When it comes to sealing the best real estate deals, getting out of the boardroom and around a dining table can work wonders. Just make sure it is in the right restaurant. William Drew, group editor of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Restaurant magazine, reveals his top picks for the best venues around the world in which to do business.
NORTH AMERICA
Estela, New York
Opened in 2013 in Manhattan’s Nolita district, Estela serves outstandingly good small plates alongside a brilliant wine list in an intimate but atmospheric upstairs dining room. In a city replete with fine restaurants, this is both one of the finest and one of the most accessible. www.estelanyc.com
Quintonil, Mexico City
Led by a rising star chef in the gastronomically vibrant capital of Mexico, Jorge Vallejo’s Quintonil embodies a new breed of world-class restaurant notable for its lack of pretension. The atmosphere is warm, the ingredients ethically sourced, the cooking sophisticated but never flashy – but most of all, the food tastes superb. www.quintonil.com
EUROPE
David Toutain, Paris
David Toutain trained under some of the world’s greatest chefs, but now it is his own Left Bank restaurant that is one of the hottest reservations in town. The constantly changing tasting menus venerate seasonal produce, with vegetables given a starring role. Dishes are presented at the table by the chefs themselves. www.davidtoutain.com
Nerua, Bilbao
Located within the city’s most famous attraction, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum, the dishes at Nerua are works of art in themselves. If their presentation is avant garde, the flavours remain rooted firmly in the surrounding Basque country. Knockout food, knockout location. www.neruaguggenheimbilbao.com
ASIA
Issaya Siamese Club, Bangkok
A glamorous 1920s villa surrounded by lush tropical gardens is the idyllic setting for this refined restaurant and bar in bustling Bangkok. The food is authentically Thai but with an international edge, the dining space luxuriously modern, the cocktails first-rate and the service similarly on the mark. www.issaya.com
Jungsik, Seoul
As Korea’s international profile rises, so the “new Korean cuisine” of Jung Sik Yim is worthy of greater global attention. Applying molecular techniques to Korean ingredients, the chef’s tasting menu combines imagination and great technical skill. With a restaurant in New York already, expect to hear more from this young chef. www.jungsik.kr/seoul
SOUTH AMERICA
Lasai, Rio de Janeiro
Anyone heading to Rio, whether on Olympics-based “business” or otherwise, should be sure to bag a table at Lasai, which boasts stunning views over the famous metropolis. Opened in 2014, the restaurant – which serves dishes such as pulled braised oxtail on homemade brioche – is already challenging the city’s established elite. www.lasai.com.br
99, Santiago
Chile hasn’t had much of a reputation for its food – but that is changing with restaurants such as Borago and newcomer 99 leading the charge. While the dining space and service are super-casual, the cooking is anything but, made with almost 100% Chilean ingredients. http://99restaurante.com
AUSTRALIA
Sepia, Sydney
British-born chef Martin Benn and his wife Vicky Wild oversee this elegant gem of a restaurant in Sydney. Taking in everything from Tasmanian abalone to Japanese seaweed, indigenous plants to adventurous wines, you’ll be subject to a masterclass in contemporary Australasian dining. www.sepiarestaurant.com.au
Brae, Birregurra
For food-loving visitors to Melbourne, an extended detour out to the Victorian countryside to visit Dan Hunter’s Brae is undoubtedly worth the effort. The food connects the diner with the land through unique dishes such as sheets of beef tendon dusted with mountain pepper. Eccentrically brilliant. www.braerestaurant.com
