The organisers for this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants awards must be heaving a sigh of relief. First there was the volcano which threatened to keep the best chefs in the world from heading over to London for the restaurant world's Oscars. Then came rumours of a leak of the results, just days before the ceremony - although that proved incorrect in the end.
But it all went well on the night, as the cream of the culinary world - or should that be foam - gathered to hear that Danish restaurant Noma had scooped the No 1 slot. Rather sweetly, the whole Noma team stormed the stage as it was announced, wearing t-shirts featuring a picture of their Gambian kitchen patrol (or chief bottle washer) named Ali who couldn't get a visa for the trip to London.
Described as an unforgiving list, this year's top 50 certainly wasn't brilliant for London restaurants. It saw London favourite St John slip 29 places from 14 to 43, although it was good news for Claude Bosi's Hibiscus which entered the list for the first time at 49 - read what he had to say about his new placing here. Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck also slipped a place from second to third, however Heston did pick up the Chef's Choice - the award only voted for by the chefs of the World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Other losers were in the second part of the list, from 51 to 100. Nobu, Hakkasan and Maze fell out of the list entirely. Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley fell from 52 to 58. The River Cafe fell from 72 to 81 and Le Gavroche plummeted from 58 to 92. The one shining light was Zuma which shot up from 92 to 66 and new entry Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester at 95.
Sydney restaurant Marque got a gong for Best Breakthrough Award and although his restaurant gave up its top slot for the first time in five years, Ferran Adria was surprised with a new category and given the Best chef of the decade award (and a standing ovation). 'Perhaps the last award for El Bulli' he told the crowd, whilst promising to return for the awards next year even when El Bulli is closed.
Another key winner of the evening was Rainer Becker - the man behind Zuma and Roka - who picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award.
See the World's Top 50 Restaurants 2010 list in full and find out what's so great about the restaurants which made the Top 10.
