Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015: Gaggan in Bangkok bags the top spot!
Held at Capella Singapore, the much-awaited results from the awards ceremony are out and these are most definitely the restaurants you should be dining at this year.
Gaggan in Bangkok was crowned top dog for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants while last year’s reigning champion Nahm, also in Bangkok, was bumped down to seventh place. In second place, the position was maintained by Narisawa in Tokyo. Sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, the 2015 winners were revealed at an awards ceremony at Capella Singapore in Sentosa last night.
The win was an emotional one for Gaggan Anand who called his mother to tell her of his accolade. Taking deep breaths, he said, “I’m still overwhelmed, I still have tears in my eyes. It’s the proudest moment of my life. Who knew me four years ago?”
Bangkok may have secured top spot in the Asian version of the prestigious awards, but the culinary scene on the home front is nothing lackadaisical either as Restaurant André was named the S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Singapore for a third consecutive year and secured the No.5 spot for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2015. Other Singapore restaurants which were honoured, include returning favourites like Waku Ghin (No.9), Jaan (No.11), Les Amis (No.13) and Iggy’s (No.18). 2015 also marked the debut of Burnt Ends (No.30) and the return of Osteria Mozza (No.45) to the list.
Waku Ghin might have dropped two spots from last year to number 9 but Chef Tetsuya Wakuda can celebrate being awarded The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award.
Additionally, eight new entries were added to the list, including Antonio’s from the Philippines, and Cuisine Wat Damnak from Cambodia. China had the most restaurants represented, with 16 making it on the list, followed closely by Singapore (10) and Japan (8).
An offshoot of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is the Oscars of the fine dining scene in Asia. Created by The Diners Club, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy is an influential group of over 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for their expert opinion of Asia’s culinary scene. It marks a departure from the previous editions, where a global score of votes from The Diners Club World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy members determined the winners.
So if you’ve never had reason to go to Bangkok, now would be the perfect time to head to the Thai capital to sample some of chef Gaggan’s exquisite creations. Or you could make plans to try the ones on our sunny island instead!
Karen George
