Overall, China landed the most addresses on the list with 13 restaurants, followed by Singapore and Japan, which tied with 10.
The list is represented by 13 countries across Asia.
A disciple of chef Ferran Adrià of elBulli fame (the Catalan restaurant which took the title of World’s 50 Best Restaurants a record five times), Anand reinterprets Indian street food from his hometown of Kolkata with modernist cooking techniques for intrepid and adventurous results.
Keema samosas, onion pakoda and poppadom with tomato chutney are deconstructed and reimagined, while dishes like lamb chops cooked sous vide, and crab curry served in tiffin pots are given playful names like “Who Killed the Goat?” and “I Want My Curry!”
After Gaggan, Narisawa in Tokyo; Restaurant Andre in Singapore; Amber in Hong Kong and Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo round out the top five spots.
Other notable winners this year include Paul Pairet, who was named the recipient of the 2016 Chefs’ Choice Award, as voted for by fellow chefs — a win that may have helped take the sting out of slipping from third spot in 2015 to seventh this year for his Shanghai restaurant Ultraviolet.
This year’s highest new entry goes to Mingles, in Seoul, South Korea, which also claimed the title of Best Restaurant in Korea.
French restaurant Quintessence in Tokyo was this year’s highest climber, leapfrogging over 29 places to take the 20th spot this year.
Meanwhile, in an interview about his first year as the titleholder of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, Anand said the win has helped embolden his work as a chef and shine a spotlight on a region often eclipsed by gastronomic capitals on the other side of the world.
“This year we have more confidence to do what we want to do,” he said. “[Asia’s 50 Best] showed the world that Asia has equal potential as Europe, or France, or London, Japan or New York.”
Not only has the win helped pack a full house at his restaurant every night, Anand said, scoring the No. 1 position has also become a victory for chefs in Thailand who dare to elevate local cuisine into world-class gastronomy.
“That’s the biggest achievement for Thailand.”
For the awards, a panel of 300 industry leaders including chefs, food writers, critics, restaurateurs and ‘foodies’ weigh in on their favorite restaurants in Asia. Each panelist is given seven restaurant votes, three of which must be outside the voter’s home country. Ballots are adjudicated by Deloitte.
Here are the top 10 restaurants in Asia, according to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants:
1. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
2. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
3. Restaurant Andre, Singapore
4. Amber, Hong Kong
5. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo
6. Waku Ghin, Singapore
7. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai
8. Nahm, Bangkok
9. Indian Accent, New Delhi
10. Lung King Heen, Hong Kong
– AFP Relaxnews