France used to be the epicentre of the fine dining scene – but not anymore.
Japan and China now have more of the world’s top restaurants than anywhere else in the world, according to a prestigious French list of the best eateries.
Though a restaurant in France tops the list, Japan has the most eateries in the top 1,000 with 138, while China is close behind with 123, according to La Liste.
A selection of top-quality sushi at Kyubey, officially Japan’s best restaurant, according to La Liste
Jorg Zipprick, who compiled the list, told AFP: ‘The rise and rise of China is the big story.
‘Asia has a lot more restaurants than Europe and it is only logical that La Liste will reflect that.’
Jorg set up La Liste three years ago, supposedly as a ‘more scientific and reliable’ rival to the British list of the world’s 50 Best Restaurants.
It puts Guy Savoy’s eponymous Paris restaurant at the top of the rankings for the second consecutive year, followed by Le Bernardin in New York.
A plate of fish and sushi at the tiny Kyo Aji restaurant in Tokyo, one of the world’s best restaurants
The top rated restaurant in China is Huai Yang Fu at Andingmen in Beijing
But in third place is Tokyo’s Kyubey, often hailed as the best sushi restaurant in the Japanese capital.
Two other Japanese restaurants make the top 20: sushi restaurant Kyo Aji and a French restaurant run by chef Joel Robuchon.
The highest placed Chinese restaurant in the top 20 is Huai Yang Fu at Andingmen in Beijing, where a speciality pork dish was a favourite of Chairman Mao.
The United States follows Japan and China with the next highest number of restaurants while Switzerland has the biggest number per capita, with 38 top eateries and a population of just 8 million.
The rankings will be officially published following a banquet in Paris on Monday to celebrate the winners.