IT WILL come as a surprise to those who associate Scottish cuisine with deep-fried Mars Bars, but Edinburgh has been unveiled as the UK’s “most culinary” city outside London.

The Scottish capital beat Brighton and Leeds to claim the title, which was decided democratically on the basis of 90,000 independent reviews.

According to the list, ordered in proportion of restaurants in each city rated as “very good” or “exceptional” by regular diners, Glasgow also ranks as one of Britain’s gastronomic hot-spots.

More than half of the 48 Edinburgh restaurants featured in Harden’s 2007 UK Restaurant Guide impressed, compared with a meagre 28 per cent of Bristol’s.

Among the establishments to whet appetites north of the border were the vegetarian restaurant David Bann and VinCaffé, based in Edinburgh’s Italian food and drink emporium Valvona & Crolla.

Elsewhere, the Rémy Martin Restaurant Awards confirm that Newcastle is undergoing a culinary renaissance — for the second consecutive year a Tyneside restaurant has won an award, and the city boasts a Top 10 place in the eating-out league. Jesmond Dene House was voted the North East’s best emerging restaurant.

Claire Richards, brand manager for Rémy Martin, said: “The Harden’s survey and our own restaurant awards prove that the idea that quality dining is now just — or even mainly — a London phenomenon is well and truly dead.”

“This year’s Rémy Martin award winners all demonstrate that great gastronomic experiences are available in all corners of the UK.”

While the gastronomic league table shows that there is life beyond the M25, a London restaurant has been crowned Britain’s best new restaurant in the Rémy Martin Restaurant Awards. Under chef Anthony Demetre, Arbutus, already named London’s best newcomer by Which? magazine and Time Out, has gained a reputation for value-for-money French and European dishes.

In winning the restaurant world’s best-newcomer gong, Arbutus follows in the footsteps of Tom Aikens and Anthony Flinn, a devotee of the molecular gastronomy espoused by Heston Blumenthal.

Will Smith, co-owner of Arbutus, said: “Winning the Rémy Martin Excellence Award is a fantastic achievement and a big relief to know that all our hard work has paid off.

“The restaurant just keeps on getting busier and busier — and the challenge for us now is to keep up with the demand.”

The Rémy Martin Restaurant Awards are based on reviews from nearly 8,000 regular restaurant-goers submitted to the Harden’s UK Restaurant Guide 2007, which is published today.

TOP TEN

1 Edinburgh

2 Brighton

3 Leeds

4 Manchester

5 Nottingham

6 Liverpool

7 Birmingham

8=Newcastle

8= Glasgow

10 Bristol

Times recommends

• Brits in Bangkok furious at lack of rescue
• Britain's 12 best winter walks
• The insiders' guide to bohemian Paris