Tuesday, 29 April, 2003, 08:34 GMT 09:34 UK Top nosh – here in Britain
Ambience and location are important to diners
Britain has bagged 20% of the places on a list of the world's top restaurants.
Published in Restaurant Magazine, the list is topped by a restaurant serving French cuisine – in California.
But getting 11 places on a list of the top 50 best restaurants in the world has banished the image of Britain as a culinary wasteland.
- On Breakfast we spoke to Ruth Rogers of the River Cafe which made it onto the list and Jay Rayner, restaurant critic.
Ruth Rogers said that the culture in British restaurants had changed over the past ten years or so – people seem to be more relaxed and expecting a good time: "people come with children, Sunday lunch lasts for hours, you can eat well and be casually dressed."
Jay Rayner disputed that the UK should actually have 20% of the top places.
For him a really top restaurant – worthy of making the list – had to have a sense of place – "that you could only be having that experience in that restaurant… and the food is absolutely vital".
But he agreed that restaurants in Britain have improved massively over the last few years.
However he pointed out that there was still a price problem for people on ordinary incomes wanting to eat out.
There is a problem – you have a top level which is generally very good, but we lack a good mid-range
