to revitalize and cheer up young restaurants, and create a buzz. From my standpoint as chairman and as a columnist, I appreciate the rule change itself. In the future, the challenge will be how to spotlight restaurants that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I think there is room to consider evaluations other than rankings and how to provide opportunities for attention. Otherwise, the motivation to become number one will dwindle. In this regard, I would like to keep a close eye on future trends in awards. With that in mind, let's take a look back at the top rankings.

“Mirazur” dares to take on the challenge in a rural town,
Achieved first place in France for the first time

First of all, I would like to give high praise to the #1 winner, ``Mirazur.'' Although it is called France, it is not a big city like Paris, but is located in a town called Menton along the border with Italy, which is a remote area far from Paris. It is noteworthy that despite this environment, it is attracting people and receiving the most votes in the world. In Japan, I often hear people say, ``Customers don't come because it's a rural area, and high-end stores can't survive.'' However, I believe that the key to a breakthrough lies in the reason Mirazur was awarded first place.

The reason Mirazur won first place becomes clear when you look into the history of this restaurant. The biggest reason is Chef Mauro Colagreco's borderless career and activities. He was born in Argentina, moved to Brazil and Italy, and continues to work as a chef in France. And now the restaurant is located near the Italian-French border. His upbringing transcends national boundaries, language, and ethnicity, and becomes his personality, and is even transferred to his cuisine. This must have captured the five senses and hearts of many people. I think that expressing the charm of his cuisine in a restaurant in a rural area rather than in a city is why he ended up attracting so many votes.

``Den'' moved up in ranking from last year to 11th place.
"Narisawa" remains at 22nd place.

Now, regarding the most important Japanese stores, two stores from Japan made it into the ranking. ``Den - Tokyo Jingumae,'' which had the highest ranking in Japan, moved up from 17th place last year to 11th place. At the same time, he received a special award, the Art of Hospitality Award. Den has previously won this award in the ``Asia's 50 Best Restaurants'' list, but this is the first time he has won this award not only in Asia but also in the world.

This is a special award that examines the overall evaluation of so-called ``hospitality'', and I think it is worth noting that it was evaluated not only by voters in Asia but also all over the world. If Japan is to use food as a content to attract tourism, including inbound tourists, it will be necessary to carefully delve into the essence of the ``hospitality'' expressed by ``Den''.

Additionally, "NARISAWA - Tokyo/Aoyama" maintained its 22nd place, the same as last year. Although there was a fierce change in the rankings for this year's awards, including the battle for the top spot, Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa of NARISAWA, who takes his time with his cooking, deserves praise for continuing to receive unwavering praise from around the world.

Takanori Nakamura
"World's Best 50 Restaurants" Japan Council Chairman
columnist
Born in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. She is active in magazines, newspapers, and TV, focusing on fashion, culture, gourmet food, travel, hotels, and other luxury lifestyle themes. In 2007, he was awarded the title of Chevalier of the French Order of Champagne. In 2010, he was also awarded the title of Knight of Cava by Spain. Since 2013, he has served as the Japan Council Chairman for the World's 50 Best Restaurants. He is a XNUMXth dan kendo teacher. He is a tea ceremony professor at the Dainippon Tea Ceremony Society. His books include ``THE CIGAR LIFE,'' co-authored with Mamoru Hiromi and Takanori Nakamura (Ota Publications), and ``Pilgrimage Training of Famous Restaurant Recipes - The Secret of the Taste I Learned by Making It'' (Sekai Bunkasha).