Credit: theworlds50best.com
Last night, on the 19th of June 2018, the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards ceremony, sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, took place at Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao.
The world’s best restaurant for 2018 is again Osteria Francescana, led by Chef Massimo Bottura in Modena, coming back to the first place where it belonged already in 2016. Chef Bottura’s continued commitment in reinventing Italian culinary tradition and serving Italian contemporary cuisine using the finest produce from Italy and in particular from his region Emilia-Romagna keeps paying off and being recognized by the team behind this award.
Chef Massimo Bottura with his wife Lara Gilmore
Credit: theworlds50best.com
We at TopLuxury.Asia, being a website and guide related to Asian countries only, are going to focus on the Asian restaurants, so let’s see who made it into the list in this 2018 edition.
After being confirmed as the first and best restaurant in Asia in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2018 list sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna for the 4th year in a row and being acclaimed as the best Indian Chef, Gaggan Anand scored a new record climbing up the world’s list by 2 places and becoming the first Asian restaurant to go that far.
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#17 Den – Tokyo, Japan
Restaurant Den by Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa in Tokyo, Japan, wins the Highest Climber Award, sponsored by Lavazza, rising 28 places to the #17 spot.
Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa on the left
Credit: theworlds50best.com
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#22 Narisawa – Tokyo, Japan
Restaurant Narisawa by Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa is a long-standing presence in the World 50 Best List: it made its first appearance as #20 in 2009 and ever since it has been featured each year landing a spot between #8 and #27.
Opened in 2012, Ultraviolet Restaurant was quickly acknowledged as the #1 culinary experience in the world. Serving only 10 customers per night, the high-tech multi-sensory experience restaurant has been featured in the list since 2015 when it debuted as #24, falling down at #42 and #41 in 2016 and 2017 respectively, it is now up again at #24.
Odette in Singapore is a notable new entry at No.28, having opened less than three years ago. This is thanks to Chef and co-owner Julien Royer and his modern French style cuisine which gave him fame already when he was working at Jaan restaurant in Singapore.
Chef Seiji Yamamoto’s restaurant re-entered the list this year after being left out in last year’s edition. His modern reinterpretation of traditional Japanese cuisine granted him the #41 spotbeing also the 3rd Japanese restaurant in the 1-50 list, it makes Japan the most represented country in Asia in this year’s edition.
Nahm is a very well known restaurant in the Bangkok scene. Opened in 2010, it ranked as #1 restaurant in Asia in 2014, the year before the beginning of Chef Gaggan’s hegemony. After having Chef David Thompson in the kitchen for many years, since 2018 the new Executive Chef is the Bangkokian Pim Techamuanvivit, which already successful in San Francisco with her first Michelin-starred restaurant Kin Khao decided to move back to her home country for a new challenge.
Although being a “50 Best” list, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants announces every year also the list of the restaurants ranked between the 51st position and the 100th in its annual global ranking. So let’s see the Asian entries for 2018 also in this second list:
The highest new entry on the list is Restaurant Sühring in Bangkok, Thailand. This follows on from the restaurant’s success at the 2018 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in March, where the twin Chefs ranked at #4. Their modern German cuisine is well known in Bangkok and has been successful since its opening in 2016.
Chef Gaggan with Suhring twins Chefs.
Credit: theworlds50best.com
The 2 Michelin-starred restaurant falls down this year to #56 after being in the first 50 spots for 7 years in a row since 2011.
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#59 Florilege – Tokyo, Japan
Florilège in Tokyo, Japan, rises an impressive 40 places from last year from #99 to #59. Already #3 in Asia’s 50 Best list, Chef Hiroyasu Kawate’s modern take on French cuisine is constantly growing popularity. Definitely a must-watch Chef for the next years.
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#61 Burnt Ends – Singapore
Australian Chef and Owner Dave Pynt, after winning last year’s Chef’s Choice Award, lands a spot in the list. His barbecue and grill style adds additional flavor to already prime ingredients, mastering these techniques learned from Basque Chef Victor Arguinzoniz (#10 in 2018 list with his restaurant Asador Etxebarri in Spain).
Best restaurant in Seoul for 3 years in a row, Mingles by Chef Mingoo Kang confirms his rising journey in the world’s culinary scene. Not a big surprise from a student of Chef Martin Berasetegui who’s eponymous restaurant in Spain has been awarded 3-Michelin-stars since 2001!
Master Chinese Chef Chan Yan Tak makes it to #80 in this year’s edition. He is a well known and globally recognized chef being awarded, first ever worldwide, 3 Michelin Stars for his Chinese (Cantonese style) restaurant.
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#92 L’Effervescence – Tokyo, Japan
Newcomer to the list, Chef Shinobu Namae from Yokohama opened his restaurant “L’Effervescence” in 2010 and landed his first Michelin Star in 2011, getting the second one a couple of years later in 2015. He previously studied with Michel Bras and Heston Bluementhal and in 2018 has been the recipient of the “Sustainable Restaurant Award” in Asia due to its environmental and social responsibility.
The worldwide ambassador of the white truffle and most well known Italian Chef in the Asian continent, Chef Umberto Bombana owns several successful restaurants in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. We consider him the best Italian Chef outside of Italy and this spot on the list is just the last of many incredible awards and achievements conquered by Chef Bombana.
Chef Jessie Liu
Credit: theworlds50best.com
Last, but not least, we want to mention 24-year-old Taiwanese Chef Jessie Liu, collecting the inaugural 50 Best BBVA Scholarship and currently working at Eau de Vie, a restaurant in Melbourne CBD, Australia. She beat over 1000 contestants and impressed the judges with her contemporary version of Taiwanese dish “Zong zi” also known as rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. She will be doing a 6 week stage at Mugaritz by Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz in Spain (#10 in 2018 world’s 50 best list and holding 2-Michelin Stars since 2005) and 6 more weeks at Atelier Crenn by Chef Dominique Crenn who was awarded her first Michelin star in 2009 and was the first female chef in the USA to be awarded a second star in 2012; moreover she was awarded the best female Chef of the year in 2016.
This is a great opportunity for a rising star which we wish great success to and to meet her in the next years as owner of her first restaurant.
Congrats to all the winners and keep up the good work!
