How Three of the World’s Top Restaurants Tell Stories Through the Glass by Kristine Bocchino
This past June, I had the pleasure of attending the 2025 World’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony in Torino, Italy. As the former wife of an extraordinarily talented chef for nearly two decades, a restaurant owner, and pastry chef myself, the pursuit of exceptional cuisine has always been close to my heart. For me, meeting the world’s top chefs is like a music lover meeting their favourite rock stars.
One of the standout events of the week was #50BESTTALKS: The Flavor Files – a day of panel discussions and presentations where culinary and hospitality leaders shared personal stories and insights. Chefs like Virgilio Martínez of Central, sommeliers like Agnese Morandi of Table by Bruno Verjus, and hospitality icons Ago Perrone and Giorgio Bargiani spoke with passion, elegance, and charm.
After hearing these heartfelt accounts, I wanted to dive deeper – specifically into the beverage programme that so beautifully complement these culinary temples. Following the sessions, I sought out three of the day’s key speakers, each graciously offering more insight into their craft.
Liquid Surreality in Bangkok
My first connection was with Pichaya ‘Chef Pam’ Soontornyanakij, the 2025 World’s Best Female Chef, and her business partner, Tor Boonpiti, from Potong and The Project X Co. in Bangkok.
At Potong, cocktails are as carefully composed as the food, rooted in Thai-Chinese heritage and the building’s layered history. Their bar program – crafted by the Opium Bar team on the building’s upper floors – follows a concept they call Liquid Surreality. Inspired by deeply personal spaces, including Tor’s great-great-grandfather’s former bedroom and opium den (back when it was legal), the drinks aim to stir emotion – memories, moments, and sensations that mirror Pam’s approach to reimagining childhood flavours.
While nearby Sampeng Market offers a wealth of ingredients, the Opium Bar focuses on capturing feelings rather than flavours. Their upcoming Expression Menu will interpret locations as drinks, including a liquid tribute to their own neighborhood, called Songwat.
One striking example of place-driven storytelling through cocktails is their Dawn & Dusk pairing. Inspired by the teams visit to a flower farm, Dawn captures the light, tea-forward freshness of morning with Roku gin infused with sweet oolong, homemade yerba mate liqueur, hydrosol lemon, and nitro-charged yerba mate tea. Dusk adds a delicate mint liqueur for a cooling herbal depth, evoking the air as the sun set over the fields. Each glass tells the story of a moment in time.
Rooted in Country
Next, I reached out to Chef Mindy Woods, a 2025 World’s 50 Best Restaurants Champion of Change honoree, to explore her drinks program at Karkalla in Byron Bay, New South Wales.
“Karkalla is more than just food or drink,” she began. “It’s a vibrant tapestry of Bundjalung culture, brought to life in every dish and every cocktail.”
Her team works with native ingredients such as wattleseed, finger lime, and the restaurant’s namesake – Karkalla, a coastal succulent found along Australia’s east coast. For martini lovers, the Karkalla Martini blends coastal gin, dry vermouth, pickled Karkalla brine, and crushed leaves for a uniquely Australian take on the Dirty Martini.
Mindy collaborates closely with local elders and knowledge keepers to ensure each ingredient is sourced respectfully. She believes intention fuels creativity, allowing her cocktails to be both grounded and inventive. As she lifted her glass, she smiled, “Cheers to celebrating our culture.”
A Living List
Finally, I spoke with Agnese Morandi, lead sommelier at Table by Bruno Verjus in Paris, and World’s Best Sommelier 2024 by Identitá Golose.
She shared inspired pairings from the restaurant’s Spring/Summer 2025 menu: red mullet with matured crème and citrus vinaigrette paired with Vermouth Zakuro from southern France; and Table’s signature half-raw, half-cooked lobster with artichoke, nettle, and capers, served alongside Sake IWA 5, created by former Dom Pérignon producer Richard Geoffroy in Japan.
Her philosophy for the wine list? “It has to be alive—a trip around the world. A snapshot of the wine scene right now.” Constantly evolving the selection is not just a challenge but the joy of her work. Weekends often find her traveling across Europe to meet winemakers, ensuring each bottle carries a story worth telling.
Final Sips, Lasting Impressions
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants celebration is far more than an awards night – it’s an immersion into the craft, passion, and dedication that define the world’s finest dining. From Bangkok to Byron Bay to Paris, these beverage programmes aren’t just accompaniments; they’re vital chapters in each restaurant’s narrative. Whether shaped by heritage, emotion, or season, every cocktail, wine, and nightcap reflects a philosophy as thoughtful as the cuisine it complements.
As I left Torino, I carried with me an even deeper appreciation for how chefs, sommeliers, and bartenders are constantly reshaping the art of hospitality– one extraordinary sip at a time.
