Returning to an in-person awards ceremony format after 2019, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants celebrated its 10th edition at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on March 28, 2023. Here’s all that went down at the glitzy event.
The evening was hosted at Resorts World Sentosa and was attended by chefs and restaurateurs from across the region. While Singapore and Bangkok had the highest number of entries on the list at nine restaurants each, Labyrinth in Singapore moved up 29 spots to number 11, and won the Highest Climber Award.
Debuting on the list at number 30 was Avartana in Chennai, which claimed the Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by Aspire Lifestyles. From India, Mumbai and New Delhi both had a restaurant each on the list: Masque at number 16 and Indian Accent at number 19 respectively.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 Winner
Le Du in Bangkok secured the coveted number 1 spot. The establishment has stayed on the list consistently since 2017. The restaurant presents a modern take on refined Thai food interpreted through a French-leaning lens. It has a menu that champions the use of seasonal and local ingredients, and is helmed by the young chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn.
“It means a lot, not just to me but my team back home–my farmers, my fishermen,” said chef Ton. “When I started Le Du 10 years ago, and served food made from local ingredients, people thought I was crazy and stupid. No one is going to pay money to eat local Thai ingredients, they said. So, I am very happy to be here. I hope everyone in Thailand sees that Thai cuisine is one of the top cuisines in the world. We often look down on our cuisine and think that it is inferior. That is not true. If you have the passion for your country and its cuisine, everything is possible. And I am living proof of that,” he added.
When asked by Travel+Leisure India & South Asia about the city in India he wants to visit for food, Ton replied “Goa. I have always wanted to visit Goa and I hope it happens soon.”
Honourable Mentions At Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
Bangkok was represented by a total of nine restaurants on the list, among which Nusara, also helmed by Le Du’s Chef Ton, bagged number 3 spot.
Gaggan Anand re-entered the rankings at number 5, along with restaurants Sorn (No.9), Sühring (No.22) and Raan Jay Fai (No.38).
Potong and Baan Tepa, both led by female chefs, debuted at number 35 and number 46 respectively.
Another new entrant was Gaggan Anand’s Mexican-Indian eatery Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh at number 33.
Singapore’s restaurants bagged nine coveted spots, with Odette leading the charge at number 6. Marking a double win for the restaurant, pastry chef Louisa Lim bagged the Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Valrhona.
What are Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants?
The 50 Best brand is the leading authority in global gastronomy and the international drinks scene. It has been putting the spotlight on worldwide trends and great restaurants and bars from all over the world for 20 years now. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants was launched in 2013 and provides diners around the globe with local insight and culinary recommendations from the region.
The Winners of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
- Le Du, Bangkok
- Sézanne, Tokyo
- Nusara, Bangkok
- Den, Tokyo
- Gaggan Anand, Bangkok
- Odette, Singapore
- Florilège, Tokyo
- La Cime, Osaka
- Sorn, Bangkok
- Narisawa, Tokyo
- Labyrinth, Singapore
- Sazenka, Tokyo
- The Chairman, Hong Kong
- Villa Aida, Wakayama
- Mosu, Seoul
- Masque, Mumbai
- Meta, Singapore
- Fu He Hui, Shanghai
- Indian Accent, New Delhi
- Ode, Tokyo
- Zén, Singapore
- Sühring, Bangkok
- Onjuim, Seoul
- Burnt Ends, Singapore
- Euphoria, Singapore
- Cloudstreet, Singapore
- Les Amis, Singapore
- Mingles, Seoul
- Neighborhood, Hong Kong
- Avartana, Chennai
- Ensue, Shenzhen
- Cenci, Kyoto
- Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh, Bangkok
- Da Vittorio Shanghai, Shanghai
- Patong, Bangkok
- Born, Singapore
- Wing, Hong Kong
- Raan Jay Fai, Bangkok
- Wing Lei Palace, Macau
- Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
- Mono, Hong Kong
- Toyo Eatery, Manila
- Sichuan Moon, Macau
- L’Effervescence, Tokyo
- Mume, Taipei
- Baan Tepa, Bangkok
- Born & Bred, Seoul
- Metiz, Makati
- Caprice, Hong Kong
- Refer, Beijing
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Asia's 50 Best Restaurants is part of the 50 Best brand, published by William Reed. Singapore Tourism Board is collaborating as the host destination partner for the 2023 edition, which is sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna.
Answer: The list is created by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of over 300 leaders in the culinary industry across the continent. Each region has its own panel of 53 Academy members including a chairperson. The panel is made up of food writers, critics, chefs, and restaurateurs. The voting system and procedures are overseen by global adjudication company Deloitte.
Answer: Each Academy member can nominate a total of eight restaurants, including up to six from their home country, but with no obligation to vote for restaurants outside of their home country. They could vote for a small, unknown restaurant in a secluded area of Asia, or select the best-known restaurants in their own country or region – it is their opinion and the experiences they have had that matters. There are no criteria that a restaurant has to meet. They certainly do not have to sell a certain product. They do not need to have been open a certain number of years and they do not need to have won any other culinary accolades.
Answer: Asia's 50 Best Restaurants was launched in 2013 and has been an annual event since.
Adila Matra
Deputy Editor
Adila Matra is a Delhi-based writer who likes to hop on board a bus and head to the Himalayas when she hears the call of the mountains. An ardent lover of hummus, Adila makes it a point to sample strange local dishes wherever she goes. When she is not travelling, she can be found lazing around, watching cool sci-fi shows or reading historical fiction.
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