Carrots flowers with black carrot Indian ice cream made from sweet carrot cake by Gaggan. – AFP pic, February 29, 2016.On Monday night, chefs and restaurateurs across Asia will find out who among them has been voted the best restaurant in Asia.
At a gala ceremony in Bangkok, the best chefs across the continent will gather at the fourth edition of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants organised by Restaurant magazine, to hear where they fall on a ranking that has the power to fill up dining rooms months in advance, and turn restaurants into overnight stars of the gastronomy world.
Unlike its older sibling, the World's 50 Best Restaurants, which has had many a repeat winner throughout its 14-year history (elBulli snagged the title five times; Noma four; and El Celler de Can Roca twice), the top spot on Asia's 50 Best has rotated every year.
This year, all eyes will be on Indian chef Gaggan Anand of Gaggan in Bangkok, which is the current titleholder for elevating Indian cuisine into fine dining.
“Indian has very high potential, it's the most diverse cuisine in the world,” he said in an interview with Fine Dining Lovers last year.
“There are 26 cuisines in India and each cuisine is so different to each other. I could make 26 Gaggans with these 26 different cuisines… it's so diverse.”
Ahead of the gala event, organisers named Australian chef David Thompson of Nahm restaurant, also in Bangkok, the 2016 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Thompson's influence on the international culinary scene spans Sydney, London, Bangkok, and Singapore, where he operates what critics have called temples of Thai gastronomy.
Despite his Aussie roots, Thompson is considered an honorary Thai and a staunch traditionalist, tracking down centuries-old cookbooks of Thai matriarchs in order to serve up authentic flavours that pay homage to the country's culinary heritage.
Some of his claims to fame include scoring a Michelin star within six months of opening his London outpost of Nahm, and scoring the No. 1 spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2014 for Nahm at The Metropolitan Hotel by Como.
Chef Margarita Fores was also named Asia's best female chef 2016, for her mastery of Italian and Filipino cuisines. Fores is best known for her premier Italian bistros, Cibo in the Philippines, which serve authentic, traditional cuisine made with local, organic ingredients.
Throughout her career, Fores has cooked for heads of state including US president Barack Obama, the king and queen of Spain, and the duke of York as the ambassador of Filipino cuisine.
She also became the first non-Italian to be bestowed with the Marietta award by Casa Artusi in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, which touts itself as the center of gastronomic culture for Italian home cooking.
Fans can follow the event on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #Asais50Best. – AFP, February 29, 2016.
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