Lonely Planet Asia — April 2017

GLOBETROTTER

WORDS: RAEWYN KOH PHOTOGRAPHS: GAGGAN, NARISAWA, ODETTE

As one of the most coveted listings for restaurants, landing a spot anywhere on the list

almost guarantees booked out sessions for months on end. We reveal three restaurants

we’re most excited for on this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list

No. 1

Gaggan

Bangkok, Thailand

The Best Restaurant in Asia claims the top spot for

its third consecutive year. The Indian cuisine

restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, is the brainchild

of the fertile imagination and culinary wit of

Calcutta-born Chef Gaggan Anand. Repeat diners

to Gaggan are always blown away by Chef

Anand’s ability to balance soulful and spicy Indian

street food with hyper-modern cooking

techniques. The dining experience of Gaggan is

almost unrivalled in its whimsicality, as guests

face off with a 25-course menu, which has been

written entirely in emojis. Start the meal with a

series of snacks, followed by Chef Anand’s take on

Indian sushi and uni ice cream in a miniature cone.

The mystery behind the emoji-labelled dishes is

only decoded at the end of the meal when guests

are presented with a new version of the menu

with the names of the dishes written down.

eatatgaggan.com

No. 6

Narisawa

Tokyo, Japan

This restaurant is the first on the list to be helmed

by a local chef and feature cuisine from where it is

located. Narisawa, by Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa, is

a trailblazer in the world of Japanese cooking. Its

innovative Satoyama cuisine uses a combination

of techniques, taking tradition and applying new

skills learned through experience and years of

working with top chefs across Europe. Chef

Narisawa is one that approaches his kitchen with

“harmony of sustainability and gastronomy” and

is dedicated in sourcing produce from award-

winning organic farmers. Narisawa’s menu is

constantly evolving and takes inspiration from

the fresh produce available in Japan at any one

given time. These might include ‘irabu’ sea snake

with taro potato or red gnome fish. Narisawa

pairs its dishes with an extensive list of Japanese

wines or teas.

narisawa-yoshihiro.com

No. 9

Odette

Singapore

After quickly earning two Michelin stars within a

year of opening, Chef Julien Royer has earned

another prestigious accolade just months after

with Highest New Entry of all time on Asia’s 50

Best Restaurants. Chef Royer was formally at

another celebrated restaurant, Jaan, but left in

2015 to set up his own project that is named in

tribute to Chef Royer’s grandmother, one of his

greatest influences in life and in the kitchen. The

sophisticated French restaurant is housed in

Singapore’s National Gallery, which was

previously the Supreme Court. Chef Royer

presents to diners four-, six-, or eight-course

menus that change regularly but showcase the

very best seasonal ingredients and artisan

produce from around the world. Beautifully

plated dishes to expect include French guinea

fowl with celeriac risotto and foie gras croquette.

odetterestaurant.com

ASIA’S 50 BEST

RESTAURANTS 2017