Critics hail Ramsay's peanut butter and jam sandwich

Maze, in London's Grosvenor Square, triumphed in the Time Out Eating And Drinking Awards for the charm of its staff, its atmosphere and, of course, the food.

The judging panel was particularly impressed by its "peanut butter and cherry jam sandwich with salted nuts and cherry sorbet", which was described as "the most unexpectedly lovely dessert we've ever had".

Award winners were chosen from hundreds of nominations received from readers of Time Out and its associated Eating & Drinking guide. A panel of expert judges compiled the final shortlist and, over the past eight weeks, each venue was visited anonymously and judged on criteria such as quality of food and drink, service, ambience and value for money.

Since Maze is a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, however, the peanut butter and jam sandwich - a delicacy more usually associated with a child's lunchbox - is not run-of-the-mill fare. In fact, customers who order the dessert, which costs 3 or 6, will dine on a peanut butter parfait sandwiched between chocolate covered pastry wafer with homemade cherry jam, served with a fruit sorbet.

The menu is tapas-style; staff recommend having six dishes per person plus a dessert.

Jason Atherton, head chef at Maze, said: "I wanted to look at the London market, which is very competitive, and give people something they have never been given before.

"With tapas, people are far more adventurous with their food as they know they have ordered a variety of things."

"I wanted to take things that people know from American culture, like peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and play with it. It's proved a big hit."

Atherton plans to turn his attentions from an American staple to another fast food Italian favourite - pizza.

He said: "The next thing I plan to do is play with white truffles as they are coming into season.

"Everybody does white truffle risotto, so I want to try putting white truffle on pizza. No-one goes into a high-end restaurant and thinks of ordering a pizza, and I want to change that.

"I want people to eat the most sensational pizza ever.

"Gone are the days when you just open a restaurant and serve food. You have to be original to maintain people's interest.

"I think perhaps people went through a phase of wanting simple, nursery-style food last year and now they want to be a little more sophisticated."

Maze beat off competition from nominees from across London, including Indian restaurant Amaya in Belgravia, Bluebird Dining Rooms in Chelsea, and The Ledbury in Notting Hill. Unlike its more expensive rivals, Maze offers diners the chance to eat at just 55 a head.

Ramsay's restaurant empire now includes Petrus, Claridge's, The Connaught, the Savoy, the Royal Hospital and Boxwood Cafe.

The flagship Gordon Ramsay restaurant in Chelsea has three Michelin stars.