A whiff of injustice was in the air and the rumour mill began when the S.Pellegrino's Worlds 50 Best Restaurants were announced at a lavish ceremony at the beginning of this week. For three years now, the El Bulli restaurant in Spain has won first prize and many judges are wondering if others on the 600-strong judging panel are really taking the voting seriously.

Judging criteria
As a judge, one of the criteria for selecting your favourite restaurant is that it has to be one that you've personally visited within the 18 months prior to voting. Seeing as El Bulli is only open 6 months a year and the tables get fully booked almost immediately, there has been a lot of doubt thrown over how many judges were actually able to get tables in this short sliver of time.

Asia forgotten
More criticism was thrown at the Restaurant magazine awards, who are apparently too UK centric. In 2005, 14 British restaurants were included in the top 50, which is quite unbelievable seeing as Asian countries such as Japan and China hardly figure at all, apart from when the restaurant is European-influenced or a branch of a European or North American restaurant.

Joe Warwick, former editor of Restaurant magazine and critic of the awards process, says, "It is ridiculous that Tokyo is not represented. Without spending more money to improve the juries and create more regions in Asia, there will be an increasing credibility problem."

Europe centric
Perhaps the judging panel, made up of chefs, journalists and restaurant critics, need to rethink their strategy of how to better incorporate restaurants further afield than Europe and North America. Indeed, in November 2007, the Michelin guide conceded that Tokyo is a city with some of the greatest restaurants on earth, giving out a total of 191 stars. It's time Restaurant magazine took notice too.