World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2011: Asia is Starved for Attention

Released yesterday, Restaurant Magazine’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants contained only three (a measly 6%) from Asia. This is hard to digest given Asia’s vibrant restaurant scene and diverse food cultures. Those who made the cut were Les Creations de Narisawa (Japan), Iggy’s (Singapore) and – for the first time from Hong Kong, Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. As discouraging as this is, it’s still an improvement from the last two years when only two restaurants made the list. And before that…zero. It’s a glaring omission considering how Asian culinary traditions have influenced global gastronomy.

Still, perhaps our less-than-stellar showing is more a reflection of how fragmented the industry is in Asia, and how slow we are to mobilize a lobby across industries — tourism, hospitality, food, etc.

And to the HKTB, here’s some food for thought: According to an IHT article, the Swedish tourism bureau hosted 11 food journalists and voters on an all-expenses-paid trip to dine at several of the country’s leading restaurants!

Do you find the list hard to swallow? Are we the only ones left with a bitter taste?

To sweeten the deal, let’s compile our own list for Asia. Tell us who do you think should be on it and why.

Paul Calder