Asia’s 50 Best 2021: HK’s The Chairman Is No. 1 While Toyo Eatery Is Top Philippine Resto - LA Wine & Dine

It’s a three-peat for the Makati-based restaurant while Hong Kong takes the top spot for the first time.

RELATED READ: Honor Roll: Gallery By Chele And Antonio’s Are On The 51-100 List Of Asia’s Best

For the third consecutive year, Toyo Eatery has made it to the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Chef Jordy Navarra’s brainchild, which finds home at The Alley in Makati’s Karravin Plaza, is at the 49th spot. Taking number one in the prestigious list is The Chairman, marking the first time a Hong Kong-based establishment has taken top honors.

After opening its doors in 2016, Toyo Eatery has won the approval of many food critics and prominent members of the Filipino dining scene. In 2018, Asia’s 50 Best awarded the restaurant with its Miele One To Watch award. The following year, it debuted in the top 50 at number 43, and hovered around the ranking the following year, ending up in 44th.

First timers

Now in its ninth edition, this year’s list boasts 11 debuts, including one from Vietnam, a country which had made it to the top 50 since 2013. Hong Kong claims 11 restaurants on the list, followed by Japan with nine and Singapore with eight.

The Chairman, which is owned by Danny Yip and run by Chef Kwok Keung Tung, is known for its Cantonese cuisine. It first appeared on the list in 2019, when it placed at number 41. As mentioned, HK features heavily on the list, with the likes of Caprice, Ta Vie, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Belon, Neighborhood, and Vea, which is also this year’s recipient of the Gin Mare Art Hospitality Award.

Rounding out the top four are Singapore’s Odette, Tokyo’s Den, and Bangkok’s Le Du, which were awarded the best restaurants of Singapore, Japan, and Thailand, respectively. Two more Bangkok-based restaurants, Gaggan and Anand and Sühring, are at fifth and sixth. Meanwhile, Japan is well represented in the top 10 with Tokyo’s Florilége and Narisawa at seventh and ninth, and Osaka’s La Cime at eighth. Seoul’s Mingles ends up at tenth.

For more about this year’s list, visit the World’s Best Restaurants site.

Banner photo from @toyoeatery on Instagram.

Shop for LIFESTYLE ASIA’S magazines through these platforms.
Download LIFESTYLE ASIA’s digital magazines from:
Subscribe via [email protected]