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Paris restaurant ranked ‘best in the world’ for second consecutive year

The celebrated Paris restaurant of French chef Guy Savoy has been voted the best in the world for the second consecutive year by the annual La Liste ranking.

Published: 29 November 2017 12:34 CET

Paris restaurant ranked 'best in the world' for second consecutive year

Photo: Guy Savoy

The ranking, which was set up as a “more scientific and reliable” rival to the British-based 50 Best Restaurants ranking, was based on an aggregation of reviews by food guides and critics.

At the head of the table, the Guy Savoy restaurant in la Monnaie, the old French national mint on the Left Bank of the River Seine, received an impressive 99.75 out of 100.

And if you want to be one of the lucky ones to sample this master chef's work, his 11-course “Colours, Textures and Flavours” menu will set you back €395.

Famous for its artichoke soup with black truffle and filo pastry mushroom brioche and “cold steamed” blue lobster, Guy Savoy was also the top-rated French restaurant in 2015 when it came fourth in the overall ranking.

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Paris restaurant ranked 'best in world'

Photo: AFP

La Liste gives us “a snapshot of what is happening in the world of gastronomy”, said its president and founder, Philippe Faure.

Although Japan and China continue to dominate the list, two other French restaurants also made it into the top ten: Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee in Paris (99.25) and La Vague d'Or in Saint-Tropez (99).

Savoy, 63, a three-Michelin-starred chef, comes from humble origins. His father was a municipal gardener in the small town of Bourgoin-Jailleu near Lyon in eastern France where his mother ran a fast-food “buvette”.

He later trained as a chocolate maker before being taken on as an apprentice by the legendary Troisgros brothers for their restaurant in nearby Roanne.

Superstar chef Gordon Ramsay who was trained by Savoy also appeared on the list, with his flagship London restaurant remaining the highest-rated British table.

This year's winners will be formally announced at a banquet in Paris on Monday, with 40 of the world's leading chefs also invited to meet French President Emmanuel Macron at his Elysee Palace residence.

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9 delicious French dishes to try this summer

Salade niçoise

Summer is the season of salads and seafood in France. Which brings us immediately to arguably the most classic of French summer classic dishes, traditionally made with tomatoes and anchovies, dressed with olive oil.

All the extra stuff you’ll see in a modern version – hard-boiled eggs, olives, lettuce, green beans, tuna were added later and French people can get quite agitated over the question of potatoes in a salade niçoise.

Speaking of . . .

Pan bagnat

A pan bagnat is, basically, salad niçoise in sandwich form. But the secret to a proper pan bagnat is in the bread. It’s a traditional, rustic sandwich made using stale bread that has been refreshed by a trickle of water.

The clue is in the name – it literally means ‘bathed bread’. And a proper pan bagnat can only come from and use ingredients from Provence. Otherwise it’s just a (mostly) vegetable sandwich.

Tomates farcies

Potagers up and down France have tomato plants in them right now, and they’re all – hopefully – giving good fruit. Enter the many stuffed tomato recipes to cope with the glut. Expect variations on a sausage meat, onions, garlic, salt-and-pepper theme.

Of course, a simple tomato salad (perhaps with a little cheese and a sprinkle of basil) is also a joy to behold.

Flan de courgette

As it is with tomatoes, so it is with courgettes. Gardeners the length and breadth of France are wondering what to do with the sheer mass of fruit their plants are giving out.

The simple and delicious courgette flan covers many a base – and also incorporates French cuisine favourites ham and cheese. Usually served warm.

Ratatouille

It’s probably illegal not to mention the famously rustic ratatouille in any piece about French summer recipes.

The dish you probably know – with tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, pepper and garlic – is from Provence. But there are variation on this vegetable stew that you’ll find across the Mediterranean arc – think piperade, from southwest France, bohémienne, from Vaucluse, or chichoumeille, from Languedoc.

They’re all delicious and they’ll all give you your five-a-day.

Tarte au chèvre et au concombre

Cucumbers are typical salad fare. They can be added to drinks, used to make chilled soups and detox cocktails. But you can also cook with them. Seek out a recipe for goat’s cheese and cucumber tart.

Vichyssoise

A chilled soup, perfect on a summer’s day, with a French name, created by a French chef. This chilled leek-and-potato soup actually first appeared, around 1910, as a dish at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York. But it has its basis in France. The chef who created it, Louis Félix Diat, said that it was inspired by his mother, who taught him how to cook.

Chilled soups are a great bet on a hot day and you’ll see dozens of variations on menus, from cucumber to melon via variations on gazpacho (which is Spanish but the French very sensibly embrace it).

Tapenade

Black olives, garlic, anchovies, capers, olive oil. A blender. And you’ve got a delicious, simple ‘tartiner’ for a slice of toast or crusty bread. Try it. You’ll thank us.

Moules à la crème

Shellfish and summer go hand in glove. Moules-frites are hugely popular, with good reason.

But this summer moules recipe is, despite the creaminess, a little lighter overall. As always, there are always regional variations on a theme – do look out for moules à la normande, in particular.

What’s your favourite French dish on a hot day? Share your recommendations in the comments section below

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