Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017: Gaggan On Top, Gallery Vask Up + My Bangkok Highlights + The Full List
February 25, 2017
“You were young and your heart was an open book… You used to say let live and let live…” Guns n’ Roses’ version of Sir Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” played in the background as Gaggan was crowned– for the third year in a row– the Best Restaurant in Asia. Coincidentally, when asked by a journalist during the press conference at the W Bangkok afterwards what pushed him to be a cook, chef-owner Gaggan Anand responded, “I was poor so I needed to cook… let live and let die.” He added, “Motivation is the most important part in life. If there’s no Asia’s 50 Best, we don’t know if we are doing the right or wrong thing.” He dedicated the award to his daughter Tara, his 67 staff at his eponymous restaurant, to India (“the country where I came from”) and to Thailand (“my present and my future.”)
Congratulations Gaggan!!! Number one for three years in a row!!! (Photo courtesy of Asia’s 50 Best)
This was the last year that Thailand was host country for the prestigious awards ceremony. (Next year, it will be traveling to another city in the region.) But they had a lot to celebrate this year, as four (out of the 10) new restaurants that entered the list came from Bangkok: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok (No. 40), Le Du (No. 37), House on Sathorn (No. 36), and Suhring (No. 13). I’d not yet been to Robuchon, but I have only great things to say about the latter three, and recommend them to anyone traveling to Bangkok. I’d written about them previously here.
Last year in Thailand.. the stunning House on Sathorn at the W Bangkok was the venue for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for the last two years. (Photo courtesy of Asia’s 50 Best)Cocktail hour at House on Sathorn before the awards ceremony. I’m gonna miss this gorgeous space! It was a former Russian Embassy. (Photo courtesy of Asia’s 50 Best)
The six other new restaurants were: Ronin (Hong Kong, No. 45), Mume (Taiwan, No. 43), The Tasting Room by Galliot (Macau, No. 39), Jade Dragon (Macau, No. 32), Florilege (Japan, No. 14)—and the highest jumper, Julien Royer’s Odette (Singapore) which landed straight to No. 9! He visiting the Philippines this April as part of Madrid Fusion Manila.
Speaking of the Philippines, we also have a great cause for celebration. Gallery Vask, which entered the list last year at No. 39 jumped up four places to No. 35, earning them the Best Restaurant in the Philippines title– for the second year in a row! *It is important for me re-clarify once again that the “fine dining” Gallery Vask (which serves anthropological cuisine in a tasting menu format) is completely different from the more casual Vask Tapas Room (which serves modern Spanish tapas).“I want to thank the Philippines for welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to grow as chef and artist,” shared chef-partner Chele Gonzalez, originally from Torrelavega in northern Spain, citing his team and the Filipino farmers, growers, fishermen, artists and craftsmen, as the inspirations for his “culinary calling.”
Gallery Vask remains the best restaurant in the Philippines for the second year in a row—jumping up four places this year to No. 35. Gallery Vask partners Carlo Calma, chef Chele Gonzalez and Paula Cortez, received the award in Bangkok
I spent a total of four short days in the Thai capital- at the eco-friendly and reasonably priced Sivatel Bangkokfor the weekend, and the trendy W Bangkokfor the awards period, packed with nonstop eating at all my favorite restaurants. The joke was, “We know you guys have like 5 lunches and 5 dinners!” Ha, that wasn’t too far from the truth. Well I was stuffed to the brim every meal– to the point where I thought I could never eat again– but I feel so grateful.
Here are some photogenic highlights of my days in Bangkok:
Home for the weekend was the eco-friendly Sivatel Bangkok, right next to Central Embassy. This Regal Suite is so massive, I got lost just going to the bathroom, and it is a reasonable 5,200 baht (USD149) per night, as it’s also intended for families.My 2nd time back in Le Du after a year, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ate. Through his new dishes, 31-year old chef Ton has now clearly defined the path his cuisine is taking, which is that of new (modern) Thai– and they are not only pretty but delicious. This is the new second floor dining space which just opened 3 weeks ago. Watch out for this guy, I’m telling you! Le Du is a new entry on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016, at no. 37.Here’s a little secret about me: mango is not my preferred fruit. But Chef Ton’s version of mango sticky rice at Le Du was so good, I wanted more! It’s essentially a mango panna cotta with puffed rice.. How is it sticky? When you mix it with the smoked coconut ice cream (with a hint of pandan), it becomes “sticky.” Lovely finish to a coming-of-age menu.Hug us, we smell like CURRY!!!😁😁😁 My fellow World’s 50 Best Tastemaker Litti Kewkacha and I are now part of the Gaggan-Den, or should I say #GagaDen team. Zaiyu’s Den in Tokyo won the Art of Hospitality Award and it’s so so well-deserved! Keep scrolling.Gaggan Den Fried Chicken!!! What’s inside?!Inside the box is the signature DENtucky fried chicken (DFC).. so I guess since I got Gaggan’s face, this is the GagganFried Chicken (GFC), but this time stuffed with Thai sticky rice, Thai curry and Thai chili. So cool and so fun! Plus, I have a new friend– Piyo-chan!Me wearing the Gaggan service staff shirt, Hug Me I Smell Like Curry, with chef-owner Gaggan Anand, food blogger and my dear friend Jin Perez (Jin Loves To Eat), Suhring’s Mathias and Thomas Suhring and Rajesh Kewalramani. Trivia: Gaggan and Rajesh are also partners at Suhring. Gaggan remains the best restaurant in Asia for the third year in a row, and Suhring entered the list this year, landing straight to No. 13- big feat for this family!The cutest way to start a meal at Suhring: homemade pretzels and obatzda, served with non-alcoholic beer in the cutest beer mugs ever. Love Suhring forever!!! Totally deserving entering the list this year right sack at No. 13!!!Surprise! I get to eat Odette here in Bangkok, for a special Four Hands lunch between Julien Royer and Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Le Normandie chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier. 🤗🤗🤗 This is Julien’s signature Hokkaido Uni, with beautiful snacks from both chefs.Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Le Normandie chef Arnaud Dunand Sauthier and Odette Singapore chef Julien Royer with Rashmi Uday Singh (Asia’s 50 Best Chair), myself and Cathy Chao of Fim Media in TaiwanHeehee, you never know when you gotta hop onto a bike to beat the Bangkok traffic!I got upgraded to the Spectacular Room on the 21st floor of the hotel bec I’m an SPG member! I urge you to sign up as it’s free, and you get perks like tonssss of complimentary bottled water (and higher floor rooms). It’s so easy to go up and down from room to the awards, so I don’t have to worry about traffic, lol.The House on Sathorn, adjacent to the W Bangkok, is another of my fine dining favorites in the Thai capital. While chef Fatih Tutak is Turkish, his menu is a showcase of his journey through Japan, Thailand, etc. I enjoyed it a lot last year, and this year it’s gotten even better– more depth in flavor, technique and execution. AND, so thrilled to see a Turkish addition to the tasting menu– an elevated Turkish manti (dumpling stuffed with lamb and spices, tomato sauce and Turkish clotted cream (kaymak)– a tribute to his mom. Congrats on entering the list at No. 36 this year!Turkish chef and director of culinary Fatih Tutak was born in Istanbul and worked at Noma in Copenhagen, Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and The Bellbrook in Hong Kong before helming the kitchen at The House on Sathorn. We were also recently together in Istanbul for Gastromasa!Only with Lifetime Achievement awardee Umberto Bombana at the Chef’s Feast After Party at Eat Me! His 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana leaped up to No. 4 this year, congratulations!With the Pinoy crew at the San Pellegrino brunch at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok: Margarita Fores, Kissa Castaneda, Jin Perez, Cheryl Tiu, Amado Fores, Butts Solinap, Paula Cortez-Solinap, Carlo CalmaWhen Gaggan throws a party……The whole world will be there! *This was taken early… I got there even before Gaggan himself did. Lol. I also left early at 2AM.What an incredible idea to bring Thai street food from all over the country to Gaggan so we can all try and enjoy Thai culture!Team Mume!!! Richie Lin and head chef Kai Ward, with San Pellegrino’s Mitch Walles, Gallery Vask’s Carlo Calma and Gaggan’s Brian GoslingI was worried I wouldn’t get to eat Thai street food before flying out of Bangkok today (my schedule was nonstop, full-on, no joke).. but Gaggan’s epic “unofficial after party” (after the ‘after party’👯) gathered street vendors from all over Thailand!👌👌👌 This one was from the south, where I asked for a rice bowl of *everything* = 3 kinds of curry, fried pork, melinja leaves w/ fried egg, fermented shrimp.. So good! It was the one of the most culturally relative after-parties I’d been to, honoring a country’s culture through the best of its (street) food– in between a massive disco and crazy champagne showers.World’s 50 Best Team x Tastemakers: Litti Kewkacha, Zoe Bowker, Cheryl Tiu, Amelie Vincent; Emer Schlosser, Tim Brooke-Webb, Charles Reed, Laura Price, Perm PaitayawatJump!!! With these amazing ladies Emer Schlosser and Laura Price of the 50 Best Team (right and left) and the female Tastemakers Zoe Bowker, me and Amelie Vincent (center).Congratulations to all the winners of the 2017 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards!!! (Photo courtesy of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants)
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Here’s the full list of the 2017 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants:
1. GAGGAN – Bangkok, Thailand | Best Restaurant in Thailand
2. RESTAURANT ANDRÉ – Singapore | Best Restaurant in Singapore
3. AMBER – Hong Kong, China | Best Restaurant in China
4. 8 1/2 OTTO E MEZZO BOMBANA – Hong Kong, China
5. NAHM – Bangkok, Thailand
6. NARISAWA – Tokyo, Japan | Best Restaurant in Japan
7. NIHONRYORI RYUGIN – Tokyo, Japan
8. ULTRAVIOLET BY PAUL PAIRET – Shanghai, China
9. ODETTE – Singapore | Highest New Entry Award
10. BURNT ENDS – Singapore
11. DEN – Tokyo, Japan | The Art of Hospitality Award
12. L’EFFERVESCENCE – Tokyo, Japan
13. SUHRING – Bangkok, Thailand
14. FLORILEGE – Tokyo, Japan
15. MINGLES – Seoul, Korea | Best Restaurant in Korea
16. LES AMIS – Singapore
17. LUNG KING HEEN – Hong Kong, China
18. QUINTESSENCE – Tokyo, Japan
19. BO.LAN – Bangkok, Thailand
20. WAKU GHIN – Singapore
21. ISSAYA SIAMESE CLUB – Bangkok, Thailand
22. LOCAVORE – Bali, Indonesia | Highest Climber Award and Best Restaurant in Indonesia
23. CORNER HOUSE – Singapore
24. RAW – Taipei, Taiwan | Best Restaurant in Taiwan
25. JUNGSIK – Seoul, Korea
26. SUSHI SAITO – Tokyo, Japan
27. TIPPLING CLUB – Singapore
28. LE MOÛT – Taichung, Taiwan
29. MINISTRY OF CRAB – Colombo, Sri Lanka | Best Restaurant in Sri Lanka
30. INDIAN ACCENT – New Delhi, India | Best Restaurant in India sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna
31. EAT ME – Bangkok, Thailand
32. JADE DRAGON – Macau, China
33. TA VIE – Hong Kong, China
34. HAJIME – Osaka, Japan
35. GALLERY VASK – Manila, Philippines | Best Restaurant in the Philippines
36. THE DINING ROOM AT THE HOUSE OF SATHORN – Bangkok, Thailand
37. LE DU – Bangkok, Thailand
38. LA YEON – Seoul, South Korea
39. THE TASTING ROOM BY GALLIOT – Macau, China
40. L’ATELIER DE JOËL ROBUCHON – Bangkok, Thailand
