Cream of the Crop

Cream of the Crop

An excerpt from the world's 50 best restaurants.

AUGUST 2022

- team luxe List

For over twenty years, World’s 50 best restaurants have held up a mirror to the diverse and exciting landscape of the culinary world. With a panel of 1080 culinary experts, and a well-structured and audited voting process, the annual restaurant list acts as a tribute to the best destinations for unique and pathbreaking culinary experiences.

We at LuxeList have compiled some of our recommendations from this year’s list of 50 best restaurants.

Geranium, Copenhagen

This Copenhagen icon invites guests to a locally inspired, seasonally changing ‘universe’ tasting menu that covers over 20 courses spread over appetisers, dishes and sweets. Co-owners Rasmus Kofoed and Søren Ledet have strived to keep the Geranium fresh and exciting, notwithstanding the many accolades the place has received including three Michelin stars in 2016 and the top spot in the 2022 Worlds 50 best restaurants list.

Featuring a meat-free menu that focuses solely on local seafood and organic vegetables from Denmark and Scandinavia, Rasmus Kofoed prepares artful creations such as a lightly smoked lumpfish roe with milk, kale and apples to name a few. Each dish is an art piece served on nature-inspired crockery. Søren Ledet’s extensive wine list complements Kofored’s food graciously and also features refreshing juice pairings such as rhubarb with geranium and carrot. Geranium’s dining room is a large, light and airy space with direct access to the chefs in the open kitchen. Open Fires, blonde wood and modern Scandinavian decor adorn the palace, creating a welcoming atmosphere - a fitting setting for the world’s leading restaurant.

1/4

Disfrutar, Barcelona

Disfrutar offers one of the most delicious, surprising and boundary-pushing culinary experiences in the world. Described as ‘A thrilling, rapid-fire roller-coaster ride of a dining experience’, Disfrutar is the creation of Chefs Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch; all alumni of the legendary El Bull.

The team bring the same level of contemporary techniques, daring combinations and drive to surprise that they professed at El Bull. Dishes such as punching (a fluffy bun) stuffed with caviar and sour cream, or multi-spherical pesto with tender pistachios and eel, are designed to ‘please, surprise and excite. The team’s creativity extends beyond the food with the unveiling of a new table design, coming to life during the dining experience with its secret compartments and drawers hiding delicious bites for the guest to find.

Located in the Eixample district of barcelona. Disfrutar’s main dining room is light-filled and white, but the restaurant also features other spaces, including an outdoor terrace and a private lounge in the creativity kitchen. The design – featuring plenty of ceramics – was chosen to convey the trio’s respect for the history and heritage of the Mediterranean.

1/4

Lido 84,Gardone Riviera

Placed on the edge of the beautiful Lake Garda in northern Italy, Lido 84 is a true destination restaurant with delectable food to complement the gorgeous lakeside view. The place is managed by brothers Riccardo and Giancarlo Camanini who offer a great combination of hospitality and culinary experience that makes dining at Lido 84 a heavenly experience.

With one classic and one innovative and creative tasting menu, Lido 84’s dishes showcase the produce of Lake Garda and the region’s verdant pastures. Highlights include the Torta di Rose, a light-as-air cake featuring Garda lemons, and the 400-degree aubergine parmigiana.

Without a doubt, the star of the show is the cacio e Pepe en vessie, a dish of rigatoni pasta cooked inside a pig’s bladder with pecorino cheese and juices from the bladder, served at the table in theatrical style.

1/4

Atomix, New York

Located in Manhattan’s NoMad neighbourhood, close to Koreatown, Atomix is a 14-seat tasting menu restaurant set around a single U-shaped counter, run by chef Junghyun ‘JP’ Park and his wife, co-owner and manager Ellia.

Fermentation techniques in dishes such as Spanish mackerel with turnip and lentil, king crab with buckwheat waffle and blood orange, and yellowtail with dried scallop. Each dish is served with a beautifully designed individual card translating the name of the dish from Korean and listing its ingredients, origin and meaning.

1/4

Central, Lima

Built as an ode to Peru, the dishes Central put on display the unique landscape filled with history and tradition that is the land of Peru. Years of exploring the land have reaped gold for Central. The tasting menu features the finest food that land and sea have to offer: scallops, squid and clams come fresh from the coast and the Amazon, while the Sacred Valley offers up pork belly and goat’s neck.

The wife and husband team of chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León are accomplished restauranteurs in their own right, with the opening of Mil in the Andes and Kjolle in Lima alongside an international outpost in Tokyo called Maz. With a core belief in sustainability, closing the loop comes as second nature to Central. A vegetable garden with over 100 plant species gives the guests a glimpse into the diverse culinary world Central has to offer.