Piazza Duomo in Alba is special, especially during White Truffle Season

Montblanc topped with white truffle at Piazza Duomo, Alba

You may have read the previous post about the White Truffle Festival in Alba - if not, follow that link and read it first to see how the visit to the restaurant fit into that day. This meal at Piazza Duomo was a crucial part, and probably one of the best food-related trips I've ever done.

Michelin Hong Kong is failing us

Michelin Hong Kong and Macau is letting our cities down

Yes, this is a rant. Consider yourself warned.

It's been 8 years of the Michelin Hong Kong and Macau, and every year, people who are truly interested in food are disappointed by the overall results. Sure, there are amazing restaurants listed in the Guide - the hard work of these restaurateurs must not be ignored - but systematically missing restaurants that everyone in HK's food scene appreciates? I don't get it.

Not that there can ever be any objectivity in restaurant reviewing, and especially in the case of guides and lists, but any guide or list will have a clear set of criteria and rationales for their various rankings and awards - but Michelin has strangely flouted all their own guidelines for HK, and that's my gripe.

I said there is no objectivity in restaurant reviewing, but there are some things you can actually verify as facts, and see with your own eyes - quality of ingredients, service staff training, atmosphere. For some strange reason, Michelin in HK seems blind to these. Example: Can anyone tell me why, aside from foul play, all of Peninsula Hong Kong's outlets are omitted, wholesale, from the starred lists, year after year? Surely even judging by things we can see, physically, the quality of Spring Moon can not be less than that of Lei Garden Kwun Tong.

The new street food category in the guide this year is a bit of a joke - why are there only a couple dozen street food eateries in the whole of HK that made the list? And where is the delineation between the street food list and Bib Gourmands, and hell, even one-starred restaurants? Why Tim Ho Wan is not under BG has baffled me since the beginning. Thing is, I get the distinct sense that it's all just ammunition for buzzy marketing. "Cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world!", "First ever street food list in a Michelin guide!" - great headlines and soundbites that will spread far and wide, don't you think?

Visitors who appreciate food will read these soundbites (unhelpfully regurgitated by lazy news outlets as headlines), try these lists, and then turn around and say, "Whatever, it wasn't that great". Expectations matter - expectations probably matter the most in experiences like eating. And when such a well-known brand like Michelin says something, people listen, and a lot of the time, if it doesn't deliver on the expectations that the Michelin has set, the bad feelings end up being directed at the restaurant, which is incredibly unfair, because most of the time, it's not the restaurant that went all out and shouted, "we're the best, like EVER!". And when the Michelin, often inexplicably, takes away a star, or removes it from the guide, it's the restaurant that suffers too.

When the guide was first introduced in HK, a lot of people in the industry were excited, because it kind of put us on the map - it felt like we were on the global foodie circuit now; the big leagues. But 8 years on, the gimmicks and the inexplicable ups and downs (where else has a restaurant gone jumped from 1* to 3* in a year?#) have made the Michelin here a joke more than anything, and its usefulness to international travellers in search of a good meal is in rapid decline.

As a business, Michelin Guides are not doing well, and haven't done so in a long time. It gives them every reason to make noise and create buzz, but after 8 years, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's at the expense of our city's restaurateurs and our reputation as a whole.

One of the reasons I started writing about food in Hong Kong is because there used to be so much drivel out there - visiting friends would tell me they had read some list in a magazine that had been written by someone who had dropped in for a couple of days and knew very little about the context of the food. Fortunately, the scene has changed dramatically - voices of people who know their stuff have increasingly been heard, and research has become so much easier and faster, but these voices are forever living under this cloud that is Michelin HK. I'm incredibly proud of the food we have in Hong Kong, and I want people to go to the right places for the right reasons (armed with good information and well managed expectations) and have great meals here, and if you ask me, Michelin HK is not helping.

# Edit: Indeed, EMP in New York did too, and since the post went up, it's funny how many people have told me that these sentiments apply to the U.S. guides too. 

Stars for peanuts - Wing Lei, Wynn Macau

Wing Lei

We got to Macau at around lunchtime, and our first meal was here, at Wing Lei. (The second meal was dinner at Golden Flower, which I posted just before. Please see that post for an intro to why this trip was made). Wing Lei is the romanised pronunciation of Wynn's Cantonese name, and fittingly, it serves Cantonese food. If you're the star-chasing kind, you might also like to note that Wing Lei has 2 Michelin stars in the 2012 guide.

United Tastes of China - Golden Flower, Wynn Macau

Tea with tall "smelling" cup

I was lucky enough to have been invited* to Wynn Macau to try out a few of their restaurants, and agreed after I was assured that the chefs would be kept in the dark about my visits, and that I reserve the right to my opinion. I also had to go for work anyway, for which I needed to interview a chef at Golden Flower (coming later) and that happened after I ate there. I don't know about you, but I think it worked out quite well - work and play, easily combined - that's why I went freelance, folks! (I highly recommend it, haha).

Dim summing it at Lung King Heen, Hong Kong

Siu mai - pork and shrimp dumplings with crab roe

A good friend from Melbourne was in town last week, and if I ever needed an excuse to pig out, this was it. I called about 5 days ahead to book for a weekday lunch but it wasn't good enough for the only three-Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in the world, so I before I continue, I must disclaim that my booking for this lunch was made through the very kind public relations department, and you may make your own judgement as to how representative this is of an average meal at Lung King Heen (I'd say it pretty much is - oh sorry, what did I say about your own judgement again?!). Needless to say, this is not my usual protocol, and aside from this, we enjoyed and paid for the meal as normal diners would.

Celebrity Cuisine - Quintessential Cantonese Luxe

Chicken wings stuffed with birds' nest

We've all heard stories of misguided visitors looking for chop sui in Hong Kong (hey you, the guy looking for Peking duck in Hong Kong, don't you dare chuckle either), but sometimes even locals don't know where to find good, classic Cantonese food. Restaurants like Celebrity Cuisine and Manor are the last bastions of traditional Cantonese fare in Hong Kong. This is one restaurant that the Hong Kong Michelin Guide was finally right about - Celebrity Cuisine is a star-worthy restaurant (although whether it should have 2 stars is arguable). For a restaurant that specialises in the traditional, it's relatively new - didn't open till 2007 - but the chef, Cheng Kam-fu, has been in the biz for more than two decades; he was the private chef of late Hong Kong tycoon, Lim Por-yen.

Coi Restaurant - San Francisco Sophistication

So you might have heard that I recently quit my job to bum around go freelance and work on some passion projects. Well, before all that, I decided to reward my newfound unemployment by spending a nice thick wad of cash on travelling. I'm currently in Vegas, but my first stop was San Francisco, so let's start there.

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA - Push the gondola out

Rib (for two)

Just look at that. Geezus. Tender, juicy, with the right amount of fat, good bite, excellent beefy flavour. Oh, if I could just eat that off the day-m screen now. It might seem weird that I crave steak from an Italian restaurant (that's not a steak Florentine), but this one from 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana is better than any I've had at steakhouses in Hong Kong. (Though I'm yet to go to talk of the steak-town, Steakhouse at Grand Hyatt, which I've heard very good things about).

Kin's Kitchen - Hong Kong Cantonese

Smoked Chicken

This was from back in April (I know, I know), but it's worth writing about because they do a nice mix of Hong Kong-style Canto home cooking (in that there are a few "fusion" dishes) and traditional restaurant fare that's a bit hard to find nowadays. It's also worth noting that the owner of Kin's Kitchen is also the owner and founder of Hong Kong's first private kitchen, Yellow Door. While I found the food at Yellow Door (Sichuanese) decent but underwhelming, I feel much better about the food at Kin's. I feel like they have more intimate knowledge about what they're cooking. Plus, you can make bookings for smaller parties as it's just an upscale-ish neightbourhood restaurant.

Fifty eaters in one room - Dynasty

Those claws enticing much? Well, the invitation to this dinner at Dynasty was, because a.) it's one of those fine Cantonese "classics" I hadn't been to, and b.) I hadn't been to any of the famous foodie meetup dinners organised by KC Gourmet before. There would be about 50 foodies in one room. Whoah.

These were the wines on our table. (Don't judge!) You can read Diary of a Growing Boy's notes about them, but may I point out the first bottle on the right - it's Chateau Dynasty, courtesy of Growing Boy, fitting for our dinner at the eponymous restaurant (but no, the winery and restaurant aren't related). It's a Michelin 1*, whatever that means in HK (as I've said too many times).

Chowmeet at Hong Zhou (no, not Hangzhou in China)

Cold starters (left-right, top to bottom): blanched pig's kidney; drunken quail; soy (etc.) marinated duck; "chinagreen"; Hangzhou-style 'vegetarian goose'; marinated jellyfish and cucumber; lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice with a honey glaze; tossed black fungus

Pre-Twitter (and sort of pre-Facebook), I stalked foodies on the foodie forum Chowhound, especially on the Hong Kong/China board. Of late, Twitter has stolen more and more of my time, but I was fortunate enough to make some foodie buds back on Chow. Some live in Hong Kong, while others are frequent travellers, and once a year, they'd meet here for some good, er, chow. These meetings were dubbed Chowmeets, and even though I was invited to one last year, I couldn't make it (darned flu), so I have my immune system as well as the gracious organiser to thank for this year's meetup.

Second time (still) lucky - Amber

This is a repost from my old blog, back from Nov 2008. I thought it appropriate to add it today, seeing that Amber has finally made it onto The World's 50 Best list (ranked 37). Oh, it's also Michelin 2-starred - not that rankings and guides mean much. Many people don't feel the same way as I do about this restaurant, but hey, food is personal and I happen have loved it long time.

Amber, the Landmark Mandarin Oriental's signature restaurant, has always suffered from a bad rep. Food and service have been substandard for everyone I've spoken to who's eaten there. I, on the other hand, have been twice in the space of perhaps 1.5 years and have always left wondering why no-one likes it.

Memories of my first time there are now quite faded, but I remember my main course of roast pork was beautifully executed - tender, juicy, in perfectly cooked light pink cubes, served with a syringe of red berry sauce that was more like a freshly pressed puree. A magical combination. From then on I subconsciously labelled Amber as a modern European restaurant with signature berry use (yes, these were the exact words that came to mind that day).

Boo Boo Bo - Bo Innovation

Alvin Leung's (in)famous molecular xiaolongbao

Does Alvin Leung or his restaurant Bo Innovation need any introduction? Well if he/it does, I'm not going to do it here. Just Google him or something.

Despite being one of Hong Kong's most famous chefs (especially on the international stage), it wasn't till recently that I mustered up the courage to throw some good money at one of his meals. I'd read enough about his molecular doo-da and frankly, was ambivalent. But of course I was curious.

Some of Hong Kong's most overrated restaurants

Each have their merits, and it doesn't mean these restaurants are bad, but I think their "names precede the truth" (名過於實 | Cantonese: ming gwo yu sut | Mandarin: ming guo yu shi) as we say in Chinese...

Hutong (and Aqua) - all about the view. Hutong's lamb ribs I love, but everything else, um, I don't have polite things to say about...
Xi Yan - there are better private kitchens
Luk Yu - more about the atmos than the food. There's better old school dim sum at Lin Heung
Mak's (Wellington Street) - Ho Hung Kee is just as good (+ many others) for wonton meen
Sang Kee congee - congee is thin, watery and overcooked nowadays (used to be better)
Tonkichi - the waiting list/line is a bit ridiculous for an inconsistent product
Lung King Heen - it's up there with the best, but it's not the holy grail of Cantonese food, so stop saying it is
Ovologue - gwailo (ie. foreigner - equivalent to gaijin in Japan and farang in Thailand) posing to be innovative and 'authentic', whatever that means (and however that matters) - gold leaves and abalone in teeny weeny portions on fancy schmacy crockery with sauces that don't taste or don't match, and sometimes cold (when it's not supposed to be) - it's just not good food

Bo Innovation is also one of the most talked-about places in Hong Kong - especially since it gained its two Michelin-star status, but I haven't tried it yet, so watch this space... [edit: I have now - see here]

These are just some quick notes off the top of my head (and to get off my chest). What have your experiences been like? Any to add/subtract? Bring it on. I'm geared up for hate mail. (Though I should reiterate that each of these restaurants have their merits and obviously exist for a/some reason(s) - some more understandable than others... and that these are of course, my personal, humble opinion.)

Macau Part I: Dim Sum

A few weeks ago I went to Macau for a weekend (actually I went 2 weekends in a row). I hadn't been since all the new casinos and their respective Michelin-starred restaurants had opened, so I made sure I bagged a few this time. Maybe I'm becoming old and unadventurous like a Chinatown grandpa, but for some reason, I went and had Chinese for lunch on both days...

The Eight

Steamed beef balls with morels

Very, very tasty with fresh beef that was just cooked through (rather than all grey and overcooked like most beef balls that have spent too much time on the trusty steamer, these were still slightly pink inside). The morels helped, of course, make it super tasty - there were slices on top and under the beef, kinda like the bread of an overstuffed sandwich. With such dominating flavours, I thought they could have toned the sauce down a little - it was quite salty and I ended up smearing it off the beef.

Steamed spare ribs with Thai basil

Looks fairly traditional, with diced up black beans, but it was actually laced with hair-thin strips of Thai basil, which shone through unexpectedly, but beautifully. If only the ribs were in larger dices, then it would've been perfect.

Char Siu (BBQ pork)

Wasn't so excited about this one - it looks pretty yum in the photo, but it was very lean - too lean - on one end, and fat-only on the other. Our fault, I suppose, for not ordering 'half fat-lean' (半肥瘦), which means streaky/marbled (like streaky bacon).

Prawn cheung fun (steamed rice paper rolls)

Thin, translucent and slippery rice paper, huge prawns, good soy sauce - can't really get better than that. The individual parcels are again, a little unconventional, but much less clumsy when it comes to dividing it...

The Eight's swanky Alan Chan-designed interiors. Think Megu Hong Kong with Chinese accents

Tim's Kitchen

Steamed spare ribs

As you've probably guessed, this is my 'control' dish - I order it pretty much at every yum cha place I visit, and this is one of the best I've had. The morsels were cut to the right size (often they are too small, so it's like you're nibbling/pecking like a starved pigeon - it's probably done that way so that it doesn't take so long to marinate & cook through). These were perfectly sized - one human bite-full, juicy, porky and tasty with the traditional black bean, soy etc. marinade. For the uncompromising traditionalist, this wins over The Eight, but since I'm like, so avant garde, I choose The Eight's surprisingly compatible Thai basil-tainted for taste; but this one still wins for the perfect size.

Siu mai (steamed pork dumplings) with salmon roe

To me, the salmon roe was rather pointless. It adds colour, but little else to the dish. Nonetheless it was good, if not a little standard.

Shrimp dumplings in spinach dumpling wrapper

Strangely you can't really see from the photo, but these dumplings were actually green, like someone decided to lightly spraypaint them with a wheatgrass shot, because spinach juice was added to the wrapping. It didn't really make any difference to the taste but anyway, these were good - fresh, crunchy, subtly-flavoured whole shrimps (I think there were two apiece), and a slippery, elastic wrapper that was fine, but not paper-thin. While I do appreciate the skill involved in making a wrapper so thin you can see the filling, I don't believe that thickness is the be all and end all - how smooth/fine it is is also important. A lot of mediocre restaurants serve dumplings with wrappers that are rough and look like they have huge pores - this is in part due to over-steaming, but also to do with how smooth it was in the first place. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find out what factors lead to these differences, but watch this space...

Yeung Chow fried rice

I ordered this because it's so, so basic, but at the same time, so hard to get right. I don't think there's a proper combination of things that go into YC fried rice, at some places they just toss in whatever's left over; here, they put in Chinese sausage (lap cheung) and prawns, both of which are kinda pricey, which is what the average diner here would expect, I suppose. This was quite well done - not a single grain of rice stuck to another. You'd expect that though, given the amount of oil in it, but then again, despite being able to see the glisten of the oil, it didn't seem too oily when I was eating it - quite bizarre, but it was great - savoury spiked with the slightly sweet sausage, chewy grains of rice - I'm not complaining.

So the verdict is, I wish I had a regular yum cha spot close to home that was like Tim's Kitchen - traditional Cantonese dim sum done (very) well, and I wouldn't mind the new, but tacky decor if it was a neighbourhood regular. For food, presentation and ambience, The Eight can't be beat (despite the vulgar Grand Lisboa lobby), though the conservative may have a hard time accepting the slightly fusion-ised menu and low lights.

The Eight
2/F Grand Lisboa Hotel (aka the 'new' Lisboa)
Macau
+853 2803 7788

Tim's Kitchen
G/F East Wing, Lisboa Hotel (the 'old' Lisboa - enter from the side with the wavy multi-coloured mosaic canopy, facing the big roundabout, not the side directly opposite the Grand Lisboa)
Macau
+853 799 7382

What happens when the chef isn't around

Whether the chef is at their restaurant is an important question to ask at most non-Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, because consistency is a HUGE issue.

The folks are currently loving Tuscany by H, which led me to the perimeter of Lan Kwai Fong on a Sevens night (something I would usually avoid at all costs. Side note - I actually went to LKF 2 times over the Sevens long weekend which is crazy - I had't been to LKF in yonks - but the trip on Friday was just to the relatively quiet Lei Dou. Glad I didn't go on Saturday, must've been heaving). Mom asked whether Harlan was there when she called to book - was told maybe, which means no. We confirmed this with the service staff when we arrived and I was a little uncomfortable, but am happy to report that there was no such need. The food was as good as previous visits, when Harlan was around.

White asparagus special - I didn't find the asparagus itself that amazing - a couple stalks were a bit woody at the end (just a little, no biggie) - the scallops (super fresh with that amazing sea-sweetness) and poached egg (thick, gooey yolk) were excellent though.

Mom's entree (appetizer, whatever) - parma salad. Salty, elastic, not too thin, not too thick.

Seafood soup - probably my favourite thing on the menu at Tuscany by H. (Dad's entree, Mom's main - yes, it is big enough to be a main unless you're starving).


Entree-sized (still very generous) home-made spaghetti with olives, capers, tomato etc. Fine comfort food - I like.

Dad's main - slow braised wagyu beef cheek. Looks strangely like a sea cucumber, or just a big doodah of poo (sorry) - but actually awfully soft. You don't even need a knife - the meat gives with the tiniest bit of pressure, leaving soft strands like pulled pork.

Creme brulee (vanilla and orange, I think). A very weeny teeny little too custardy/eggy for my liking, but good nonetheless.

Fantastic chocolate cake - that's the actual name, and yes, it lived up to it. Basically a warm choc cake with a molten centre, with Fior di Latte semifreddo. Also love that the fruit isn't a second thought - not a mere garnish, but a delightful mini fruit salad.

I can't stress enough how important consistency is for restaurants. At least from this experience, it seems that Tuscany's got the hang of it. I still don't get why it wasn't even mentioned in the Michelin guide, tsk tsk. I hope my beloved (and 2-starred, ahem) Amber will be able to achieve this asap too - or perhaps they have, but it's such a pricey risk to take - see, they've already scarred me for life. Listen up restaurateurs, you don't want to be plagued by inconsistency if you're charging upwards of HK$400 a main course...

Tuscany by H
58-62 D'Aguilar St (cnr Lan Kwai Fong)
Central
Hong Kong
+852 2522 9798

Gasp! Tuscany by H missed by Michelin!?

Let me begin by apologising for this slew of Michelin posts - all I can say is that it's a huge thing for us on this little peck of land, so you'll just have to forgive me.

I think I've looked 50 times. Between Tsui Hang Village and Tycoon Hotpot there is no Tuscany by H.

Why/how could they have missed this? Harlan's and H One, which are no longer under Harlan's ownership btw, are in, and they do food that is far less enjoyable than Tuscany, plus Tuscany is in Central, Lan Kwai Fong, to be exact, which is on many a visitor's trail.

Oh well, guess that just means less tourists!

Aspasia, in my opinion one of the most underrated restaurants in Hong Kong, did actually make it into the guide, though in a secretly selfish way I didn't want it to be. Good thing though that it's on Kowloon side, where average visitors wouldn't go unless they're here for longer - I suspect only dedicated and confident foodie visitors will go the distance, which is fine by me - after all, you can't deny a restaurant of its business.

Michelin Hong Kong & Macao, revisited with commentary

The long-awaited, quasi-mythical Michelin has arrived in HK and planted seeds of controversy!

Here's the list for HK and my 2 cents, for what it's worth (probably precisely 2 cents)

3*
Lung King Heen - the most controversial of all. If LKH can get three stars, why not T'ang Court, Spring Moon, or Yan Toh Heen etc?

2*
Amber - agreed, see my thoughts. In my mind, probably one of the best restaurants in HK
Bo Innovation - never been, because the chef (they call him the "demon chef") seemed
too eclectic and expensive for what he offered
Caprice - can't say I agree, but I know many people like it. My thoughts here
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon - guess I agree, but I still like Amber better!
Shang Palace - one of my fave dim sum places, but 2* is a bit excessive!
Summer Palace - Shang's HK-side equivalent
T’ang Court - one of HK's top Chinese restos, better than LKH, which got 3*.

1*
Fook Lam Moon - old school
Forum - old school abalone place - I don't find it that impressive
Hutong - gimme a break! I love the lamb's ribs they do, but seriously, there are places that do it better in BJ for 1/5 the price. Remember, the stars apply globally!
Lei Garden (IFC) - I haven't been in ages, and it's only good if you've pre-booked all
the good dishes. Also, I hear the one at Elements is now the best, and the Wan Chai one is also much praised by local foodies
Lei Garden (Tsim Sha Tsui) - given Michelin's penchant for pretty restaurants, I'm
surprised (from a decor point of view) that they chose this unremarkable basement
bunker! But food is good here.
Ming Court - very glad they made it onto the list. My favourite old-school Canto
Petrus - yep, agree.
Pierre
Regal Palace - never been! But I can't believe even the Regal got a star and the Pen
didn't!
Shanghai Garden - used to be one of my fave restaurants, nowadays quality varies.
A Maxim's resto
The Golden Leaf
The Square - what the?! Another Maxim's, even within the group there are better outlets
Tim’s Kitchen - never been for dinner; lunch is sloppy
Yung Kee - they just had to be there, didn't they? It's good I guess, but to me, not
the same calibre as Ming Court

The Macao List:

3*
Robuchon a Galera - yup, agree.

2*
Tim's Kitchen

1*
Imperial Court (MGM)
Ying (Crown)
The Eight (Lisboa)
Tung Yee Heen (Mandarin Oriental)

Haven't been to any Macao ones except Robuchon, but isn't it funny that they're all hotel restaurants, apart from Tim's?

Michelin Hong Kong Announced!

Weird list though...

via Bloomberg

Restaurants awarded three stars are:
Lung King Heen
Robuchon a Galera

Restaurants awarded two stars are:
Amber
Bo Innovation
Caprice
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Shang Palace
Summer Palace
T’ang Court

Restaurants awarded one star are:
Fook Lam Moon
Forum
Hutong
Lei Garden (IFC)
Lei Garden (Tsim Sha Tsui)
Ming Court
Petrus
Pierre
Regal Palace
Shanghai Garden
The Golden Leaf
The Square
Tim’s Kitchen
Yung Kee

Miele Guide released: Asia's top 20 restaurants

The Miele Guide has been released. The publisher is Ate Media, helmed by Chubby Hubby Aun Koh and wife Tan Su-Lyn. It's supposed to be an "authoritative" guide on Asian restaurants. Interesting choice of word. I've rambled on about my thoughts on the voting/selection process already, and in short I don't think the guide is very representative of Asia's 'best' restaurants (a slippery word in itself), but anyway, here are their top 20, and my commentary (if any):

1. Iggy's, Singapore
I've personally not been, but have made my parents (the very people who have made me a passionate foodie, no less), who were in Singapore a few months back, try it on my behalf. Both came back sorely disappointed and said it was nothing compared to Amber (Landmark Mandarin HK) or Le Normandie (Oriental Bangkok). An unofficial forum post on Chowhound indicated a change of chefs earlier this year.

2. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong
Been several times, dinner is good, lunch is pretty hopeless, especially for the price, but it's not my pick for HK's top Mod Euro/Mod French restaurant...

3. Les Amis, Singapore
Amusing that two Singa restos made it into the top 3, anything to do with the origin/publishers of the Guide?

4. Gunthers, Singapore
Another Singa resto...

5. Mozaic, Bali
Never been, but many sources indicate that the quality plummets dramatically if the head chef is not in.

6. Robuchon a Galera, Macau
First resto that I am in total agreement with.

7. Garibaldi, Singapore
Singapore... yet again...

8. Yung Kee, Hong Kong
Can you get better roast geese elsewhere in Asia? Yes. Can you find a more famous roast goose restaurant in Asia? Probably not.

9. Hutong, Hong Kong
Apparently foodies who voted forgive the bad (very, very, very, bad) service for the excellent food. I'm less forgiving, personally. But that's because I'm a bitter person.

10. Antonio's Fine Dining, Phillippines
I'm ashamed at how ignorant and uninformed I am. I'd never heard of this restaurant prior to seeing this list.

11. Caprice, Hong Kong
See my thoughts here.

12. Zuma, Hong Kong
Hello? Japanese-ish food in Hong Kong... I don't get it.

13. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Tokyo
So, it was graced by Michelin...

14. Bukhara, India
Never been, but arguably the most talked abou restaurant in India.

15. Grissini, Hong Kong
I strongly dislike it. Period.

16. Nobu, Hong Kong
Another Japanese-ish place in Hong Kong. Hmm, makes me think Japan wasn't even in the running (but it was. Bizarre.
I like their lunchtime bento boxes; don't really like having dinner there. I'd go, but it's not top 20 in my books.

17. M on the Bund, Shanghai
Never been. I usually don't have enough time in Shanghai to get bored of Shanghainese food. Shang food is probably my favourite Chinese cuisine, so naturally I fill up on it as much as possible while in town...

18. Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong
A Hong Kong classic. Not my favourite, but I understand how it should/could be in Asia's top 20.

19. Zanotti Il Ristorante Italiano, Bangkok
Certainly not a personal 'must', but good if you are in town and sick of Thai (how could you?) I suppose. Give me a gapow moo, som tum or sweet soy braised pig's knuckle on rice instead anyday.

20. Kyubey, Tokyo
Ugh, so predictable. I don't know if it's overhyped cause I've never been, but something makesme think that some people who voted had never actually been to eat there and just chose it cause they recognised the name.

Actually that could have been the case for many of these places.

The people who produced/published the guide are prepared for the list to be controversial, but I didn't expect this...

One of my main no-no's about this guide was that only large cities were sampled to represent the whole country, e.g. only HK, Macau, Beijing and Shanghai represented China (actually maybe only BJ and SH did and HK & Macau were on their own? No matter) - how about Guangzhou, Chongqing, Suzhou etc., that are also home to spectacular restaurants? From what I've read from their website I found no proper justification.

I also wonder who the target market is - to me, it seems like it's not Asian residents but visitors to Asia, which renders it similar to a Lonely Planet guidebook for silly tourists. If you were creating a guide, would you want it to be the Lonely Planet of your category? I wouldn't, but maybe they would, because after all, LP sells heaps. If this is their aim, the irony is that only a scanty few of the their top 20 serve local cuisine. I can't help but lead myself to the conclusion that this guide is for scared, non-Asian tourists with quite a bit of money. Not my type of guide, but I this is undoubtedly a big market...

I've commented already on the, in my mind, disproportionate number of Singaporean restaurants that made it... Can anyone explain it? I love Singapore for its hawker food, and I don't think HK would be worthy of that many in the top 20 either. Can't really get my head around it apart from publisher's/voting population bias (since the guide is published by a Singaporean company I suppose the voting would have been more widely known/more talked about in Singapore, hence more residents from that region - who of course would be most familiar with their city's cuisine - would have voted). Democracy is indeed a flawed affair.

The Hong Kong Michelin Guide will be coming out soon too, so it'll be interesting to compare these two "international" views on Asia/HK. (Oh, and the Mobil Guide is out for HK too, but... it's the Mobil Guide...)

Lastly, I think the happiest person is Joel Robuchon, who's sitting at three of the top 20 restos in Asia. And he's not even Asian. Felicitations, Monsieur Robuchon~

P.S. I think this has inspired me to write my own 'Asian Top 20'... so until next time folks...