More than 500 international chefs, critics and restaurateurs have selected The Fat Duck in Bray, England, as this year's best restaurant in Europe and the world.
The annual competition, 50 Best Restaurants in the World, was launched in 2002 and is sponsored by Restaurant magazine. The Fat Duck's chef and owner, Heston Blumenthal, was praised for his innovative "molecular gastronomy. " (Think snail porridge and parsnip cornflakes.) Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., a two-time winner, came in third, but was named best restaurant in the Americas. Ranked second was El Bulli in Montjoi, Spain.
Others in the top 10 were Tetsuya's in Sydney (also named best in Australasia); Gordon Ramsay, St. John and Tom Aikens, all three in London; Pierre Gagnaire in Paris; Jean Georges and Per Se, both in New York. Per Se, Thomas Keller's second restaurant, was the highest-ranked new entry.
Felix in Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel was picked best in Asia and Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek, South Africa, was picked best in the Middle East and Africa.
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