Thornton’s cooks up world-class recipe for success

TAKE a generous helping of creativity, add a pinch of Irish warmth, a sprinkling of expertise and a dash of French service and you have the recipe for success.

These key ingredients have combined to make Thornton’s restaurant in Dublin one of the best places to eat in the world.

Thornton’s has come 25th in Restaurant magazine’s latest list of the top 50 restaurants in the world.

“We never expected to be 25th best restaurant in the world. It is fantastic for Ireland and fantastic for all the staff here,” restaurant manager at Thornton’s, Olivier Meisonnave said.

Opened in 1995, Thornton’s moved last year from Portobello to the Fitzwilliam Hotel at St Stephen’s Green. Head chef and owner of the restaurant, Kevin Thornton, was still in London yesterday celebrating the achievement.

A panel of judges placed Thornton’s ahead of London’s Japanese minimalist restaurant Nobu; celebrity hangout, The Ivy and temperamental chef Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant Petrus.

The top restaurant in the world was judged to be one serving Gallic food not in France, but among vineyards in Napa Valley, California.

The French Laundry was described as having an ideal mix of the elements required for the perfect meal.

“We looked at restaurant atmosphere, the service, the food, the surroundings and whether the experience is unique. Thornton’s has all of that,” Thom Hetherington of Restaurant magazine said.