3 Reasons Why I think Eleven Madison Park Deserves as The Best Restaurant in The World (for now)

Waking up with the cheerful chirping sound of sparrows instead of relentless siren (with different tones according to the urgency of the matter), there’s no mistaking that we are back in Leuven! I let out a small sigh, half relieved and half reminiscent.

New York: it was wonderful…

I wondered then in my bed what am I to write about Eleven Madison Park, the current world’s number one restaurant. After all what more comments can I contribute? All compliments must have been exhausted. Any exaltation will just be a rain drop in the ocean, take-for-granted.

But perhaps not…

The title of world’s number one restaurant is a heavy one. With almost anyone everyone nowadays a self-regard foodie, many are just likely to accuse EMP short of expectation (and guess what 12% of tripadvisors ranked the restaurant average or below average?!)

Not us! Not when we sank into the sofa at the far corner of the grandeur dining hall, giving a spectacular view of everything happening in the space: the not un-chinese half-hung lamps that inspired the container of the appetisers; waitress/waiters whizzed past the diners in an efficient and elegant manner yet still with the attention to anyone may require them; A young chef brought BBQ to the table next to us with curious meat on the skewer (later on we learnt it’s the mint-fed snails)…

Here are my top reasons why I think Eleven Madison Park deserves the number one position at this moment

Number 1: scalability of perfection: cooking and serving for 50 diners with impeccable perfection are not uncommon in Michelin-starred restaurants (especially in the Europe), cooking and serving for >250 people with equal perfection is a completely different game. EMP in this regard is unbeatable.

Number 2: the luxury of simplicity: this is our mantra but EMP did it so well. You eat what you see and what you eat is deliciousness borne out of seasonal and fine ingredients. There are surprisingly no gimmicks, unlike in many other Michelin-starred restaurants, no ipad plate, no stone-age cutlery, no syringe…the usage of foam, garnish flowers and herbs are restrained to the minimum and only out of necessity. The green leafy vegetables (dandelion greens, mustard greens…) make a refreshing change for taste and presentation.

Number 3: no-tipping policy: not only unthinkable in New York, but also unheard of in any top restaurants, the waitress insisted twice that we shouldn’t leave any tips. WHAT? Do I hear it right? And I know I know, the tips are most probably included in our bill and yet you have to admire the thought-leaderships behind a no-tipping policy. When restaurant staffs are not incentivised by tips, meaning they are probably taken good care by the business, meaning their service are probably more genuine. Personally I found the tipping culture is utterly absurd. While it’s still fine to reward people who are doing a good job, most of time we just feel obliged to do so in order not to embarrass ourselves, even when the service is mediocre or bad.

So with the birds still chirping in our windowsill, daylight permeated and one fine morning- I gave a mental salute to this great city I’ve been, to the number one restaurant, to its perfection, simplicity and thought-leadership.

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