Restaurant critic Egon Ronay has died at the age of 94 after a short illness.
He died on Saturday morning at his Berkshire home with his wife and two daughters by his side, said close friend and broadcaster Nick Ross.
Ronay wrote his first guidebook in 1956 after managing several restaurants and contributing to the Daily Telegraph.
He continued to publish the books for three decades, helping to usher in the era of restaurant reviews. Ronay had been born in Hungary in 1915.
"He was, in the most literal sense, incredible, right up until the last few weeks of his life - he was sharp as a button," said Ross, who had known the writer for 15 to 20 years.
"We went for a tasting with him four months ago and he had this remarkable ability to taste flavours in anything.
"Right up until his death, even young chefs regarded him as the monarch."
Ronay was the son of a prominent restaurateur in Budapest whose businesses were destroyed during and after World War II.
After the war, Ronay escaped from communist Hungary and settled as a refugee in London.
He managed several restaurants before opening his own establishment, in Knightsbridge, serving classic French dishes that were almost unheard of in post-war Britain.
Television chef Fanny Craddock raved about the place and persuaded Ronay to write a food column for the Telegraph.
Ronay produced his guidebooks, with the help of a team of inspectors, for 30 years - never accepting a free meal.
He sold the guidebooks to the AA in 1985, but regained the rights to the books in court in the late 90s after arguing that the company's actions were in danger of tarnishing his name.
He died on Saturday morning at his Berkshire home with his wife and two daughters by his side, said close friend and broadcaster Nick Ross.
Ronay wrote his first guidebook in 1956 after managing several restaurants and contributing to the Daily Telegraph.
He continued to publish the books for three decades, helping to usher in the era of restaurant reviews. Ronay had been born in Hungary in 1915.
"He was, in the most literal sense, incredible, right up until the last few weeks of his life - he was sharp as a button," said Ross, who had known the writer for 15 to 20 years.
"We went for a tasting with him four months ago and he had this remarkable ability to taste flavours in anything.
"Right up until his death, even young chefs regarded him as the monarch."
Ronay was the son of a prominent restaurateur in Budapest whose businesses were destroyed during and after World War II.
After the war, Ronay escaped from communist Hungary and settled as a refugee in London.
He managed several restaurants before opening his own establishment, in Knightsbridge, serving classic French dishes that were almost unheard of in post-war Britain.
Television chef Fanny Craddock raved about the place and persuaded Ronay to write a food column for the Telegraph.
Ronay produced his guidebooks, with the help of a team of inspectors, for 30 years - never accepting a free meal.
He sold the guidebooks to the AA in 1985, but regained the rights to the books in court in the late 90s after arguing that the company's actions were in danger of tarnishing his name.
