Now in its second year, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants announced the 2014 winners at an awards ceremony at Capella Hotel, Singapore.
Nahm in Bangkok secured the coveted No. 1 spot at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants – www.theworlds50best.com/asia awards in Singapore. As well as earning the title The S. Pellegrino Asia’s Best Restaurant, it is also named The S. Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand.
At Nahm, Australian-born chef David Thompson celebrates the bold flavors of authentic Thai cuisine by reviving and reinterpreting centuries-old recipes of former Thai matriarchs. Ranked No. 3 at the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards last year, the restaurant gained global attention when it first appeared on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2012 at No. 50, jumping to No. 32 a year later.
Apart from Nahm, Thailand is also represented by returning Bangkok favorites Gaggan (No. 3, leaping seven places from 2013), Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin (No. 21), Bo.lan (No. 28) and Eat Me (No. 37).
The 2014 list welcomes 10 new entries, including Issaya Siamese Club in Bangkok debuting at No. 31, and first-time representation from restaurants in Korea (Jungsik, No. 20), and Taiwan (Le Moût, No. 24).
China leads Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014 with 16 establishments ranked on the list, followed by Japan and Singapore landing 10 and eight restaurants respectively.
How Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from The Diners Club World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 900 international leaders in the restaurant industry, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 36 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded “foodies,” each of whom has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognize restaurants outside of each voter’s region. At least ten panelists from each region change each year. None of the employees of any of the sponsors associated with the awards, including the main sponsor, votes or has any influence over the results.
