The king of avante-garde chefs is crowned once again the best in the world.

Ferran Adria, and his El Bulli restaurant, at Roses, on the Costa Brava, has taken the top award in the 2008 San Pellegrino world restaurants awards organised by Restaurant magazine.

His laboratory cooking is now firmly established at the pinnacle of haute cuisine.

Parmesan cheese shaped like spaghetti and carrots served like foam are among the wizard-like dishes which Adria has concocted in his workshop and which have revolutionised Spain’s reputation for cuisine.

Experts compare his cooking to the innovative art of Piccaso and insist he will leave a huge legacy in the development of cooking as an art.

His former apprentice and friend, Heston Blumenthal, at The Fat Duck, in Bray, however is snapping at his heels and The Times has learnt the margin between the scores for the top two places is the slenderest ever in the seven-year history of the awards - though the judges’ marks remain secret.

Another Adria pupil in experimental cooking — he hates the term molecular gastronomy - has also helped consolidate the influence of the Spanish culinary buccaneer on cooking today.

Andoni Luis Aduriz and his Mugaritz restaurant in San Sebastian has moved up into fourth ranking in the world — this was seventh last year and 10th two years ago.

The biggest leap in the rankings however is for traditional English chef Fergus Henderson and his St John restaurant at Clerkenwell in London.

He has moved 18 places from 34th best in world last year to 16th in the latest list. He is the ultimate chef’s chef who cares for the quality of his food rather than a chic décor in the dining room. He enjoys sourcing meat from rare breeds such as Gloucester Old Spot for bacon and pork and insists on fresh, local seasonal produce.

Mr Henderson has the dubious task today of serving lunch to the world’s great chefs. His menu will be skate, bread and green sauce salad, followed by an eclectic mix of pigeon and pig’s trotter pie with mash and spring greens, and shortbread with malt whisky.

Mr Henderson said: “I’m a big fan of pig’s trotter, it has such flavour and they are a hearty lot. I am going to use suet pastry and also add bacon and shallots. Pigeon and pig’s trotter is a culinary match in heaven.”

In another fillip for British chefs Gordon Ramsay has also climed 11 places from 24 to reach number 13th in the 50 world best restaurants for his Hospital Road restaurant in Chelsea.

After accusations that he was spreading himself too thinly with onerous TV commitments and the move into gastro-pub food, Gordon Ramsay will appreciate this reecongition from critics who count- the 700 judges are all acclaimed chefs and food experts and writers.

Paul Wootton, editor of Restaurant magazine, Farron Adria deserved the award for the third successive year.”He offers such an extraordinary eating experience in his restaurant and what is also importanrt the service and the setting are top notch. Heston Blumenthal is very close to him however and it will interesting to see if he topples his mentor next year.”

Mr Wootton was pleased that Gordon Ramsay had received such a boost.”I am pleased to see him so high up. He runs a very good restaurant and it is a very good accolade for him. Recently people have tried to knock him but he has done an enormous amount to improve fine dining in the UK, he’s an inspiring chef and good businessman. As for the rise of Fergus Henerson he is a chef’s chef, very British and even though the design of St John is drab it des n’t matter because the food is consistently so good.”

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