The foodie elite will be tuned into the British capital on Monday night, when London's Guildhall will play host to the glitterati of the gastronomic world with a prestigious ceremony for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2013. And we're on the edge of our seats to find out where Heston Blumenthal – famous for using science to whip up unusual culinary delights – will appear on the score board. His award winning restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, featuring takes of historical British recipes from as far back as the 14th century, was last year's highest new entry, going straight in at no. 9 after opening the previous February.
The Fat Duck, Heston's three Michelin starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, might make it up to the top ten after coming in as the 13th best restaurant in the world last year. Brett Graham's Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury, which came after The Fat Duck at no. 14, will hopefully maintain its position in the upper echelons of the list. Gathering at the Guildhall on Monday will be the A-listers of the restaurant world, including gastronomy legends such as American chef Thomas Keller, Juan Mari Arzak from Spain and Heston Blumenthal himself, whose Dinner restaurant is based in the swanky Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park.Celebrations have already been made as Nadia Santini, head chef at Dal Pescatore in Mantova, Italy, was named the Veuve Clicquot World's Best Female Chef earlier this month and Alain Ducasse, who owns three Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London's swish Mayfair area, was announced as the recipient of The Lifetime Achievment Award. The French chef was recognised for "pushing the boundaries of excellence in cooking" over his 30-year career.
Aside from Heston's The Fat Duck, other British restaurants that could be in the running to make it into this year's list of best places to eat are the three other restaurants which each hold the highly coveted three Michelin stars.The Waterside Inn in the charming 16th century village of Bray, owned by father and son Michel and Alain Roux, serves classic French cuisine. Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair all serve some of the best food in the country.Voted on by more than 900 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs across 26 geographical regions around the world, the ranking is highly respected, turning chefs into celebrities overnight and filling up reservation books months in advance.Eyes will also be turned to Danish chef René Redzepi this year to see if his Copenhagen restaurant Noma scoops first place for the fourth year in a row.