Props from Gourmet mag

[Slim Slawson]

Came across this little nugget on Ceefax this morning. Can't find any other info on the web - maybe a throwaway line to keep the local journos happy?!?

London's food 'is best in world'

London has been dubbed the best place

to eat in the world.

Gourmet, America's leading food

magazine, says restaurants in the UK

capital are far superior to those in

Paris, Rome, and New York.

The editors of the magazine, who were

in London recently to sample its food,

said they were "blown away" by the

city's food and its restaurants.

The magazine, which has a circulation

of more than a million, has devoted its

entire March issue to dining in London.

[jackal10]

http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/toc/

[FaustianBargain]

It's about time.

[UkFoodie]

It's about time.

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AMEN!

[Andy Lynes]

This is all very nice of course and anything to change peoples minds about British food has got to be good. But isn't the truth really that NY has just as many good high end restaurants and beats London hands down on ethnic cuisines, and that Paris with its 10 Michelin 3 star restaurants and countless wonderful bistros offers a unique dining experience that no city in the word can match. As to Rome, anyone care to fill in the gap there?

[SamanthaF]

London has got to have one of the most pedestrian and boring dining scenes in the World at the moment - (although our Ethnic cheap eats are pretty good.) Give me NYC, Barcelona or Paris over London any day.

[marlena spieler]

London has got to have one of the most pedestrian and boring dining scenes in the World at the moment - (although our Ethnic cheap eats are pretty good.)  Give me NYC, Barcelona or Paris over London any day.

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i'm so with you, samantha.....

the thing is that anyone with a lotta lotta cash and influence can eat well in london i suspect.

but in barcelona, paris, new york, san fran, naples, you'll get a consistent and often consistently good experience. by and large.

but as you said: the ethnic eateries: london's turkish eateries are my fave, esp mangall 2, with their barbecued meats and salads esp the fire roasted aubergine and pepper one......

x marlena

[FaustianBargain]

I can only assume that all of you must have read that Gourmet issue in question to disagree so emphatically.

[Andy Lynes]

I'm not disagreeing with the detail of the articles which I have not yet read, just the general premise as outlined by Slim in his first post.

[SamanthaF]

I can only assume that all of you must have read that Gourmet issue in question to disagree so emphatically.

←

Can I assume then that you think that London is the dining capital of the world?

[Dirk Wheelan]

If you think about it for a moment, any city-special of any magazine is not going to sell many copies unless it presents that city as an absolute must see.

London's a great food capital, but I don't think any of Gourmet's contributors genuinely believe it's the greatest. Like most writers, their job is to sell their publication, and without hyperbole they're not going to shift many copies.

So Gourmet's claims are understandable given the context. What is harder to understand is that people believe them. Either you've eaten out a fair bit in Paris, Madrid, New York, etc. in which case you know it's not true, or you haven't and you're taking what you read at face value.

[Andy Lynes]

If you think about it for a moment, any city-special of any magazine is not going to sell many copies unless it presents that city as an absolute must see.

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Exactly - "London - some nice places to eat if you look hard enough although overall the service could do with a bit of work" isn't going to shift much product.

[Adam Balic]

Is Bray in London? In the Guardian piece on th article there was much some mention of Bray and it's influence. Seemed a little odd that when the article was about how great the dining is in London, they looked to a restuarant in Berkshire.

I think that the editors of gourmet should be forced to eat outside of London for once. For tourists, food and otherwise, London isn't the the only place in the UK they are likely to go.

Also, are the editors saying that the really good restuarants in London are like the ones back home, just better? This also seems odd.

[Andy Lynes]

Is Bray in London?

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In my experience, Americans believe that to be the case. For example the Zagat guide to London restaurants includes The Fat Duck (although, to be fair, so does the Gault Millau).

[Adam Balic]

OK that's fine, I don't pretend to understand these things, but natural curiosity prompts me to ask about these matters.

[Winot]

Is Bray in London?

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It is, yes, but it's in Zone 6.

[marlena spieler]

Just told the whole gourmet mag: best place in the world to eat yadda yadda yadda thing to my mate, a dyed in the wool londoner.

she is still laughing.

(and i thought i was missing something: (like, maybe they mean a different london from the capital of Britain......)

marlena

[FaustianBargain]

Curious. Where is the 'best place in the world to eat' according to your mate?

Just told the whole gourmet mag: best place in the world to eat yadda yadda yadda thing to my mate, a dyed in the wool londoner.

she is still laughing. 

(and i thought i was missing something: (like, maybe they mean a different london from the capital of Britain......)

marlena

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Edited March 2, 2005 by FaustianBargain (log)

[FaustianBargain]

Sure, you can assume.

I can only assume that all of you must have read that Gourmet issue in question to disagree so emphatically.

←

Can I assume then that you think that London is the dining capital of the world?

←

[marlena spieler]

she didn't say. i should add though that she works in the whole restaurant food pr so she is right there in the thick of things.

marlena

Curious. Where is the 'best place in the world to eat' according to your mate?

Just told the whole gourmet mag: best place in the world to eat yadda yadda yadda thing to my mate, a dyed in the wool londoner.

she is still laughing. 

(and i thought i was missing something: (like, maybe they mean a different london from the capital of Britain......)

marlena

←

←

Edited March 2, 2005 by marlena spieler (log)

[SamanthaF]

Sure, you can assume.

I can only assume that all of you must have read that Gourmet issue in question to disagree so emphatically.

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Can I assume then that you think that London is the dining capital of the world?

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←

How do you come up with this opinion? I'm really interested in this.

[endless autumn]

Just to add to the argument: the 'best' place in the world to eat needn't necessarily have the best restaurant, the greatest consistency, or the greatest variety.

Rather, it could have a number of restaurants peculiar to it; or, it could fulfil the three criteria above (in conjunction) more satisfactorily than any other city. Like Top Trumps.

I'm not saying London does (and I've hardly eaten my way through London, let alone through other cities) but it might score on these points.

[MobyP]

Obviously Disney World and Epcott Center in Florida are the best places in the world to eat. Possibly ever. Of All time. Anywhere. Until the crack of doom.

Edited March 2, 2005 by MobyP (log)

[balex]

God, I hate these sorts of articles. What's the best olive oil in the world? What's the best wine in the world? It's just pure intellectual laziness that makes people lap this stuff up. This restaurant is the best restaurant in the world so I know I am having a good time. It's like those assholes who only drink 100 point Parker wine. Grrr.

Deep breath. As wiser people upthread have said, it's an easy way for journalists to sell copies. But that doesn't mean that we have to take it seriously. We are endowed with capabilities of higher reason and analysis. Or at least Moby is. I left mine in the pub last night.

[Scott]

London is a very good place to eat, but is it really the best for anything? It's certainly not more interesting than NY or Paris, or even Sydney or that matter.

at which point I am not sure on what basis it qualifies as best?

If I had £20 £50 £100 or £200 to spend on a meal, I think I would eat better in places other than London. So then, for me, the only basis could be the depth or breadth of the choices - and I'd be very concerned if anyone tried to argue that Paris is not superior to London for the depth and breadth of choices at these price points.

London has many good to great choices, but it fails on this criteria imo.