Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list to launch from Singapore in 2013

Thursday, 3 May 2012 02:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SINGAPORE (AFP): In a move that reflects the growth and breadth of the fine dining scene in Asia, organisers of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants have announced the launch of an Asian version that will span the region from Bangladesh to Japan to the Maldives.

It’s only slightly less ambitious, perhaps, than whittling down the millions of restaurants on the planet into a single list that ranks the best in the world. But Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which will launch in 2013 in Singapore, will also try to single out the best dining experiences in the region, according to the foodie elite. Compared to the Michelin guide, for instance, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is the more democratic of the two ranking systems: while Michelin stars are awarded based on the opinions of a single inspector — often hotel school graduates and industry experts — the 50 best restaurants are voted upon by an academy of more than 800 critics, chefs and restaurateurs around the world. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list will feature eateries in Asia that received the most votes from the global ranking.A supplementary list of ‘Chefs’ local favourites’ list recommended by chefs on Asia’s 50 Best list will also be published. In the 2012 edition of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Asia was represented by six restaurants, including Iggy’s in Singapore, which landed in the No. 26 position and was also named the Best Restaurant in Asia. In recent years, countries like Singapore and Japan have become bastions of high gastronomy. International celebrity chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck, Guy Savoy, Joël Robuchon, Mario Batali have all chosen to open outposts of their restaurant empire in Singapore, for instance, while Japan boasts the most three-starred Michelin restaurants in the world.