Spain's El Bulli is world's top restaurant

Tetsuya's restaurant in Sydney is fifth on the list.

LONDON - Spain's El Bulli toppled Britain's Fat Duck as the world's best restaurant in a new poll.

El Bulli's eclectic menu, including delicacies such as foie gras with ice cream, curried favour with the 560 international food critics who compile Restaurant magazine's list of the world's top 50 restaurants.

The Fat Duck, where self-taught chef Heston Blumenthal serves snail porridge and grain mustard ice cream, was the only British restaurant in the top 10.

French eateries dominated the top 50 list, with 10 entries, while the number of British top 50 entries fell to six from 14 last year.

"Taking the list as a whole, it's the French who have conquered the globe," Restaurant magazine said in a statement.

The French Laundry, in California's Napa valley, came top in the Americas, while Tetsuya's, in Sydney, was voted best restaurant in Australasia.

Located on a stretch of coastline north of Barcelona, El Bulli is open just six months of the year and is fully booked for 2006.

Like Blumenthal, Barcelona-born chef Ferran Adria's food is considered part of the "molecular gastronomy" school, an experimental approach to cooking.

El Bulli's food is served up as a tasting menu made up of some 20 small courses.

Last year the menu included omelette surprise, melon caviar with passion fruit and mint and parmesan marshmallow.

To allay concerns that the London-based magazine's list was too UK-centric, Restaurant this year appointed panels in 20 regions from different parts of the world, each chaired by a judge.

The top 10 world restaurants are:

1 - El Bulli, Spain
2 - The Fat Duck, UK
3 - Pierre Gagnaire, France
4 - French Laundry, United States
5 - Tetsuya's, Australia
6 - Bras, France
7 - Restaurant Le Louis XV, Monaco
8 - Per Se, United States
9 - Restaurante Arzak, Spain
10- Mugaritz, Spain

- REUTERS