Achievement unlocked for superchef Gaggan Anand, whose restaurant retains top spot for the third consecutive year.
It’s that time of year when Asia’s top chefs relinquish their aprons and knives in favour of resting on their laurels at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 awards sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, in recognition of deserving culinary innovators.
Emerging as champion for the third consecutive year is none other than Gaggan Anand’s eponymous Bangkok restaurant, which also retain double titles of The Best Restaurant in Asia and The Best Restaurant in Thailand, at the awards ceremony at the W Hotel in Bangkok.
Among the gourmet luminaries of the 2017 list are 10 new entries – four of which are from Bangkok, and a total of nine restaurants each from China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
Here’s a look at the top three winners and their signature dishes:
Number 3: Amber
Korean abalone at Amber.
Number 3: Amber
Clinching third place is Hong Kong’s Amber, which remains The Best Restaurant in China, once more. The decorated hotel restaurant explores French cuisine with a contemporary approach.
Number 2: Restaurant André
Peach, grapes and pink coriander at Restaurant André.
Number 2: Restaurant André
Representing Singapore, chef André Chiang’s eponymous restaurant that’s placed second whilst holding The Best Restaurant title in Singapore swears by a unique Octo-philosophy.
Number 1: Gaggan
Red Matcha at Gaggan.
Number 1: Gaggan
He’s known for his creative twists on Indian cuisine – there’s none other like Gaggan Anand, the chef who tantalises epicureans by reinventing traditional dishes with modern techniques.
In an industry where no feat is too small a mention, there are also the anticipated awards in recognition of these niche categories. Among the honorees are Asia’s Best Pastry Chef, Kazutoshi Narita of Tokyo, a whiz at combining delicate Japanese nuances with French pâtisserie.
Representing Asia’s Best Female Chef is May Chow of Little Bao, who has cast a web of fascination across Hong Kong, Bangkok and beyond with her American-Chinese bao burgers.
Representing The Art of Hospitality award is also Asia’s number 11 Best Restaurant, Den, which shadows the personality of chef-owner Zaiyu Hasegawa and his approach that is playful, personable and inventive by way of surprising and entertaining guests.
A few months back ahead of Anand's win, Asia Tatler put the chef who created an emoji-only tasting menu to the test by way of an emoji speak interview – watch as he performed under emoticon pressure:
See the complete lineup of Asia's 5 Best Restaurants at their official page.
In tribute of the Japanese winners of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017, we suggest you attempt to go Japanese for a week by dining at these 6 authentic restaurants under one roof.