China claims 13 spots on best list

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.

The 2017 list includes 10 new entries. Two Michelin-starred Shanghai eateries, Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (No 8) and vegetarian hot spot Fu He Hui (48), with a menu crafted by Tony Lu, are the only Chinese mainland restaurants to make the list.

The Macao resort City of Dreams captured two spots on the list, No 32 for its Chinese culinary star Jade Dragon and No 39 for the contemporary French restaurant The Tasting Room.

Hong Kong's Lung King Heen (17), Taipei's Raw (24), Le Mout in Taichung, Taiwan (28), Hong Kong's L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (41), Taipei's Mumu (43), Hong Kong's Ronin (45) and The Chairman (47) round out China's eateries on the list.

This year, Singapore had three restaurants in the top 10, more than any other city, led by Restaurant Andre, which nudged up one notch to second place.

The annual list is compiled based on votes of 300 food writers, critics, chefs and others, who are asked about their best restaurant experience, according to William Reed Business Media, which also publishes the World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

Top 10 restaurants in Asia

1. Gaggan, Thailand

2. Restaurant Andre, Singapore

3. Amber, Hong Kong, China

4. 8-1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong, China

5. Nahm, Thailand

6. Narisawa, Japan

7. Nihonryori Ryugin, Japan

8. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China

9. Odette, Singapore

10. Burnt Ends, Singapore

Bloomberg - China Daily

Richard Ekkebus, executive chef of Hong Kong's Amber restaurant, the No 3 of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Provided To China Daily