Rare fact: a French restaurant has just entered the Top 3 of the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
It is one of the most anticipated events in the world of gastronomy. The 50 Best organization, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, annually compiles a list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. These are international chefs, journalists and gastronomes from 27 regions around the world who vote for their favorite restaurants. Described as the anti-Michelin Guide in France, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants nevertheless has enormous impact abroad, where it is seen as the bible of nouvelle cuisine.
The ceremony which took place in Las Vegas on Tuesday June 5 has just revealed its ranking for the year. Behind the Barcelona Disfrutar crowned best restaurant in the world, and Asador Extebarri in Atxondo in second place, it is a French restaurant which climbs to the last step of the podium of the best restaurants in the world in 2024!
This restaurant is located at 3 rue de Prague in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. This is La Table by Bruno Verjus, a chef without culinary training, former gastronomic critic and entrepreneur in China. Originally from Roanne, the self-taught chef defends the “art of feeding”, his goal being to “feed people healthily, relying on the values of artisans”. At his warmly decorated table where there is a long zinc kitchen counter where you can sit on high chairs, the chef combines exceptional products with divine garnishes and sauces.
“You can follow every gesture, see each plate, including the colors of the day (a daily changing dish of the most seasonal herbs and vegetables), and see how Verjus gently cooks the abalone or prepares the lobster (just coated of tempered ghee). Each dish has a story: mostly human and always caring”, comments the 50 Best.
Regardless of those who cry scandal over the opacity of the 50 Best’s rating criteria, the famous red guide even awarded it two stars in 2022. “Let yourself be carried away by the large menu, responding to the poetic name of ” Color of the day” and prepared daily according to availability: semi-cooked pot lobster from Île d’Yeu, “preparedly cooked” white asparagus from Alsace, wild salmon from Adour and zabaglione with olive oil. olive, milk-fed veal sweetbreads and strong lobster juice… Exceptional products that have a price” commented the Michelin Guide inspectors for their part. Indeed, the bill is astronomically steep: count on 400 euros for the color menu of the day, 300 euros more with food and wine pairings.
The 50 Best jury’s favorite lies in Bruno Verjus’ iconic dessert: “Chocolate, capers and caviar”, a tartlet topped with melted dark chocolate from Peru mixed with caper-infused cream, to which was added by above a zest of Ossetra caviar. “Don’t forget to devour the soft homemade madeleine, even better dipped in Kardamili olive oil.” A rare feat for a beautiful table to discover.