Spanish restaurant 'still the world's best'

El Bulli in Roses, Spain has retained its status at the top of the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2009.

This represents the fourth consecutive year that the establishment has topped a poll of some 806 chefs, food critics and industry experts.

Also retaining the place that it achieved last year is Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck in Berkshire, the UK, which took second place behind El Bulli.

Spanish restaurants dominate the top five, with San Sebastian's Mugaritz and El Celler de Can Roca in Gerona ranked in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Ahead of both of them in third position is Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Only two restaurants outside Europe feature in the top ten of the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list this year - Per Se in New York and Alinea in Chicago.

Among the new entries in this year's top 20 is Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy and Les Creations de Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan.

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