999Today picks its top five restaurants on the planet.

1.) Tetsuya's Restaurant, Sydney, Australia

Top chef Tetsuya Wakuda has refurbished a heritage-listed site in the city to create one of Australia's best restaurants. Tetsuya's offers private dining rooms for group bookings and two larger main dining rooms overlooking a contemporary waterfall and Japanese garden. The restaurant's cuisine is very unique, based on the Japanese philosophy of natural seasonal flavours, enhanced by classic French technique.

Tetsuya's renowned degustation set menu changes frequently. A typical meal could start with a plate of hors d'oeuvres - a gazpacho with spiced tomato sorbet, west Australian marron with asparagus and truffle mayonnaise, tartare of tuna with fresh wasabi, marinated fillet of trevally with preserved lemon set on sushi rice and tataki of venison with rosemary and honey. Tetsuya's signature dish follows, confit of ocean trout served with unpasteurised ocean trout roe, followed by double cooked de-boned spatchcock with braised daikon and bread sauce, followed by a grilled fillet of grain fed beef with sansho and shiitake mushrooms.

Desserts include an orange, honey and black pepper sorbet served prior to a blue cheese bavarois. Tetsuya's also offers one of Sydney's most extensive wine lists.

Contact details: 529 Kent Street, Sydney, Australia, 61 2 9267 2900, www.tetsuyas.com.

2.) French Laundry, Yountville, USA

Top chef Thomas Keller has turned this small old stone building into one of world's top restaurants. Under Keller's control it has gone from country inn to an internationally renowned gastronomic mecca. The 60-page wine list, yes 60-page, is dominated by boutique Napa wineries that are the perfect accompaniment to the stunning food and glorious setting. French Laundry, unsurprisingly, is not cheap. The 9-course tasting menu will set you back a cool $240. Specialties include salmon tartare in an ice-cream cone and ravioli with black truffles.

Contact details: 6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599 707.944.2380, www.frenchlaundry.com.

3.) El Bulli, Roses, Spain

El Bulli, recently voted the world's best restaurant by readers of the prestigious Restaurant Magazine, is a true delight. The restaurant is located in Roses, on the Costa Brava, approximately two hours north of Barcelona. It is open only from April to September. Popular dishes served at El Bulli include fried brioche Shanghai, pita of Iberian ham fat and veal bone marrow.

Contact details: Apartado 30, 17480 Roses en Cala Montjol, Spain, 34 97215 04 57, www.elbulli.com

4.) Chez Bruce, London, UK

This stylish London restaurant was opened in February 1995 by top chef Bruce Poole and restaurateur Nigel Platts-Martin. The impressive menu is a mixture of classic French dishes and more exotic flavours. Starters include foie gras, a medley of Mediterranean hors d'ouvres, pig's trotter and ham hock salad and a delicious leek and potato soup. The main menu is very unique and highly adventurous. Try sea bream with provençâle vegetable relish or herb stuffed guinea fowl with wild mushroom ravioli. The desserts are very French. Crème brûlée and glazed strawberry crème chiboust feature regularly on the menu. Expect to pay about £45 for a three-course meal. Chez Bruce was recently crowned London's favourite restaurant by Harden's London Restaurants.

Contact details: 2 Bellevue Road, Wandsworth Common, London, SW17 7EG, 0871 2238025, www.chezbruce.co.uk

5.) Rockpool, Sydney, Australia

Neil Perry, nicknamed the "diamond geezer of Aussie cuisine", and partner Trish Richards opened Rockpool in Sydney in 1989. Perry’s sophisticated, often Asian-influenced, dishes have kept Rockpool at the forefront of Australian cuisine. Regarded by many as Sydney's best seafood restaurant, Rockpool will undergo a $600,000 refurbishment in September. Menu highlights include stir-fried lobster, chestnut and bamboo fungi with fine noodles and XO sauce and sterling caviar with tuna tartare and ginger jelly. Expect to pay about $150 (£63) for five courses.

Contact details: 107 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia, 61 (0)2 9252 1888, www.rockpool.com