Header: Gaggan Anand and the winning team from Gaggan
The sixth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, took place in Macao last week with events at the Clube Militar, Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau. Gaggan was revealed as the four-time No.1 in the list and a host of special awards were announced. Check out a few of the highlights of the celebrations…
#50BestTalks: exploring identity
An audience of chefs and food lovers came together at Wynn Macau to discuss identity in Asian food and drink at #50BestTalks, presented by Miele. In between the talks there was a farm-to-table feast and finally three separate lunches cooked by some of Macao’s finest chefs and three former winners of the Asia’s Best Female Chef Award.
From Taiwan to Japan
#50BestTalks kicked off with a cooking demonstration by the three chefs of Mume in Taipei – Richie Lin, Kai Ward and Long Xiong. Their steamed grouper fish was cooked in a Miele oven and served with Taiwanese ingredients including ayu jelly and sake broth. Next up was Hiroe Higuchi, one of Japan's leading chefs from Shima Kanko Hotel, talking about sustainable fishing and combining Japanese produce with French technique.
Asia’s 50 Best Bars
For the first time ever, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants met with Asia’s 50 Best Bars, with bartender Vijay Mudaliar talking about his innovative Singapore bar, Native. The first ever Asia's 50 Best Bars ceremony will be held in Singapore on May 3rd.
André Chiang
The #50BestTalks conference ended in a live interview with André Chiang, winner of the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award. Chiang spoke about his plans to open two new restaurants in 2018.
The Chefs’ Feast
The annual celebration for the chefs on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list took place at the beautiful colonial building of Clube Militar de Macau.
1920s style
Guests including the team from Ministry of Crab and Nihonbashi in Colombo, Sri Lanka, went all out with the 1920s fancy dress theme.
Macanese cuisine
A menu of local fare at the Chefs’ Feast included traditional Portuguese tarts from Lord Stow’s Bakery.
Wynn Palace reception
The pool deck of the lavish Wynn Palace in Cotai was the setting for the sixth annual edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which was held in Macao for the first time this year. Refreshments included local and regional foods alongside Cinco Jotas jamón, Valrhona chocolate, Acqua Panna and S.Pellegrino water, Estrella Damm beer, Champagne Delamotte, Douro Boys wine, sake from Frontier Tojo, Lavazza coffee, elit Vodka, Gin Mare, Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits and dim sum cooked in Miele steam ovens.
Red carpet
Guests of honour at the awards included Ian Michael Coughlan, President and Executive Director of Wynn Macau Ltd, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office and Kristoffer Luczak, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Wynn, pictured here with Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Director Hélène Pietrini and Managing Director Tim Brooke-Webb.
One To Watch
Jordy Navarra represented the Philippines as winner of the Miele One To Watch Award for his restaurant Toyo Eatery in Manila. He is pictured here with his wife May Navarra and Mario Miranda, Miele's Regional Managing Director for Asia.
Sustainable Restaurant Award
For the first time ever, the Sustainable Restaurant Award was introduced as part of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants programme, awarded to the restaurant with the highest sustainability rating. The inaugural winner was L’Effervescence in Tokyo, where chef Shinobu Namae respects nature and the environment through his sourcing practices and food waste measures.
Asia's Best Pastry Chef
This year's Asia's Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Valrhona, went to Nicolas Lambert of Caprice in Hong Kong, which also reentered the list at No.46. Here's the moment Lambert celebrated with Caprice head chef Guillaume Galliot as his name was announced.
Four-time No.1
And the winner is… Gaggan! The Bangkok restaurant run by Indian chef Gaggan Anand was voted The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, for the fourth year running. Anand said he wanted to use the award to motivate the next generation.
Watch the highlights from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and stay tuned for more videos from #50BestTalks:
With thanks to all our sponsors: Macao Government Tourism Office, S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, Wynn Resorts, Miele, elit Vodka, Diners Club International, Estrella Damm, Valrhona, Lavazza, Douro Boys, Champagne Delamotte, Frontier Tojo, Gin Mare, Seedlip, Cinco Jotas, Calia, Aspire Lifestyles and Taipa Village. Additional thanks go to our independent adjudicator, Deloitte, and to our sustainability audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Find all the highlights, interviews and videos from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
