The World Restaurant Awards Dining Series

The World Restaurant Awards Dining Series is a celebration of the restaurants recognised at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards ceremony in February 2019, taking place in four iconic food cities across the globe.

Each dinner is a collaboration between nominated and winning restaurants and members of The World Restaurant Awards judging panel, where guests will have the opportunity to experience unique, intimate meals in stunning locations.

The first dining event was held in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board, where we explored the country's storied culinary landscape. On Tuesday 27th August, The World Restaurant Awards judge Mark Best hosted a 4-hands dinner with chef LG Han of the revered Labyrinth in Singapore.

Born to three generations of restaurateurs, food was never far from Han Liguang's mind. When he decided to make gastronomy his career, the young Han cut his teeth working for internationally renowned chefs in Europe and Singapore, gaining a deft mastery of technique and a resolute passion for the craft.

In 2014, Chef Han founded Labyrinth, encapsulating his roots and memories of growing up in Singapore.

At his restaurant, Chef Han practices a culinary philosophy built on responsibly understanding produce, ingredients and taste profiles, while championing a locavore cause of supporting the local community. Labyrinth's 90% locally-sourced menu is a sensorial expression of his childhood memories - especially those of grandma's - and a relentless enlivenment of traditional recipes and techniques, and the passion of local farmers presented through his eyes in a modern style. Chef Han calls this food movement a 'New Expression of Singaporean Cuisine'.

Mark Best discovered the stoves accidentally and has ended up an unquestionable symbol of New Australian Cuisine. His perseverance and his 'eternal dissatisfaction' (as he calls it himself) are the vitamins for his spectacular personal development. 

"I aim to bring extraordinary produce of Australia to a point of celebration and unnatural expression." These words accurately describe Best's approach to cooking. It's food, focused on flavour, with technology at the service of the ingredient.

Mark Best started his working life as an electrician in the gold mines of Western Australia before starting his career at the age of 25. After training in Potts Point, he headed to Europe, where he worked in revered kitchens across France and the UK before returning to Sydney to open Marque in 1999, to critical acclaim.

The New York Dining Series will showcase a collaboration between The World Restaurant Awards judge Amanda Cohen, chef-owner of acclaimed vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy, and The World Restaurant Awards nominee (Tweezer-Free Kitchen) Lee Tiernan, chef-owner of Black Axe Mangal in London on Tuesday 24th September at Dirty Candy.

The dining experience will champion diversity and sustainability, which will see British chef Lee Tiernan eschew the meat and offal-based dishes he is renowned for in favour of an all-vegetable menu conceived in partnership with star Canadian chef Amanda Cohen.

For the third stop of The World Restaurant Awards Dining Series, we're heading to Copenhagen for a celebration of our House Special category. Ricardo Camanini, Head Chef of Lido 84, will be joining forces with Barr's Head Chef, Thorsten Schmidt, for a collaborative dinner that showcases Lido 84's winning 'Cacio e pepe en Vessie' dish alongside Thorsten's iconic Schnitzel recipe.