French restaurant run by Argentine chef crowned world's best

French restaurant Mirazur run by Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco has been named the world's best. (AFP)

SINGAPORE - French restaurant Mirazur run by Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco was Tuesday crowned the world's best restaurant at an awards ceremony put on by British trade magazine Restaurant.

In second spot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants was Noma in Copenhagen, and in third was Asador Etxebarri in Spain.

An ecstatic Colagreco called his team to the stage and exclaimed "Wow, wow, wow" after his victory was announced.

"Thank you my team. You deserve it, all these years. Thank you friends for supporting us during these last 13 years," he said at the awards ceremony in Singapore.

In fourth place was Bangkok's Gaggan, whose owner-chef Gaggan Anand has won praise for his modern spin on his native Indian cuisine.

Restaurant magazine, owned by William Reed Media, launched the awards in 2002 and they are now as coveted by restaurants as Michelin stars, although the methodology used to select the best restaurants has faced criticism, especially from several French chefs who say it remains unclear.

There are no criteria for putting a restaurant on the list, which is based on an anonymous poll of more than 1,000 chefs, restaurant owners, food critics and other industry insiders from around the world.