Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019: Singapore’s Odette Unseats Gaggan to Take the Top Spot

PUBLISHED March 26th, 2019 11:32 pm

Nobody could really tell if Asia’s four-time champion, Gaggan in Bangkok, was going to hold on to its crown as it enters its last year of emoji-led dining, but Chef Julien Royer’s exquisite French restaurant has managed it. So you see, fine dining is not yet dead in Singapore, especially since six other restaurants in our lion city – Burnt Ends (No. 10), JAAN (No. 32), Les Amis (No. 33), Nouri (No. 39), Waku Ghin (No. 40), and Corner House (No. 49) – join Odette on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

The luckiest foodies, though, have to the ones living in Japan, since Japanese restaurants dominate with 12 establishments in the top 50. Besides La Cime in Osaka (No. 14) and La Maison de la Nature Goh in Fukuoka (No. 24), the 10 in Tokyo are led by the innovative dining at Den, coming in at No. 3. The only two new entries this year also call Tokyo home;  Sazenka (No. 23) serves Chinese cuisine with Japanese precision while Sugalabo (No. 47) is an introduction-only restaurant (in other word, you have to know somebody to dine there).

Bangkok and Hong Kong tie with eight restaurants each; after Gaggan at No.2, modern German restaurant Sühring rings in at No. 4. Familiar names including Bo.Lan (No. 19), Le Du (No. 20), and Nahm (No. 22) were bested by Gaggan’s protege Garima Arora, who helms Gaa (No. 16) and took the title of Asia’s Best Female Chef.

Unfortunately, though Hong Kong fell out of the top 10 with the city’s best coming in at No. 11 (contemporary Cantonese restaurant The Chairman), Neo-Parisian bistro Belon clinches the Highest Climber Award by moving up a full 25 spots to No. 15. Other Hong Kong restaurants that retained its spot on the list includes stalwarts like 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (No. 12) and Amber (No. 21). For something new, check out the traditional recipes of Seventh Son (No. 44) or indulge in French-Japanese fusion at Ta Vie (No. 50).

See the full list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants this year below:

1. Odette, Singapore
2. Gaggan, Bangkok
3. Den, Tokyo
4. Sühring, Bangkok
5. Florilège, Tokyo
6. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai
7. Mume, Taipei
8. Narisawa, Tokyo
9. Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo
10. Burnt Ends, Singapore
11. The Chairman, Hong Kong
12. 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana
13. Mingles, Seoul
14. La Cime, Osaka
15. Belon, Hong Kong
16. Gaa, Bangkok
17. Indian Accent, New Delhi
18. Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Tokyo
19. Bo.Lan, Bangkok
20. Le Du, Bangkok
21. Amber, Hong Kong
22. Nahm, Bangkok
23. Sazenka, Tokyo
24. La Maison de la Nature Goh, Fukuoka
25. Sushi Saito, Tokyo
26. L’Effervescence, Tokyo
27. Jade Dragon, Macao
28. Paste, Bangkok
29. Fu He Hui, Shanghai
30. Raw, Taipei
31. Shoun RyuGin, Taipei
32. JAAN, Singapore
33. Les Amis, Singapore
34. Vea, Hong Kong
35. Ministry of Crab, Colombo
36. Wing Lei Palace, Macao
37. Neighbourhood, Hong Kong
38. Lung King Heen, Hong Kong
39. Nouri, Singapore
40. Waku Ghin, Singapore
41. TocToc, Seoul
42. Locavore, Bali
43. Toyo Eatery, Manila
44. Seventh Son, Hong Kong
45. Quintessence, Tokyo
46. Dewakan, Kuala Lumpur
47. Sugalabo, Tokyo
48. Sorn, Bangkok
49. Corner House, Singapore
50. Ta Vie, Hong Kong

For more details, please see Asia’s 50 Restaurants’ website.

Top Image: Odette