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By Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop
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With many Asian foodies developing a taste for truffles and foie gras in recent years—as well as the means to indulge in them— fine-dining establishments have been popping up like wild mushrooms throughout the region. From Shanghai to Singapore, gourmets have been partaking of the finest European cuisines, while wealthy businessmen entertaining clients have spent thousands of dollars on the best wines in the world.
I have lived in Singapore for eight years, and I can't remember a time when the region has had better dining options. Though many of Asia's restaurateurs are now starting to feel the pinch of the economic crisis, they can still take pride in the knowledge that 2008 has proved to be a memorable year for the region and its cuisines. There's reason to think it will continue, if on a smaller scale, through next year, too. The good news for diners is that reservations are pretty easy to come by.
Tokyo solidified its reputation as a gastronomic capital this year after its restaurants received more total Michelin stars than those in any other city where the guide is published. When it comes to the number of coveted three-star restaurants—which signifies "worth a special journey" in Michelin-speak—the city has now moved onto an equal footing with Paris: both have nine. Granted, about a quarter of the Michelin-lauded restaurants in the Japanese capital serve French-inspired fare; the elegant L'Osier is famed for its foie gras de canard and ample wine list, while Quintessence serves only a menu carte blanche—or chef's selected menu—built around the seasonal local produce available.
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Indeed, French cuisine still dominates critics' rankings in Asia. In Michelin's new Hong Kong and Macau guide—only the company's second in Asia—which premiered this month, Macau's sole three-star restaurant, Robuchon a Galera, is run from afar by the French celebrity chef Joël Robuchon. And in Hong Kong, several of the newly minted Michelin-starred restaurants, including L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon and Pierre, also serve French cuisine.
But foodies will also remember 2008 as the year that Chinese cuisine finally got the star treatment. Hong Kong's Lung King Heen became the first Chinese-food restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars. Run by chef Chan Yan Tak, it serves contemporary Cantonese cuisine, including such favorites as baked whole abalone puffs with diced chicken, and wok-fried prawns with dried chili and shallots (fourseasons.com/hongkong; tasting menu, $140). Among the other Hong Kong restaurants to get the nod from Michelin: the two-star Bo Innovation, sometimes referred to as Hong Kong's El Bulli for creating molecular cuisine on a par with Ferran Adrià's Catalan masterpieces. The small Hong Kong restaurant challenges diners' taste buds with innovative fusion dishes such as foie gras with sticky rice foam and lotus flavor, and sweet-and-sour lychee jelly (boinnovation.com; tasting menu, $78).
Michelin has not yet revealed where it will cast its critical eye next, but the publisher could take a cue from the recently released Miele Guide. According to the 2008 Asian dining guide, which rates establishments based on a mix of professional and public opinion, three of the top five restaurants in Asia are based in Singapore, long considered a regional haven for its mix-and-match approach to global cuisine. While few of the city's restaurants offer a true fine-dining environment—a key part of the Michelin guide's rating system—many feature food that can easily stand up to the dishes concocted by Michelin-ranked chefs.
My personal favorite, Les Amis, offers impeccable service, an exhaustive wine list and exciting, original dishes like succulent terrine of foie gras layered with strips of pear-verjus chutney (lesamis.com.sg; tasting menu, $164). The gray, minimalist Gunther's comes a close second with its French-inspired cuisine; the cold angel-hair pasta with oscietra caviar is melt-in-your-mouth divine (gunthers.com.sg; degustation menu, $84). Even in these restrained times, early reservations are strongly recommended for the holidays. Most of the restaurants mentioned offer special degustation menus for Christmas and New Year's, and through to Chinese New Year, too. Bon appétit!
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