The party behind the World’s 50 Best awards

When the World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony was held in New York City last year, there was, ironically, no food available to attendees. When the event moved to Australia this year, some veterans of the affair were worried that might happen again. The invitation even instructed attendees to eat beforehand. But the dearth of food was not repeated, thanks to an Australian restaurant group that went out of its way to make sure participants were well fed. 

Chefs from the Rockpool restaurant group provided huge sides of beef, kangaroo and tuna that greeted the crowd prior to the ceremony. After the ceremony concluded, the meats had been “barbecued, sliced, garnished and were ready to eat. There was plenty of booze, too,” according to attendee Brigid Delaney.

The Austrialian event was only the second time the 15-year-old awards have been held outside its home in London. The Australian tourism board wooed the World’s 50 Best to move down under. This effort coincided with an increase in the number of Australian restaurants on the list, a figure that is certain to grow as the Australian food scene continues to impress diners. 

The ceremony itself was a no-nonsense affair. Host Mark Durden-Smith “whipped through the names at a pace,” says Delaney. The winning chefs from a restaurant would stand up to polite applause, but gave no speeches. The awards ceremony may have been brief, but apparently the party following the event carried on well into the evening. 

While not a dish served at the event, the  Barbecued kangaroo & macadamia salad with honey mustard dressing from Delicious (Aus) Magazine by Valli Little, pictured above, captures the spirit of the affair.