Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Marcus Wareing, the British chef who split with Gordon Ramsay, has overtaken his mentor for serving the best food in London, according to Harden's restaurant guide.

Wareing's Petrus topples Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, on Royal Hospital Road, which has held the top slot for eight years. Le Gavroche is third. The Top Three lineup is the same for service in ``Harden's London Restaurants 2009,'' to be published tomorrow.

Ramsay and Wareing will go their separate ways next month, 15 years after Wareing went to work for Ramsay at Aubergine. While Petrus overtook Ramsay at ``Best Overall'' last year, this is the first time it has triumphed for food and service.

``The personalities aren't the point,'' co-editor Richard Harden said in a telephone interview. ``The main thing is that a standalone restaurant will generally outgun the product of an international chain. While Petrus is technically part of the Ramsay empire, our understating is that for most practical purposes, it's been run as a separate entity for some time now.''

Harden's rankings are based on a total of 85,000 reports from 8,000 diners. Ramsay's casual eateries -- the Warrington, the Devonshire and Foxtrot Oscar -- are nominated as ``most disappointing meal of the year'' in about one in three of the survey responses that they attract.

``There are food guides and there are restaurant guides, and the ultimate food guide whose verdict we really value is Michelin,'' Gordon Ramsay Holdings said in an e-mailed statement. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay holds three stars and Petrus two.

Chez Bruce

Among other results: Chez Bruce is named London's favorite restaurant for the fourth straight year. The Wolseley is again No. 1 for business, followed by the Don and Bleeding Heart. La Poule au Pot is best for romance for the 13th consecutive year.

The survey divides restaurants into price categories, with the Ritz Restaurant and Pied a Terre coming fourth and fifth, overall, for places where a meal costs more than 80 pounds ($147). The Ledbury beat J. Sheekey in the 60 pounds-79 pounds group; Chez Bruce and La Trompette headed 45 pounds-59 pounds; Lamberts and Upstairs Bar were top two in the 35 pounds-44 pounds category.

Best restaurants by cuisine are divided into those costing more or less than 45 pounds. They are: British: Chez Bruce, Lamberts. French: Petrus, Upstairs Bar. Italian/Mediterranean: Assaggi, Latium. Indian: Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, New Tayyabs. Chinese: Kai Mayfair, Mandarin Kitchen. Japanese: Zuma, Jin Kichi.

``Harden's London Restaurants 2009'' costs 11.99 pounds and is available from bookshops or http://www.hardens.com/.)

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this review: Richard Vines, in London, at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 27, 2008 06:19 EDT