Ramsay and Ivy make world list

Two of Britain's best-known restaurants have been included in a new list of the world's top ten places to eat.

Gordon Ramsay's Chelsea restaurant was named the UK's best - and second best in the world. His restaurant, awarded a third highly-coveted Michelin star in January, was beaten only by a Barcelona restaurant, El Bulli, where the waiting list for a table is said to be a year long.

Celebrity favourite The Ivy was also in the top ten, at eight. The Covent Garden restaurant made it onto the list even though Michelin judges left it unimpressed after a visit last year.

The list was compiled by Restaurant magazine based on recommendations from 50 famous chefs and restuarateurs, including Ramsay, Brian Turner, Antony Worrall Thompson and Raymond Blanc.

Third was The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, and fourth was Rockpool in Sydney, Australia. At number five was Spoon in Mauritius. Auberge De l'Ill in Alsace, France, was at six and 1884 in Mendoza, Argentina at seven. Restaurants in Sydney and Canada made up the top ten.

Three other British restaurants were in the top 50. The Merchant House, in Ludlow, Shropshire, reached number 19, while The Three Chimneys on the isle of Skye, came in at 28, and London's River Cafe was listed at 31.

The poll is a boost for the British restaurant industry, which has found it hard to win recognition from traditional sources such as the Michelin Guide. Critics have complained the guide is focused too heavily on French restaurants and excludes modern British cuisine.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Gordon Ramsay
RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Ivy