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

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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