The Chairman Hong Kong: Inside Asia's Best Restaurant of 2021

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The Chairman in Hong Kong was named the No. 1 restaurant in the region by World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which is owned by William Reed Business Media Ltd. It’s the first establishment in Hong Kong to take the top spot.

“I don’t think I can sleep tonight, or tomorrow night! It just means everything to us in what has been a very tough year in the industry” due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said The Chairman owner Danny Yip, in a video interview. “Keeping true to what we have been doing was certainly the most important part of it. Not being able to travel for one whole year, all we do is in the kitchen—new dishes, being more innovative.”

Yip said freshwater crab roe from southern China is a favored ingredient of late at The Chairman. “It’s so super umami,” he said, and can be paired nicely with lobster or other seafood.

The other restaurants that made up the Top 5 were Singapore’s Odette, Den in Tokyo, Le Du in Bangkok and Gaggan Anand—a new entry—also in Bangkok. It represented a shift from previous lists, though most of the top eateries had been prominent in last year’s list as well.

The announcement came in a virtual ceremony on March 25.

Odette, part of the Lo & Behold Group, had been top restaurant for the past two years. “It’s been very fun, very humbling to be recognized by our peers,” said Julien Royer, Odette’s chef-owner, in a recent interview.

Where Top Chefs Go Out to Eat in Singapore

In March 2020, the ceremony took place despite the pandemic, which closed many of the winning dining rooms, at least temporarily. The decision to go forward with the event drew criticism on social media—and a few days after, the organizers cancelled its international 2020 rankings.

The judging this time around factored in a mix of pre-Covid experiences as well as much from after the pandemic started, according to William Drew, the director of content for 50 Best. He said they adjusted the voting to account for the fact that many judges would have had more limited ability to travel in the current climate. Although, he added, the organization trusted the voters to make a judgment based on what they thought was best.

“We wanted to produce the list,” Drew said in a phone interview. “The ranking is important, but it’s a vehicle for celebrating great restaurants. The bigger picture is to recognize that restaurants are massively important to all of us.”

Here’s the full list for 2021:

The Chairman – Hong Kong
Odette - Singapore
Den - Tokyo
Le Du - Bangkok
Gaggan Anand - Bangkok
Suhring - Bangkok
Florilege - Tokyo
La Cime - Osaka
Narisawa - Tokyo
Mingles - Seoul
Sorn - Bangkok
Sazenka - Tokyo
Les Amis - Singapore
Burnt Ends - Singapore
Mume - Taipei
Vea – Hong Kong
Neighborhood – Hong Kong
Indian Accent – New Delhi
L’Effervescence - Tokyo
Nusara - Bangkok
Raw - Taipei
Fu He Hui - Shanghai
Zen - Singapore
Logy - Taipei
Belon – Hong Kong
JL Studio - Taichung
Ode - Tokyo
Caprice – Hong Kong
Ministry of Crab - Colombo
La Maison de La Nature Goh - Fukuoka
Cloudstreet - Singapore
Masque - Mumbai
8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombano – Hong Kong
7th Door - Seoul
Nihonryori RyuGin - Tokyo
Born & Bred - Seoul
Amber – Hong Kong
Ta Vie – Hong Kong
Anan Saigon - Vietnam
Labyrinth - Singapore
Euphoria - Singapore
Jaan by Kirk Westaway - Singapore
Hansikgonggan - Seoul
Mono – Hong Kong
Shoun RyuGin - Taipei
Gaa - Bangkok
Lung King Heen – Hong Kong
Seventh Son – Hong Kong
Toyo Eatery - Manila
Wing Lei Palace - Macau

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