The catch? You have a better chance of trying the food if you are in Thailand, Japan, China or Singapore. The top 10 list includes two from Bangkok, two from Tokyo, three from Hong Kong, and two from Singapore:
1. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand, recommended for guinea fowl curry with shampoo ginger and holy basil. It was ranked no. 3 in 2013.
2. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan, where you should try the "inori". Narisawa was no. 1 in 2013.
3. Indian food at Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand, to try the papdi chaat 2050. Gaggan was all the way in no. 10 last year.
4. Hong Kong's Amber restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and be sure to order the Hokkaido sea urchin in lobster jelly, with cauliflower, caviar and crispy seaweed waffle. Amber was also no. 4 in 2013.
5. Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo, Japan, ranked no. 2 last year. The must-try is the sea perch grilled over charcoal and topped with roasted rice and a black vinegar glaze. Chef Seiji Yamamoto was the winner of last year’s Chefs’ Choice award.
6. Multiple award winner Restaurant Andre in Singapore, where the dish "Memory", warm foie gras jelly with black truffle coulis, is highly recommended. It was no. 5 last year.
7. Waku Ghin at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, another multiple award winner, where chef Tetsuya Wakuda’s marinated botan shrimps with sea urchin and Oscietre caviar is to be sampled. It was previously at no. 11.
8. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai, China, where the chocolate foie gras tartines are said to be sublime. Its rank is unchanged from last year. Pairet is also behind no. 11, Mr And Mrs Bund, also in Shanghai (2013: 7th).
9. Cantonese restaurant Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, recommended for master chef Chan Yan Tak's sautéed lobster with vegetables in fermented bean sauce. Lung King Heen was no. 13 before.
10. Italian restaurant 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, for the ‘Fassone’ veal tenderloin, fresh porcini mushroom, and barley. In 2013, the restaurant was 6th.
The same cities continue to dominate in ranks 21 to 30, though three of the winners are from Delhi, India, and no. 24 is a French restaurant from Taichung in Taiwan, Le Moût Restaurant, rather than cuisine from Taipei, the more well-known Taiwan destination.
Restaurants ranked 31 to 40 show a little more variation, featuring 28 Hubin Road in Hangzhou, China at no. 33, Japanese restaurant Wasabi in Mumbai, India, at no. 36, and Robuchon Au Dôme at the Grand Lisboa Hotel at Macau, China at no. 39.
Hajime at no. 42 is the only representative from Osaka, Japan, while Nihonbashi in Sri Lanka (no. 44) is the only restaurant in the list from the country. At no. 47 is Sarong from Bali, Indonesia, and no. 49 is Karavalli from Bangalore, India.
The Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list is published by William Reed Business Media, a family-owned business with offices in the UK, US, France and Singapore.
*Images all from Asia's 50 Best Restaurants website
