Hey all,
I know foodies in NYC would shudder at the thought of trusting a food guide. They like to feel they’ve discovered places on their own and not heard about them from a “trusted source”. In Asia, it’s a bit trickier to locate and find good restaurants… there’s language barriers, clueless taxi drivers, and other obstacles to getting out on the streets on your own. So in Asia the Miele Guide has emerged in the last couple years and is about as good as it gets for us food review wise. They’ve recently announced the top 20 restaurants in Asia for 2009/2010. We’ve already dined at some and we plan on hitting up others in the future. The list after the jump.
The Top 20 From First To last (we’ll update with our own links as we dine at the various restaurants).
- L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong, China.
- Iggy’s, Singapore. (1)
- Robuchon a Galera, Macau, China. (6)
- Jaan par Andre, Singapore. (-)
- Les Amis, Singapore. (3)
- Mozaic, Bali, Indonesia. (5)
- Gunther’s Modern French Cuisine, Singapore. (4)
- Laris, Shanghai, China.
- Ku De Ta, Bali, Indonesia.
- Yung Kee, Hong Kong, China. (8)
- Bukhara, New Delhi, India. (14)
- Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck, Beijing, China
- Zanotti II Ristorante Italiano, Bangkok, Thailand. (19)
- M on the Bund, Shanghai, China. (17)
- Nobu, Hong Kong, China. (16)
- Caprice, Hong Kong, China. (11)
- Antonio’s, Cavite, Philippines. (10)
- Aubergine, Manila, Philippines.
- Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong, China. (18)
- L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Tokyo, Japan. (13)
>> (Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)
We’ve dined at a couple of these and haven’t yet put the articles up. I will say that I’m excited to try the 6 above Gunther’s as I enjoyed one of the best meals of my life there for my most recent birthday. The list is obviously tilted towards western cuisine and celebrity chef western cuisine at that… but I think they can be forgiven as a lot of these restaurants are truly deserving. Also, it’s hard to establish consistency in care-free Asia and the western guys do a better job establishing and upholding standards… so they’re easier to recommend to someone who might only have one night out in a city and wants to ensure a quality meal.
Anyone been to any on the list and want to share their experiences?
Get the Miele Guide at any bookstore in Asia or by going to the website.
Paul
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6 comments
Marie says:
Nov 13, 2009
I’ve been to Ku De Ta, Bali, Indo, but only for a cozy drink on their comfy beds watching the waves.
Our best French Dinner in Singapore, Gunther’s says:
Dec 3, 2009
[...] impressive. After much consideration I selected Gunther’s, #7 on the Miele Guide’s list for top restaurants in Asia. I think what got me, besides its reputation as one of the best restaurants in Singapore, was the [...]
Fipile says:
Dec 5, 2009
I cannot believe that the best Tokyo restaurant in the list only makes it into 20th place, and that it is l’Atelier … If you travel to Tokyo, get the Michelin guide, don’t trust the Miele
Paul Cypert says:
Dec 6, 2009
I’d agree with you there. These tend to trend towards “celebrity chef” a bit too much for me. The head chef for Gunther’s for example was the chef at Les Amis. How Xex Omae isn’t on the list is beyond me (maybe since the “celebrity Morimoto” is no longer a part of thing). While Zanotti is good in Bangkok I can think of 5 meals we had in Tokyo that would rank better (and how sad is it to have a Bangkok restaurant that’s not even thai food?)
Fine Dining and a Bund View at M on the Bund, Shanghai says:
Jan 19, 2010
[...] And we are not alone in this opinion. M on the Bund has countless awards, was recently named in Miele Guide’s Top 20 restaurants of Asia yet again in 2010 (they were also on the 2008 and 2009 list)., “Most Popular [...]
Laris Shanghai – Deserving of 8th Best Restaurant in Asia? says:
Mar 19, 2010
[...] subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Joanna and I are attempting to eat at as many of the Miele Guide Top 20 Restaurants in Asia as we can this year. Don’t really know how we decided to pursue [...]