The Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list was announced at an awards ceremony at Wynn Palace in Macao on Tuesday 26th March. With 11 Asian countries and a wide array of cuisines represented, from Thai to Cantonese and French-Japanese, it's a bucket list of the greatest places to eat in the region, as voted for by the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy. Discover the list in 50 dishes.
No.50 Ta Vie, Hong Kong, China
Homemade pasta with Aonori sauce topped with premium uni
In French, Ta Vie translates as ‘your life’; in Japanese, it means ‘journey’. The combination of the two words and the French-Japanese sensibility sum up chef Hideaki Sato's cuisine. For the full experience, go for the eight-course seasonal tasting menu, with dishes such as homemade pasta with fresh Aonori seaweed sauce and uni; sweetcorn puffed mousse with shrimp and shrimp jelly; the chef’s unique interpretation of clam chowder; and charcoal grilled pigeon with rosemary smoke and sesame oil.
2/F, The Pottinger, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
+852 2668 6488
tavie.com.hk
No.49 Corner House, Singapore
Interpretation of oyster omelette
Corner House is set in the heart of the lush Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was conferred with Unesco World Heritage Site status in July 2015. The whole menu is created around the concept of ‘gastro-botanica’ – a contemporary cuisine that puts equal focus on the proteins and the botanical elements on the plate.
1 Cluny Road, EJH Corner House, Singapore Botanic Gardens (Nassim Gate Entrance), Singapore 259569
+65 6469 1000
cornerhouse.com.sg
No.48 Sorn, Bangkok, Thailand – NEW ENTRY
The forest meets the sea
An old house hidden in a nondescript alley in Bangkok near The Four Wings Hotel, Sorn is an elegant and understated space, featuring long tables, a see-through kitchen and plenty of greenery livening up the space. At Sorn, the ingredients and techniques indigenous to Southern Thailand are rediscovered in colourful dishes that honour the bounty of this fertile land and its rich gastronomic history.
56, Sukhumvit 26 Alley , Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110
+66 099 081 1119
facebook.com/Sorn
No.47 Sugalabo, Tokyo, Japan – NEW ENTRY
Hanger steak
Stepping into Sugalabo feels like entering a friend’s sleek home kitchen tricked out with all the latest gadgets. The restaurant, divided between a dining counter, one large table, and a small private dining room, offers just 20 seats. Japan’s best seasonal ingredients are on display in a stunning open kitchen at this introduction-only restaurant.
11, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041
sugalabo.com
No.46 Dewakan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – NEW ENTRY
Sweet leaf sorbet and nam nam
Dewakan is a mashup of two Malay words: ‘Dewa,’ meaning God, and ‘Makan,’ meaning both simply ‘food’ and ‘to eat’. In other words, ‘food from God’: Dewakan says it is the restaurant’s mission to honour the bounty and blessing given to the land. Chef Darren Teoh takes rare and forgotten ingredients from peninsular Malaysia – from sea, mountain, jungle and farm – and elevates and transforms them into fine dining dishes that diners have described as ‘modern art’.
Lower Ground Floor KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie Jalan Kontraktor U1/14, Seksyen U1, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor
+60355650767
dewakan.my
No.45 Quintessence, Tokyo, Japan
Tubugai truffes
Shuzo Kishida is one of most talented modern French chefs in Japan. While he has absorbed a strong influence from his mentor, chef Pascal Barbot of L’Astrance in Paris, his multi-course tasting menus are a testament to his own superlative technique and premium seasonal ingredients.
141-0001 Shinagawa-Ku Kitashinagawa 6-7-29 Garden City Shinagawa Gotenyama 1F, Tokyo
+81 3 6277 0090
quintessence.jp
No.44 Seventh Son, Hong Kong, China – NEW ENTRY
Wok seared crab cake with bird's nest and egg white
Seventh Son offers an extensive choice of Cantonese dishes, including many that are difficult to find elsewhere. A meal may start with dim sum – such as beautifully plated shrimp dumplings and barbecued pork pastries – and continue with classics such as crispy pork belly, deep-fried frog legs with garlic and chilli, or stuffed duck. The suckling pig is said to be among the best in Hong Kong.
3/F, The Wharney Guang Dong Hotel Hong Kong, 57-73 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
+852 2892 2888
seventhson.hk
No.43 Toyo Eatery, Manila, Philippines – NEW ENTRY
Banana catsup with tortang talong
Opened in 2016, Toyo Eatery is the brainchild of Filipino chef Jordy Navarra, founded on a philosophy of re-discovery of national identity through the country’s products, cuisine and culture. Among the flavoursome creations are the ‘Three-cut pork BBQ silog’ – a modern version of a popular street food, made at Toyo using three cuts of pork cooked over charcoal and finished in pork bone broth – and a dessert duo of charred cassava cake and chocolate bonbons filled with fish-sauce salted caramel.
2316 Chino Roces Ave, Makati, 1231 Metro Manila
+63 917 720 8630
facebook.com/toyoeatery
No.42 Locavore, Bali, Indonesia
Sukun
As the name would suggest, Locavore is all about local, from the raw Balinese abalone to the Sumbawa Island oyster, and even through to the plates, silverware and cocktail glasses, which are made in nearby workshops. Guests can choose from the ‘locavore’ or the vegetarian ‘herbivore’ option; each is five to seven dishes long and influenced by European and Indonesian cuisines.
Jalan Dewi Sita, Ubud, Bali
+62 361 977 733
locavore.co.id
No.41 TocToc, Seoul, South Korea
Raw fish
Despite first moving to Seoul to pursue a career as a musician, Kim Dae-chun ended up in Tokyo’s Cooking Academy, enjoying stints at the likes of L’Embellir in Tokyo and Bono Bono in Seoul after graduating. A fascination with seafood led him to open TocToc in 2013, pioneering French-Asian cuisine while reintroducing forgotten Korean ingredients including varieties of fish species, seaweed and wild greens.
3F, Rodeo Bldg., 33, Dosan-daero 51-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
+82 2 542 3030
toctocseoul.com
No.40 Waku Ghin, Singapore
Japanese ohmi Wagyu steak
At Waku Ghin, diners are treated to up-close-and-personal attention from the chefs in small dining rooms, where seating surrounds a dining bar and teppan plate, which the chefs work with rare grace and creativity. Guests come together at the end of the meal to eat dessert – kyoho grapes, perhaps, simply fresh and as a granita – in a shared dining space overlooking Marina Bay.
Level 2-01, Atrium 2, The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
+65 6688 8507
marinabaysands.com/restaurants/
No.39 Nouri, Singapore – NEW ENTRY
Afro-Brazilian fritter, turmeric and coconut sauce, bread and salted prawn vatapá
Chef Ivan Brehm creates what he calls 'crossroads cuisine' – an exploration of ingredients and cultures from different regions converging at the intersection that is Nouri. Expect to find dishes like an Afro-Brazilian fritter, a dish that will taste familiar to anyone who has lived in South-East Asia, because it shares many common regional aromatics like turmeric, lemongrass and coconut milk. Whichever cuisine Chef Brehm chooses to channel through a particular dish, there’ll always be a resonating sense of familiarity within the unfamiliar.
72 Amoy Street, Singapore 069891
+65 6221 4148
nouri.com.sg
No.38 Lung King Heen, Hong Kong, China
Crispy scallops with fresh pear, shrimp paste and Yunnan ham
Lung King Heen in the Four Seasons hotel was the first Chinese restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars – a result of its combination of ground-breakingly good food and spectacular views of the Victoria Harbour. Chef Chan Yan Tak’s brainchild is baked whole abalone puff with diced chicken, a popular dim sum dish that has inspired other restaurants to create their own versions.
Four Seasons Hotel, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong
+852 3196 8888
fourseasons.com/hongkong
No.37 Neighborhood, Hong Kong, China
Local fish stew
Found in a little courtyard, this French-Italian restaurant is the latest from serial restauranteur David Lai, serving food that resonates simplicity and style. Lai, who also owns the acclaimed Fish School in Sai Ying Pun, changes the menu on a weekly, sometimes even daily basis, so it’s very much a case of “you’ll find out when you get there”. Recent highlights have included wild boar garganelli, bone marrow and kale risotto, and bouchot mussels in a green curry broth.
61-63 Hollywood Rd, Hong Kong
+852 2617 0891
facebook.com/neighborhoodhk
No.36 Wing Lei Palace, Macao, China – NEW ENTRY
Barbecued suckling pig filled with minced shrimp topped with caviar
Chef Tam Kwok Fung has long-served as one of the world’s leading authorities on refined Cantonese cuisine, earning two Michelin stars for Jade Dragon in Macao. In 2018, the chef relocated to Wynn’s Wing Lei Palace, finding a luxurious new home for his signature refined, product-focused Chinese cookery.
Av. da Nave Desportiva, Cotai, Macao
+853 8889 3663
wynnpalace.com/wing-lei-palace
No.35 Ministry of Crab, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Garlic chilli freshwater prawn
Set in a preserved 400-year-old Dutch hospital in Colombo with a minimalistic open kitchen format, Ministry of Crab is a true haven for crustacean fans, celebrating the Sri Lankan crab in everything from the dishes to the crab-claw plants that serve as the restaurant’s only décor. The restaurant was set up by chef Dharshan Munidasa together with cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
Old Dutch Hospital, Colombo 1
+94 11 2 342 722
ministryofcrab.com
No.34 Vea, Hong Kong, China – NEW ENTRY
The Swiss garden
Vicky Cheng spent three years at New York’s iconic French fine dining haunt Restaurant Daniel before relocating home to Hong Kong and heading up operations for Liberty Exchange restaurant group, overseeing food for three establishments. Specific preparations change seasonally, for example, Chef Vicky Cheng might stuff his sea cucumber with a mousse made from local female mud crab.
30/F, 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
+852 2711 8639
vea.hk
No.33 Les Amis, Singapore
Crab frivolité with caviar and smoked salmon brunoise
Les Amis, the French translation of 'friends', is the sophisticated first restaurant of the Les Amis Group family. In the 1990s, there was a dearth of independent fine-dining restaurants in the local food and beverage scene, and Les Amis filled the void, becoming a trend-setting fine-dining restaurant when it opened in 1994. Classic dishes include cold angel hair pasta with kombu, caviar and black truffle; and line-caught sea bass from Saint Gilles Croix de Vie in France served with a traditional Americaine sauce.
1 Scotts Road, 1-16 Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208
+65 6733 2225
lesamis.com.sg
No.32 Jaan, Singapore
Hen's egg
Since taking over Jaan, Chef Kirk Westaway has been working towards a cuisine that reflects his culinary principles, and in 2018 he revealed a menu shaped by his passion for British dining. With the idea of reinventing English classics, he produces dishes such as Fish and Chips, which plays with the taste and texture of the UK favourite, and English Garden, an artful plate of more than 30 vegetables, herbs and edible flowers.
Level 70, Equinox Complex, Swissôtel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882
+65 6837 3322
jaan.com.sg
No.31 Shoun RyuGin, Taipei, Taiwan
Butter fish and cabbage
An offshoot of legendary Japanese chef Seiji Yamamoto’s flagship Nihonryori RyuGin, Shoun RyuGin specialises in kaiseki crafted not with Japanese but Taiwanese produce. Head chef Ryohei Hieda spent months combing the Taiwanese terroir before opening the restaurant. Today, apart from Japanese sauces, which he still brings in from Japan, he uses exclusively local ingredients, such as sweet ayu fish, amadai (tilefish), pigeon and vegetables.
5F, No.301, Le Qun 3rd Road, Taipei City
+886 02 8501 5808
nihonryori-ryugin.com.tw
No.30 Raw, Taipei, Taiwan
Earl grey, bay leaf and egg
Passers-by can’t miss Raw's striking dining room, seen through floor-to-ceiling glass windows, with its enormous, undulating wooden sculpture assembled from blocks of Taiwanese pine. All of Raw’s dishes are based on a few simple ingredients, carefully selected according to the island’s 24 ‘micro-seasons,’ so courses may include crispy noodle, wasabi peas and spicy soy bean; mahogany, sumo miso and water lotus, or the single-themed pig ear, pig cheek and pig tail.
No.301, Le Qun 3rd Road, Taipei City
+886 2 8501 5800
raw.com.tw
No.29 Fu He Hui, Shanghai, China
Taro
A meal at this tasting menu-only restaurant is a journey in understanding China’s diverse supply of fungi, some of which are extremely exotic. Even carnivores will love the grilled porcini smoked in a jar with a wand of grape vine, served in a shallow pond of mushroom dip strewn with petals of shallot alongside a shot of palate-cleansing fruit vinegar.
1037 Yuyuan Road, Changning District, Shanghai
+86 21 3980 9188
No.28 Paste, Bangkok, Thailand
Pomelo salad of chargrilled carabineros prawns, Asian citron, homemade chilli jam and gapi khoei plankton
Paste is a study in Thai culinary history. Chef-owners Bongkoch ‘Bee’ Satongun and her husband Jason Bailey have spent years painstakingly studying and chronicling the evolution of Thai cuisine, discovering century-old recipes and long-forgotten techniques in the process. Menus change regularly but diners can expect intensely flavoured, colourful dishes such as the char-grilled langoustine salad with northern Thai forest ingredients, or the beef rib, braised for 12 hours and served with long pepper, roasted tomatoes and mushroom soy.
3rd Floor, Gaysorn, 999 Ploenchit Rd., Lumpini
+66 02 656 1003
pastebangkok.com
No.27 Jade Dragon, Macao, China
Prime cut barbecue Iberico pork pluma
With an encyclopaedic knowledge of Cantonese cuisine and mastery of Chinese cooking techniques, Executive Chef Kelvin Au Yeung was the top choice to take over Tam Kwok Fung, who left Jade Dragon for Wing Lei Palace in 2018. A must-try dish is the Iberico pork barbecued over lychee wood – pluma and collar cuts are both available.
Level 2, The Shops at The Boulevard, City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macao
+853 8868 2822
cityofdreamsmacau.com/jade-dragon
No.26 L'Effervescence, Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo turnip
L’Effervescence is all about the harmonious flavours created with the freshest produce, which are playfully plated and stem from philosophical thoughts. Off-the-plate offerings are equally exceptional, with stand-out service that amplifies the entire experience. L’Effervescence also won the inaugural Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2018, highlighting the chef’s unparalleled commitment to freshness, nature, the environment and natural resources.
2-26-4 Nishi-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-0031
+81 3 5766 9500
leffervescence.jp
No.25 Sushi Saito, Tokyo, Japan
Uni
A tiny, spartan dining room in Tokyo’s Ark Hills office complex is the unlikely setting for one of Japan's most venerated sushi restaurants. Chef Takashi Saito goes to extraordinary lengths to source the best ingredients to create sushi that balances texture, temperature and flavour.
1st Floor, Ark Hills South Tower, 1-4-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
No.24 La Maison de la Nature Goh, Fukuoka, Japan
Kurogewagyu from Kyushu Island and Kyushu vegetables
Hidden down a small alleyway off Fukuoka’s Nishinakasu street, La Maison de La Nature Goh is a quiet, stylish restaurant serving omakase (or ‘chef’s choice’) – a six or seven-course menu created by talented chef-owner Takeshi Fukuyama. Fukuyama and Gaggan Anand, chef-owner of the four-time Best Restaurant in Asia, Gaggan, both plan to close their restaurants in 2020, making way for a new restaurant run by both cooks in Fukuoka.
2-26 Nishinakasu, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka
+81-09-2724-0955
gohfukuoka.com
No.23 Sazenka, Tokyo, Japan – NEW ENTRY
A dish at Sazenka
Chef Tomoya Kawada cooks Chinese cuisine infused with a Japanese sensibility, rooted in the two countries’ shared culture of tea drinking. His elegant restaurant, located inside a former diplomat’s residence in Tokyo’s upmarket Minami-Azabu district, has just 12 seats, plus two private rooms.
4-7-5 Minami Azabu, 106-0047 Tokyo
+81 50 2018 3430
sazenka.com
No.22 Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
Kanom jin crab curry
Executive chef Pim Techamuanvivit is the first woman to run the flagship restaurant at the Como Metropolitan hotel in Bangkok after legendary cook David Thompson left for pastures new in 2018. Nahm is famed for its fiery modern takes on traditional Thai dishes and a meal here is a banquet of hearty plates rather than tiny bites.
Como Metropolitan Bangkok, 27 South Sathorn Road, Tungmahamek Sathorn, Bangkok 10120
+66 2 625 3388
comohotels.com/metropolitanbangkok
No.21 Amber, Hong Kong, China
Line caught red amadai
Though Dutch-born chef-director Richard Ekkebus sets the culinary dial firmly to Western, he capitalises on his location in one of the world’s great ports to access fine ingredients from all over Asia as well as Europe and Australia, creating a unique cuisine framed by courtly Eastern service. Amber closed at the end of 2018 and reopens in 2019 with a new menu, renovated dining room and kitchen and an ever-growing focus on sustainability.
7/F, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong
+852 2132 0066
amberhongkong.com
No.20 Le Du, Bangkok, Thailand
River prawn
It might sound French but the name Le Du actually derives from the Thai word for 'season,' and seasonal Thai ingredients are the focus here in progressive French-influenced dishes that are also rooted in tradition. There's a delicate balance between sweet, sour and spice in creations such as poached oysters with spicy green mango relish, chilli paste and Thai rice wine sabayon.
399/3 Silom Soi 7, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok
+66 92 919 9969
ledubkk.com
No.19 Bo.Lan, Bangkok, Thailand
Amuse bouche
Bo.Lan’s authentic Thai cooking draws influence from the country’s fiery street food and home-cooking traditions as well as its more refined palace-style cuisine. Only the tastiest organic, locally sourced products are used. The space has a contemporary feel with plenty of beautiful untreated wood, while maintaining a rich, traditional Thai ambience.
24 Sukhumvit 53 Alley, Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea, Khet Watthana, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110
+66 2 260 2962
bolan.co.th
No.18 Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Tokyo, Japan
Crab salad with avocado and vegetables
Il Ristorante Luca Fantin is the work of the Italian chef of the same name, who arrived in Tokyo in 2009. Fantin’s creative, contemporary, seasonal cuisine is complemented by the desserts of fellow Italian chef Fabrizio Fiorani, who won this year’s Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Valrhona. Il Ristorante Luca Fantin is as sophisticated as its setting — a soaring 9th-floor dining room overlooking the famous avenue that runs through the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza neighbourhood.
Ginza Tower 2-7-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
+81 3 6362 0555
http://www.bulgarihotels.com/tokyo/il-ristorante
No.17 Indian Accent, New Delhi, India
Aamras, mango cheesecake batasha (image: Rohit Chawla)
Hailed as one of the top chefs in India and even the world, Manish Mehrotra has helped put modern Indian food on the gastronomic map, with Indian Accent at the heart. While he is touted as a champion for this cuisine, he says it is food, flavour and taste that are the true heroes. The restaurant does Indian cuisine with a contemporary spin… or perhaps modern food with an ‘Indian accent’.
The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, 110003
+91 9871117968
indianaccent.com
No.16 Gaa, Bangkok, Thailand – NEW ENTRY
Pork rib
Melding flavours from India and Thailand, Chef Garima Arora builds progressive dishes with ingredients dictated by the seasons. Guests sign up for a 10- or 14-course tasting menu, which can be accompanied by natural wines, fermentation-rich cocktails, or a whole juice pairing. Arora, named elit™ Vodka Asia's Best Female Chef, describes her culinary style as “modern eclectic cuisine”.
68/4 Soi Langsuan, Ploenchit Road Lumpini, Phathumwan, Bangkok 10330
+669 1 419 2424
http://www.gaabkk.com/
No.15 Belon, Hong Kong, China
Pigeon pithivier with fig and amaretto
Named after the famous French oyster traditionally found in Brittany, Belon boldly mixes stylish Hong Kong strip with bustling Paris bistro in the Soho district. Using an array of stunning local ingredients, Belon showcases simple French cooking, with former Per Se and Epicure chef Daniel Calvert at the helm. All mirrors and orbs, banquettes and bentwood, the dining room at Belon is elegant yet relaxed, with full-length doors retracting on Sundays to give the place an al fresco feel.
41 Elgin Street, Soho, Hong Kong
+852 2152 2872
belonsoho.com
No.14 La Cime, Osaka, Japan
Spikenard, hassaku, citrus and razor clam
Chef Yusuke Takada studied at the Tsuji Culinary Institute, and later moved to France where he worked at Taillevent and Le Meurice, before setting up La Cime in Osaka’s bustling Hommachi district in 2010. One of Takada’s signature entrees is his Boudin Dog, a boudin noir in dough, coloured black with edible bamboo charcoal. Despite the name, it looks more like a black rock than a hot dog.
3-2-15 1F Kawaramachi,Chuo-ku,Osaka 5410048
+81 06 6222 2010
la-cime.com
No.13 Mingles, Seoul, South Korea
Japchae
Since its opening in April 2014 in Seoul’s buzzy Cheongdam-dong district, Mingles has been wowing local and international diners with its fusion of eastern and western cuisine. The seasonally changing menu is divided into sections like ‘grains,’ ‘vegetable’ and ‘fish,’ with jang and cho – Korean traditional fermented sauce and vinegar – playing an integral part in the food.
Gangnam-gu, Nonhyun-dong 94-9, 1st floor, Seoul
+82 2 515 7306
restaurant-mingles.com
No.12 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong, China
Homemade tagliolini
The restaurant was christened in tribute to Italian film director Federico Fellini’s 1963 movie 8½, where a film director retreats into his memories and fantasies. Chef Umberto Bombana says the naming is a tribute to Italian lifestyle and art. Otto e Mezzo’s tasting menu starts with confit abalone carpaccio and moves on to black truffle risotto, blue lobster and baby lamb from Aveyron, finishing with limoncello soufflé, grand cru chocolate five styles or marinated wild strawberry. The restaurant also won this year's Art of Hospitality Award.
Shop 202, Landmark Alexandra, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong
+852 2537 8859
ottoemezzobombana.com
No.11 The Chairman, Hong Kong, China
Steamed fresh flowery crab
Hunting down this two-storey restaurant tucked in the corner of Kau U Fong on the undulating laneway of Central is a feat but let’s just say diners will be richly rewarded. The perennial favourite among foodies is chef Kwok Keung Tung’s steamed flowery crab in aged Shaoxing wine and chicken oil with flat rice noodles.
18 Kau U Fong, Central, Hong Kong
+852 2555 2202
thechairmangroup.com
No.10 Burnt Ends, Singapore
Steak frites
Just about everything at Burnt Ends is touched by the kiln's heat and smoke, or by the custom grills, and the oven is very much the heart and soul of the restaurant. Diners will find langoustines from Chef Dave Pynt’s native Western Australia (he calls them marrons), sweet and juicy with accents of tobiko and an umami-rich kombu beurre blanc. Fennel, charred on the outside and lush within, paired with orange and burrata is also something of a signature.
20 Teck Lim Road, Singapore 088391
+65 6224 3933
burntends.com.sg
No.9 Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo, Japan
Seiko gani (snow crab)
Seiji Yamamoto’s seasonally-driven, 12-course omakase (chef’s choice) tells the story of Japan’s best ingredients at their peak of ripeness. Depending on the season, diners will spin through a menu of ayu (sweetfish) in the summer; matsubagani crabs in the fall; and fugu during the winter. Having served as one of Japan’s gastronomic luminaries for more than a decade and a half, Yamamoto is a deserving winner of the inaugural American Express Icon Award.
Ground Floor, 7-17-24 Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo 106-0032
+81 3 3423 8006
nihonryori-ryugin.com
No.8 Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
Satoyama Scenery
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa is a pioneer in the world of Japanese cooking, taking a cuisine baked in tradition and applying new techniques learned through experience and years working with top chefs across Europe, South America and Asia. Described as precise, whimsical and delicious, the menu is constantly changing with the seasons, so diners should expect creative dishes cooked with the freshest Japanese ingredients.
Minami Ayoyama 2-6-15, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
+81 3 5785 0799
narisawa-yoshihiro.com//a>
No.7 Mume, Taipei, Taiwan
Blush prawn, heirloom tomato salad, sugar snap peas and wild pepper
The restaurant is named for Taiwan’s national flower, the plum blossom, and its cuisine pays tribute to the diversity of the country’s terroir. Chef Richie Lin's philosophy is all about exploring underrated local ingredients and applying modern European techniques to create stunning, colourful dishes such as Taiwanese lobster with chargrilled cucumber and sea herbs.
No. 28, Siwei Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City
+886 2 2700 0901
mume.tw
No.6 Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China
Fois Gras Can't Quit (image: Scott Wright)
Founded in 2012 after more than a decade’s gestation, Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet is considered by many to be the most avant-garde restaurant experience in the world. The brainchild of the aforementioned French chef, Ultraviolet is open to just 10 guests per night, who will experience the ultimate in immersive dining in a secret city location. The high-tech gastronomic production utilises elements including video, audio, bespoke lighting, piped-in scents and, of course, good old food and drink to stimulate every sense, with each course its own self-contained mini drama.
A secret location, somewhere in Shanghai
uvbypp.cc
No.5 Florilège, Tokyo, Japan
Spanish mackerel
Florilège, meaning anthology in French, is the stage for chef Hiroyasu Kawate’s imaginative modern French cooking. He plays with temperature and texture and isn’t afraid to combine produce sourced from France with Japanese ingredients. Must-try dishes include the green tiger prawn, duck and oxalis, as well as manjū dumplings stuffed with pigeon and simmered in port wine.
Seizan Gaienmae B1F, 2-5-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
+81 03 6440 0878
aoyama-florilege.jp
No.4 Sühring, Bangkok, Thailand
Crayfish salad and chestnut drinking vinegar
In a city where German food offerings are sparse, the arrival of Sühring's light, contemporary fare in 2016 was immediately welcome. Using seasonal ingredients and a large dose of technical skill, identical twins Thomas and Mathias Sühring offer tasting menus of seasonal dishes inspired by their home country.
No.10, Yen Akat Soi 3, Chongnonsi, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120
+66 2 287 1799
restaurantsuhring.com
No.3. Den, Tokyo, Japan
Soft shelled turtle
Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa and his team have an unparalleled ability to ensure that every diner leaves with a smile. Playful presentation is supported with technically savvy skills to create modern kaiseki, the style of Japanese cuisine involving a series of small, intricate dishes. A combination of impeccable food and superlative hospitality has earned Den the title of Best Restaurant in Japan for the last two years, after making its debut on the list in 2016.
2-3-18 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
+81 3 6455 5433
jimbochoden.com
No.2. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
Beetroot Rose
After a decade wowing diners from Bangkok and beyond with its playful, boundary-pushing cuisine, Gaggan is set to close for good in 2020, so now is the time to visit. The 25-course menu, written entirely in emojis, starts off with a series of rapid-fire snacks including the spherified Yoghurt Explosion, and proceeds through a long sequence of courses including Indian sushi, charcoal prawn Amritsari and uni ice cream in a miniature cone.
68/1 Soi Langsuan, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Bangkok, 10330
+66 2 652 1700
eatatgaggan.com
No.1. Odette, Singapore
Yuzu sake shiso tart
After four years of brilliant Bangkok restaurant Gaggan topping the Asia’s 50 Best ranking, it has finally been replaced at No.1 by Julien Royer’s sumptuous French fine dining destination. Chef Julien Royer sources the highest quality products from specialist artisan producers across the world – from Europe to Asia and Australia. He then makes those ingredients purr in delicate but flavourful dishes which, while French at their core, show frequent flashes of the chef’s decade based in Asia.
1 St Andrew's Rd, 04 National Gallery, Singapore 178957
+65 6385 0498
odetterestaurant.com
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