Gourmet says London offers best dining

LONDON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The editors of the U.S. culinary magazine Gourmet say London restaurants are superior to rivals in Paris, Rome and even New York.

In fact, the entire 180-page March issue of Gourmet, which has a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million, is entirely devoted to dining in London, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

Gourmet Executive Editor John Willoughby said: "We came to London because we had been hearing about great chefs and great products. We were hoping to find good food, but we didn't expect to find so much of it.

"We were blown away. What London has that other cities don't right now is high-quality food at all levels. In every category, from comfort food to gastronomic experiments, we loved what we ate."

One of the restaurants highlighted in the magazine is the Michelin-starred Fat Duck in Bray, located one hour from London.

Chef Heston Blumenthal is praised as a pioneer of "molecular gastronomy," or cooking based on scientific principles and unusual flavor combinations. For example, he prepares desserts in liquid nitrogen and serves bacon-and-egg-flavored ice cream.