Odette slides to No. 36, Copenhagen's Geranium is No. 1

After making its mark at No. 8 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list last year, Singapore's French fine-dining restaurant Odette has slid out of the Top 10 to No. 36 in this year's edition, held in London on Monday.

Odette - located at the National Gallery Singapore - also lost its Best Restaurant in Asia title to Tokyo's Den.

Den is ranked No. 20 on the list, dropping from No. 11 last year. It is now the No. 1 restaurant on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, while Odette is No. 8.

Chef Julien Royer, who was in London for the ceremony, said in an e-mail response to The Straits Times: "This is the fourth time we've been recognised by the list, and as the only Singapore restaurant represented in the Top 50 this year, we're incredibly humbled and grateful.

"The last few years have not been easy for our industry and with all the challenges we've faced, this is an amazing achievement for my team and me. We'll continue to work hard to share our cuisine with the world."

Singapore's other representative on the list last year - popular barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends in Dempsey - dropped into the 51-100 section, which was announced two weeks ago. It sank 60 spots to No. 94 after debuting at No. 34 last year. On the Asia's 50 Best list, it is ranked No. 41.

New entries from Singapore on the World's Best 51-100 list are Zen in Bukit Pasoh Road at No. 70 (No. 37 on Asia's 50 Best) and Meta in Keong Saik Road at No. 95 (No. 20 on Asia's 50 Best).

At the top end of the list, Copenhagen's Geranium - led by Danish chef-restaurateur Rasmus Kofoed - was crowned No. 1, climbing a notch from No. 2 last year.

The meat-free restaurant, which focuses on local seafood and vegetables from organic and biodynamic farms in Denmark and Scandinavia, also claimed the title of The Best Restaurant in Europe.

It took over the No. 1 position from fellow Copenhagen restaurant Noma, which entered the Best of the Best hall of fame - home to previous No. 1 restaurants such as Modena's Osteria Francescana and New York's Eleven Madison Park.

Central (No. 4 last year) in Lima - lauded Best Restaurant in South America - climbed two spots to second place, while Barcelona's Disfrutar (No. 5 last year) inched up to third place.

Rounding off the top five are Madrid's Diverxo at No. 4 (No. 20 last year) and Pujol in Mexico City in fifth position (No. 9 last year). Pujol retained its Best Restaurant in North America spot for the third time.

Asia has seven restaurants on the list, including new entries Sorn in Bangkok (No. 39) and La Cime in Osaka (No. 41).

Uliassi in Senigallia, Italy - which debuted on the list at No. 12 - received the Highest New Entry Award, while Berlin's Nobelhart & Schmutzig got the Highest Climber Award for soaring 28 spots to No. 17 this year.

A new award - World's Best Sommelier - went to Josep Roca, sommelier and co-owner of the Best of the Best category's El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain.

The ceremony also honoured other award recipients, including Rene Frank of dessert restaurant Coda in Berlin, who was named The World's Best Pastry Chef; and Leonor Espinosa of Bogota's Leo restaurant (ranked No. 48), lauded The World's Best Female Chef.

The annual list - in its 20th edition this year - is produced by British media company William Reed. It is based on a voting panel of 1,080 international restaurant industry experts that represent 27 regions around the world, each of which has 40 members including a chairman.