China claims 13 spots on best list

Richard Ekkebus, executive chef of Hong Kong's Amber restaurant, the No 3 of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Two of Hong Kong's favorite restaurants are creeping up on chef Gaggan Anand, but not enough to dislodge the Indian chef's grip on the title of No 1 restaurant in Asia.

In fact, it's a hat-trick for Bangkok's Gaggan: The Indian restaurant in Thailand topped the closely watched list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for the third straight year.

Hong Kong's Amber, where Richard Ekkebus is executive chef, and 8-1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, helmed by local icon Umberto Bombana, climbed on the list to No 3 and No 4 respectively. Both restaurants are inside the Landmark development.

Anand opened his eponymous restaurant in the Thai capital in 2010. He first won the top spot in 2015, two years after the crowd behind the 50 Best franchise debuted the Asian version of the rankings.

"The first time I thought I was lucky, but last year I really worked hard, and here I am now today," Anand told Bloomberg by phone, soon after finding out the results.

Anand's visually creative dishes are described as progressive Indian. The restaurant's 25-course tasting menu is written only in emoji-like symbols.

Gaggan was also named the best restaurant in Thailand, in the rankings sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. But even there, the popular eatery faced some pressure. Creeping up to No 5 on the list is Nahm, featuring Thai cuisine by star chef David Thompson from Australia.