Well done Melbourne. You have proved yet again that our dining scene is the kind of world class offering that can stand up against the best restaurants on the planet. For another year, Ben Shewry's Attica appeared on this highly anticipated annual ranking, coming in at number 32 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List last night as well as taking out the award for the Best Restaurant in Australasia. But in 2017 Attica has some local company – Dan Hunter's Brae cracked the top 50 as well to join them at number 44.
Last night's festivities were only the second awards ceremony in their 15 year history to be hosted outside of London, and Melbourne put her best foot forward – it is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, after all. The awards ceremony was attended by the likes of Massimo Bottura, of Osteria Francescana in Italy, which now holds the number two spot in the top 50 list after New York's Eleven Madison Park took out the top gong. Local talent like Kylie Kwong, Lennox Hastie, Matt Moran, Peter Gilmore and Neil Perry were in attendance alongside international stars like Dan Barber and Dominique Crenn.
Over 1000 industry experts voted in the awards and 958 attendees packed into the Melbourne Royal Exhibition Building to witness the top 50 being announced, along with special awards. The World's Best Female Chef went to Ana Ros from Hisa Franko in Slovenia and the Miele One to Watch award went to Disfrutar restaurant in Spain.
The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award went to Heston Blumenthal; the World’s Best Pastry Chef title was awarded to Dominique Ansel, inventor of the cronut; and the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Silestone went to Parisian restaurant Septime. Central's Virgilio Martinez took out the Chefs’ Choice Award, sponsored by Estrella Damm, and number eleven on the ranking and the Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lavazza, went to Dan Barber's restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York.
Want to know who got in the top ten?
10. Steirereck, Vienna
9. Mugaritz, San Sebastian
8. Maido, Lima
7. Gaggan, Bangkok
6. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe
5. Central, Lima
4. Mirazur, Menton
3. El Cellar de Can Roca, Girona
2. Osteria Francescana, Modena
1. Eleven Madison Park, New York
Can't quite muster a round the world dining ticket? Here's the 50 Best Restaurants in Melbourne.