Elite club

The top list of the best restaurants in the world has again been published. Ferran Adria has been crowned once more. But just how is such a list compiled? Though no perfectly objective ranking exists, the top list published by Restaurant magazine since 2002 is regarded as the most authentic. In 2009, El Bulli was chosen the best restuarant in the world for the fifth time. Few people hear about such results, but to those few, these mean a lot. This year, the world was divided into 26 regions, like eastern Europe. There is a leader for each region who picks the people who are entitled to vote. Each of these can name 5 restaurants (not more than 2 from their own region) which they have visited personally in the past 18 months. This is the most criticised element of the system. For example, Lou-Lou and Café Kör both reached the second 50 in 2007. Bianca Ottero, one of the editors of the Hungarian Dining Guide has been the eastern European leader for years. There were only 8 French and 8 American restaurants in the top 50 last year. Spanish gastronomy is increasingly successful with 6 places in the top 50, including a 4th and a 5th place, and the fifth triumph by Ferran Adria (El Bulli). Fat Duck finished in second place for the fourth time. There were 6 Italian, 4 British and 3 German restaurants in the top 50 as well.