Egon's magnificent seven

London's seven finest restaurants, according to legendary food critic Egon Ronay, are revealed today.

Gordon Ramsay's eponymous dining room in Chelsea and an Indian restaurant which opened only last summer - after its owner mortgaged his home to raise the money - are among those which made the grade.

Ronay describes Ramsay's cooking as "brilliant" but casts some doubt on whether the chef actually cooks in all seven of his London restaurants.

And he praises Vineet Bhatia, the owner of Rasoi Vineet Bhatia in Chelsea, for opening the best Indian restaurant in the capital.

The list is published in the RAC Guide to the Top 200 Restaurants in the UK. Ronay's other favourites in the capital are Tom Aikens, Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House, Morgan M, Pétrus and Square - mostly established London institutions.

But the biggest surprise is the inclusion of Rasoi Vineet Bhatia. Bhatia, formerly of Zaika, where he won a Michelin star in 2001, has picked up a string of accolades for his venture, including best new restaurant

in the Tatler awards. "I have worked for other people all my life. This is the first time I've had a place of my own," he said. "Borrowing the money has meant a lot of pressure, but it is something I always wanted to do."

Ronay began working in one of his father's five restaurants in Budapest aged 17. He moved to England in 1946, and within a few years opened The Marquee in Knightsbridge. He became a restaurant critic in 1953.