Celebrity Life

Looking at the restaurants listed as World's 50 Best this year, some new (and old) trends might be just over the horizon.

The post What the future of fine dining looks like appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Due to recent travel restrictions happening around the world, the eighth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants was not held in the Saga Prefecture of Japan, where the awards were originally to be hosted.

Instead, they were announced virtually on Facebook. The virtual edition of the prestigious awards ceremony, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, was the first of its kind in the history of 50 Best and as always, were put forward to recognise the achievements of chefs and their teams over the last 12 months.

This year, 7 new entries and 1 re-entry appeared on the list and awarded restaurants across 10 countries. Here in Hong Kong, 8 restaurants were awarded a place on Asia's 50 Best list, while 2 restaurants from Macau were recognised as well. At the top of the list and awarded both Singapore's and Asia's Best Restaurant for a second year is Odette. Helmed by Chef-Owner Julien Royer, the modern French restaurant, inspired by his grandmother, won the hearts of many once more.

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Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Cantonese restaurant The Chairman jumped from 11th place to 2nd place -- taking the award for the best restaurant in China. The restaurant, loved by many in this city, takes on the traditional flavours of Chinese cuisine and celebrates it simply yet gloriously. Here, Chef-Owner Danny Yip looks to local suppliers and fishermen for their ingredients while ensuring as much organic produce as possible.

[caption id="attachment_199192" align="alignnone" width="938"] Flower Crab, The Chairman[/caption]

Other Hong Kong restaurants on the list include neo-Parisian bistro Belon which, under the culinary direction of Chef Daniel Calvert, jumped from 15th to 4th place; modern Asian-inspired French restaurant VEA, helmed by Chef Vicky Cheng, also made a giant leap taking them from 34th to 12th on the list;  David Lai's Neighborhood climbed up to 19th place; while Chinese restaurants Seventh Son and Lung King Heen, and Chef Umberto Bombana's 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana were amongst the top 50 restaurants, too.

A special sustainable mention was given to Amber which, thanks to Chef Richard Ekkebus' innovative culinary endeavours, presented them with the Sustainable Restaurant Award this year. Having reopened in May 2019 after a four-month hiatus, Ekkebus took out the heft in fine dining and replaced dairy, while cutting down on sugar and salt, with seasonal, sustainable produce and clean cooking.

[caption id="attachment_199210" align="alignnone" width="1140"] Kombu-cured horse mackerel with celtuce, seaweed, cucumber and wheatgrass sauce, Amber[/caption]

Additional awards featured the Miele One to Watch, which was presented to Chef Prateek Sadh of Masque in Mumbai, India. Considered the country's most experimental kitchen, Masque is changing the perception of Indian food, plate by plate; The American Express Icon award was deservedly presented to famed kaiseki chef and author Yoshihiro Murata of Kikunoi Restaurant in Gion, Kyoto; The Inedit Damm Chef's Choice award was voted by his peers and presented to Yusuke Takada of Osaka's La Cime for all his good work; Asia's Best Pastry Chef crowned the lovely Natsuko Shoji of Été who continues to create her sweet cakes inspired by the world of fashion; and Asia's Best Female Chef spotlighted Cho Hee-sook of Seoul's Hansikgonggan for all her work in preserving traditional Korean cuisine.

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The full list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants of 2020:

1. Odette -- Singapore (Best Restaurant in Singapore and Asia)
2. The Chairman -- Hong Kong (Best Restaurant in China)
3. Den - Tokyo, Japan (Best Restaurant in Japan)
4. Belon -- Hong Kong
5. Burnt Ends -- Singapore
6. Sühring -- Bangkok, Thailand (Best restaurant in Thailand)
7. Florilege -- Tokyo, Japan
8. Le Du -- Bangkok, Thailand
9. Narisawa -- Tokyo, Japan
10. La Cime -- Osaka, Japan
11. Les Amis -- Singapore (Gin Mare's Art of Hospitality Award)
12. VEA -- Hong Kong
13. Indian Accent -- New Delhi, India (Best Restaurant in India)
14. Mingles -- Seoul, South Korea (Best Restaurant in Korea)
15. Gaa -- Bangkok, Thailand
16. Sorn -- Bangkok, Thailand (Highest Climber Award)
17. Il Ristorante Luca Fantin – Tokyo, Japan
18. Mume -- Taipei, Taiwan
19. Neighborhood -- Hong Kong
20. Fu He Hui -- Shanghai, China
21. Jaan by Kirk Westaway -- Singapore
22. Wing Lei Palace -- Macau
23. Sichuan Moon -- Macau (Highest New Entry)
24. Nihonryori RyuGin -- Tokyo, Japan
25. Seventh Son -- Hong Kong
26. JL Studio -- Taichung, Taiwan (New Entry)
27. TocToc -- Seoul, South Korea
28. Zén -- Singapore (New Entry)
29. Sazenka -- Tokyo, Japan
30. Ministry of Crab -- Colombo, Sri Lanka
31. Amber -- Hong Kong
32. 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana – Hong Kong
33. Lung King Heen -- Hong Kong
34. Hansikgonggan -- Seoul, South Korea (New Entry)
35. Ode -- Tokyo, Japan (New Entry)
36. Raw -- Taipei, Taiwan
37. Locavore -- Bali, Indonesia (Best Restaurant in Indonesia)
38. Paste -- Bangkok, Thailand
39. Bo.Lan -- Bangkok, Thailand
40. La Maison de la Nature Goh -- Fukuoka, Japan
41. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet -- Shanghai, China
42. Corner House -- Singapore
43. Shoun RyuGin -- Taipei, Taiwan
44. Toyo Eatery -- Manila, Philippines (Best Restaurant in Philippines)
45. Bukhara -- New Delhi, India (Re-entry)
46. Sushi Saito -- Tokyo, Japan
47. 80/20 -- Bangkok, Thailand (New Entry)
48.  L'Effervescence -- Tokyo, Japan
49. Inua -- Tokyo, Japan (New Entry)
50. Nouri -- Singapore

The post Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020: The Results Are In appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most exciting culinary capitals, where good food is more than abundant. In that light, we’ve put together a few of our tastiest tidbits and most memorable morsels that are worth tracking down to try.

Okinawa Corn at Amber

The new and revamped Amber caused quite the stir in the culinary world -- and for good reason. Gone are the heavy gluten and dairy products that are often associated with fine dining and in their place, a cleaner and more concentrated approach to flavours. One such example is the Okinawa corn, which is cold-pressed into a naturally sweet and creamy custard enriched with Taiyouran egg yolk. It’s then topped with layers of seawater foam, Schrencki caviar, and a thin corn tuile with the zest of the Japanese citrus sudachi. It’s rich and deep in flavour, but remains fresh with all the different elements and textures combining for one of the most sumptuous spoonfuls you’re likely to have ever had.

Amber, The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2132 0188

Roasted Hong Kong Yellow Chicken at Louise

Chef Julien Royer, of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants winner Odette, has officially opened his newest venture: French restaurant Louise. The traditional dishes are based on nostalgia and the type of home cooking that Royer himself was brought up on. Surprisingly, Hong Kong diners may also find a little nostalgia in one particular dish: the roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Niigata rice ‘en cocotte’. Not dissimilar to Cantonese-style poached chicken, this dish is elevated with tender pieces of local chicken that are roasted in the oven. It’s served with Japanese rice mixed with chicken fat, making for a perfectly glossy and fragrant accompaniment topped with crispy chicken skin, chives, spring onion and another indulgent option of black truffle shavings.

Louise, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; +852 2866 0300

Chicken Liver Mousse at Kinship

Another new restaurant hitting the streets of Hong Kong this month is one borne out of friendship -- or Kinship. The concept is created by chefs and good friends, Chris Grare (formerly of Lily & Bloom) and Arron Rhodes (who you may remember from Gough’s on Gough). Its laid-back casual setting makes for a good neighbourhood hangout and offers what has been described to us as “New World cuisine”. Here, the chicken liver mousse is a must-order from the menu. Inspired by Chef Chris’ childhood, the incredibly lush savoury pâté is served with sweet rehydrated raisin relish, grated horseradish and two large oat crackers made in house.

Kinship, 3/F LL Tower, 2 Shelley Street, Central; +852 2520 0899

Marinated Geoduck & Jade Flower at The Chinese Library

Showcasing incredible knife skills like no other, The Chinese Library’s new Dao Yi dishes are a sight for sore eyes. However, one dish that also excited our tastebuds was the marinated geoduck & jade flower. Based on the cold Sichuan dishes and flavours that we so love, this dish layers thin slices of marinated geoduck clam atop delicately carved celtuce dressed in sesame oil. It’s a refreshing appetiser dish with crisp textures throughout, making Hong Kong summer slightly more bearable again.

The Chinese Library,  Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central; +852 2848 3088

Tacos at Taqueria Super Macho

The new Mexican restaurant by Black Sheep offers a range of undressed tacos in soft tortillas so that you can build-your-own with as many condiments, salsas and vegetables as you please. Unable to pick just one taco to make the list, we decided to choose three. First up is the fish al pastor, which uses Vietnamese sole instead of the traditional pork in achiote chilli, and is best paired with pineapple and crispy bacon. Next is the smoky chilli-spiced adobo marinated steak tenderloin, which is full of flavour with onions and cilantro too. We rounded things off with the crispy battered shrimp taco, which is packed with cabbage slaw with a squeeze of fresh lime -- it crunches with every bite.

Taqueria Super Macho, 33-35 Bridges Street, Central; +852 2333 0111

The post The Top 5 Dishes We Ate in June 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Feel free to protest copiously online against our bold-faced proposition that Richard Ekkebus is the most famous and finest chef living in Hong Kong. The culinary director of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, with a staff of 72 (at last count) oversees all cuisine at the hotel. Under his supervision of the property’s collection of restaurants and bars, Ekkebus created and then championed progressive restaurant Amber into prominence, ranking (56th) on the World’s 100 Best Restaurants 2018. Just one feather in his highly festooned cap; for the 10th consecutive year in 2018, Amber was awarded two stars in the Michelin Hong Kong and Macau guide.

While most would rest comfortably on their star-studded laurels, for the past six years Ekkebus has had grand plans to completely alter what was essentially a faultless restaurant, and had the lofty idea of changing not only its DNA but also expanding the cuisine culture of the five-star hotel as a whole. But not with predictable, tedious global expansion, rather with in-house, evolutionary changes to ensure that the hotel would be a key dining destination in a city long overcrowded with culinary alternatives.

But first, a bit of background. Ekkebus began his career with an apprenticeship in his native Netherlands under Michelin-starred chefs Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg. In his home country, he won the prestigious Golden Chef’s Hat for Young Chef of the Year, an honour that encouraged him further to perfect his craft and dispense with his engineering-degree studies. This was much to the dismay and chagrin of his father, who didn’t speak to him for two years after he quit college. But under the tutelage of some of the greatest chefs in France, including Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Guy Savoy, he honed his skills.

While in France, how could this foreigner make his mark in the notoriously difficult, esoteric, distinctly French, overtly snobby world of chefs and their kitchen-confidential games? Well, for one thing, he refused to play. Ekkebus didn’t even bother to compete. Instead, his wannabe “gypsy soul” led him on a flight to Mauritius to become executive chef at the Royal Palm and then, years later, to Sandy Lane in Barbados. He still considers Mauritius home (he has a sprawling house there -- “where my wife and kids go a few times a year, far more than I do!”). In 2005, he was appointed executive chef for the Landmark Mandarin Oriental through an accident of fate (more on that later).

While things were swimming along, in December 2018, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Amber, closed for renovations over a four-month period. Ekkebus spent his time exploring new ingredients, contemplating the needs of diners and evolving a bold new culinary philosophy.

Amber’s revered French-style cuisine was changed dramatically -- the restaurant’s progressive menu has now dispensed with dairy products, minimised refined sugar and reduced salt -- inviting diners to appreciate flavours in their purest form. So much effort and such a big, expensive gamble. Will it pay off?

While it wasn’t the first question that came to mind when we finally meet in the innards of the hotel, it was one that lingered. Having dismounted his beloved bike and freshly changed from all-black denim into the crisp white linens worn by all cooking staff, Ekkebus discussed, well, just about everything during a series of conversations.

First, the basic question: Why renovate Amber when it had stellar reviews and a mile-long waiting list? You know the adage, if it ain’t broke…

That’s a good question, but to put it simply I didn’t want to take for granted the fact that Amber was so successful for so many years. I asked myself, if we continue in the same way, will it have another 50 years of shelf life? So, I came up with this new sort of evolution on the old Amber -- which by the way, wasn’t so old.

I also thought, why not add three more restaurants while we’re at it? So we went a bit insane. We opened SOMM by Sommeliers, which has a very strong food component. We built a brand-new Amber, of course, and a private room that’s hidden behind a wine cellar. Then we have two Japanese eateries: Sushi Shikon, the only three-Michelin-star sushi restaurant in Hong Kong, moved in with us, and also Kappo Rin, whose chef Masa-san is from Kyoto. It’s also supervised by the head chef of Sushi Shikon.

Not only the restaurant, but you’ve got a brand-new look too.

I’m going to be 53 soon, so I’m trying to be healthier. What’s going to be the next 15 and probably the last 15 years of my career? Is it going to be the same old, same old or is it going to be something very different and exciting? I decided to do something different and exciting.

For the restaurant, it’s more than a cosmetic, interior design change…

Exactly. Well you can’t just make a cosmetic change -- that’s just lipstick on a pig. A delicious pig, but still a pig! I really wanted to make a profound change. When we opened 15 years ago, we were a disrupting force. I think we wanted to be, once again, this disrupting force, but in a thoughtful way. We decided, in a French restaurant, to take out that old style of cooking, cut refined sugars, and minimise salt. Not to become a more healthy restaurant but really to improve the experience. In a restaurant like this, we need to change the perception of what fine dining could be. And that’s the statement we want to make in the new Amber.

You’ve involved many from the local community in this project.

Well, I think we all talk about sustainability but people always forget about the sustainability of making sure that people around you are able to make a good living. I wanted to make sure that we support local artists, local tailors, local food suppliers. My son is an artist; he studies at Parsons and I know how difficult it is to make a career in the arts.

I used to buy French jackets for all the chefs to wear. One day I asked a great local woman, who has a line called Milk, if she wanted to make chef jackets for me. And she brought me this great jacket -- now all my staff uniforms are from her. It’s creating this organic cosmos of people that live on the success of the restaurants. Everything in our orbit, we want them to succeed.

Also, you can’t live for 15 years in Hong Kong and not be sensitive to how much opulence there is but also so much waste too [gesticulating outside to the crowded streets of Central] -- in the sense that people don’t even realise the problem that they’re creating. I felt that we as a restaurant need to be more in the forefront of trying to create a movement from a professional perspective and making a change in Hong Kong and especially in how we consume it.

It was very important for us that that became the golden thread through the whole project. We wanted to cut out the industrial washing of white linen, so we have no tablecloths. We also went for natural and stained materials instead of, you know, dyed, chemical things.

Does this go all the way down to ingredients? There’s a certain high-status value to state that the steak is from Argentina, the wagyu from Japan, the red wine from France, the white from New Zealand and so on.

Of course. In the past I always thought that chicken from France would be the best chicken, but we’ve started to find a source closer to home. We have a chicken that comes from New Territories because there’s a farm where people are doing great things and we want to support them and see that they can make a living out of that.

And we’re building a rooftop garden here as we speak to grow all the small vegetables and herbs. You know something funny? Most of my chefs have no clue how a vegetable or flower or a herb grows! And it’s very strange because I was born and raised in the countryside.

Garden rooftops around Central… sounds lofty.

But we have to start somewhere -- to make Central more green, and to bring more oxygen to Central. We really need to reduce our carbon footprint. Maybe the majority of our restaurant guests aren’t bothered with it, but through this messaging and by explaining why, we can plant a little seed of this idea to buy local. We did the maths; we were bringing in 35,000 kilograms of dairy products every year. Think of that carbon footprint. Insane.

The menu won’t change fundamentally to something tediously healthy, will it?

We’ve always been seafood-focused, because that’s who I am. I was born and raised next to the sea, so seafood is where I’m comfortable. I’ve always loved vegetables. I had a hippie mum and we were always veggie-driven in our home. And it’s a very Dutch thing. I always have a heavy hand on vegetables but a very light style of cooking. So we were never a place like Caprice or Robuchon, butter and cream. We’ve always had a lighter touch. I want people to have an amazing meal here and not go into a food coma after. I thought of this after a recent trip to France.

Home base of all fine dining.

Exactly. We ate at all the fine restaurants, food marathons. We ate at so many Michelin-star restaurants but after, we could do nothing. We wanted to go see the museums but we collapsed in food comas. And I thought, it should be a better feeling when you leave a restaurant. That’s what triggered me to cook differently.

When we cut the salts and sugars, the flavour was better. We replaced cream with tofu. Maybe not as exciting, but we replaced milk with water. All of a sudden there’s a very different flavour profile. I had this little discussion with my team about how much dairy we would use in a menu on average. We put everything on a tray: the cream, butter, milk. The tray was so heavy – who wants to eat all this in one sitting?

What else did you eliminate?

We started by asking the question, what really makes you feel bad after eating? We identified refined sugars. We need protein, but let’s use better protein. We need fat. So we started to buy all these different types of oils; we identified about 70 blended and basic oils. We use about 30 on a daily basis now. People don’t like salty foods. So we started to work more with umami and less with salt.

I call them dogmas, but I think these are limitations actually. [They push] us to be more creative. Instead of ultimately falling back on a little cream, a little butter, it forces us to think. We want to bring in fat elements that could enhance the dish. Then we experimented with oils; olive oil, flaxseed oil, rice-bran oil, almond oil, avocado oil, pumpkin-seed oil, all types of flower oils -- and then all of a sudden we see the possibilities these oils have within the flavour profile.

What brought you to Hong Kong, by the way?

After Barbados, I was on my way to New York when 9/11 happened. Every plan went on a toss, as everything I’d planned with my family was gone. And then Mandarin Oriental came along and offered me a couple of opportunities that I didn’t want initially. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse; they asked me to create a restaurant from scratch. They just asked us to make it a world-famous restaurant.

Is your family in the hospitality business?

My grandparents were. My grandfather ran the bar and my grandmother was always in the kitchen. Because my father was a child of hotel-running parents, he always told us never to go into hospitality; you’d have no private life, no family life and it’s too much hard work and, “I don’t want you to go through this. I’ve seen it with my parents and they both died before they were even 60.” I was studying engineering, and to earn money on weekends, I worked in the kitchens. I hated what I was studying and I loved what I was doing part-time, so I made the switch. My father didn’t speak to me for years -- but then later he came around and he was very proud of me.

How did you land your first apprenticeship?

I would read Gourmand, a very famous French magazine at the time, about all these famous chefs. I would buy books in French, but my French was very average and I would obsess over these people, especially Guy Savoy. I heard hundreds of people wanted to learn under him. But I was also very clever: I knew he loved rugby and I used to play rugby. I wasn’t that great, but I made sure to talk a lot about rugby and how much I loved it. He said, ‘You’re hired.’ Sometimes you need to do your homework.

What was so special about the great chefs you worked with?

I think Guy Savoy really made a mark on me on a human level, because he was so strong. Some people really have it in themselves to lead people and he’s a natural-born leader. You’d want to follow him if he walked into a fire, without question. I’ve worked with people who’ve been extremely tough on me, like Robert Kranenborg in Holland, a two-star chef. He really taught me a lot about cooking and the refinement of cooking, and he always called it playing with fire. Cooking is not just putting things on the stove; it’s about regulating fire and how to get the best extractions. And then working with Pierre Gagnaire was about trusting your instincts. He’s not a guy who’s about written recipes, his style is very unconventional. He’s like the jazz man of cooking. I learned from him the only person that’s in charge when you’re cooking is yourself.

So you've been to Pierre Gagnaire's restaurant Pierre in Hong Kong?

Yes, of course, many times. When he [Gagnaire] comes to town, we try as much as we can to catch up. I still call him 'chef'. I’m not competitive with him or his restaurants. I want to do well for myself, not disappoint myself. You don’t want to do well to beat other people, you do it for yourself. For the pride you have in what you do.

Speaking of pride, what did the Michelin star mean to you when you first got it? 

It’s the greatest recognition that we’ve had through all these years of re-positioning and rethinking. But that honour hangs like the Sword of Damocles -- I’ve been reading in The New Yorker about chefs who killed themselves over the fall of a rating or the pressure to maintain it. It’s just an opinion, after all.

I was very close friends with [the late chef and owner of La Côte d’Or in Saulieu, France] Bernard Loiseau and it’s extremely personal and it’s very hard to grasp for me. Some people can’t take it. Opinions aren’t facts, no matter how well articulated.

Very true. 

It does piss me off, though, I’m going be honest with you. I stopped reading the TripAdvisor reviews because it affects my day and it shouldn’t because it’s one person’s opinion. There are colleagues, however, whom I really respect; when they come here, I really want to hear what they think. Opinions are like... well, they’re like a butthole.

Excuse me? 

Everyone has one. But it doesn’t mean anything. Constructive criticism, that I can take.

Photography Nic Gaunt | Art Direction Bex Gaunt | Styling Tasha Ling 

The post Chef Richard Ekkebus Brings a Dining Evolution to Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

You may have already read our June cover story featuring chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber, in which he explains his new approach to fine dining -- no dairy, less sugar, etc. -- but that's not all we spoke to him about. Here, in this exclusive online interview, Ekkebus reveals his guilty pleasure, what makes him angry in the kitchen, and much more.

Guilty pleasure?

French fries -- not McDonald’s, I’m talking about real French fries like the ones my grandmother used to make. Where I’m from, we baked fries in kidney fats, or beef fats. It gives a very specific, very gold, very soft inside, very crispy outside texture -- good fries make me cry!

Ever been food-poisoned?

Yes, with a cold pressed juice, here in Hong Kong! It was supposed to be a healthy food option with kale and apple. It was bad. Violent.

Say no more. When you have a banquet, is that the most stressful day?

No. It’s about organisation and preparation. We have a sheet where all the details of the events are on. So it’s actually very constructed, like a well-oiled machine. We have an early morning meeting, we go over critical control points, time slots and then action.

Favourite food destination?

Japan. Without a doubt. It’s not just food, it's high art. Any major chef who has travelled the world will say the same. Not just Japanese food, any food. They perfect it. I had the greatest slice of pizza in my life in Tokyo -- for the life of me I can’t remember the name of the place. I went to the kitchen -- entire staff was Japanese. They take the ordinary, make it sublime. Their desire for perfection is admirable.

What's the strangest food you've tried? 

I’ve tried everything. I've eaten monkey. I've eaten insects. There's nothing I will say no to, because I need to understand what it's about. When you are a guest in a foreign home or country, you try what they have. So I've even tried whale at someone's home because it's disrespectful to say no!

When you go out, what do you eat?

Anything and everything different -- it's like music. You want to see my playlist? There’s rap, there’s opera, there’s rock. Food is the same. There’s not [just] one food that can nourish me. Even literature is the same: I read everything.  I read on my phone, I read on my iPad. I read Spanish literature to biographies of Leonardo Da Vinci. That is life, that’s enrichment. Not going into a narrow tunnel. I try everything life offers.

What's on your dining wish list?

South America. There are lots of restaurants. I've been to Peru but I would love to go to Argentina. I'd love to go to Brazil and discover more. I want to head to Chile.

There are too many reality TV cooking shows and celebrity chefs. Do they amp it up for good television?

Of course -- they exaggerate for entertainment. Listen, I worked with Gordon Ramsay when I was in Paris and we were both very young chefs with Guy Savoy. He was a bully but not as you see him on TV. I think he created this image for himself for ratings. He’s not like that in reality. If he really was that aggressive all the time, nobody would really want to work with him.

What makes you angry in the kitchen?

Am I relentless at times when I see people goofing off, or they display a sense of "I don’t care"? I get really cross, for sure, because there is another person on the other side of the wall paying HK$3,000 for a meal and his expectations are the same as any critic, star or celebrity. So if you’re indifferent, it means you chose the wrong restaurant to work for.

What's in your refrigerator at home?

There's always a nice bottle of Champagne, a nice piece of ham, some salted butter, and jams. I love jams and I buy a lot of very beautiful jams. And there's always fresh fruits in the fridge too.

Are your children into cooking?

No. My son is in the arts and my daughter studied literature. They've been in my kitchens since they were babies but showed little interest. But they are all foodies. My son is a student now and I see on his Instagram all the Michelin-star restaurants he's eating in while travelling -- how he pays for it, I don't know. When I was a student, I lived on ramen noodles.

Does your wife cook?

She's a phenomenal chef; my house has the best food in town -- after Amber.

The post 12 Questions with Chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

For the seventh edition of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, the prestigious awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, returned to Macau for a second year, bringing together the region’s leading chefs, restauranteurs and culinary elite at Wynn Palace once more. 

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Finally knocking chef Gaggan Anand off the top of the list is Singapore's Odette, with Chef Julien Royer at the helm claiming the titles for The Best Restaurant in Asia and The Best Restaurant in Singapore with his Asian-inspired, contemporary French cuisine. Located within the National Gallery of Singapore, Odette is recognised for its artisanal approach -- a reflection of the art housed within the iconic location -- and their impeccably executed cuisine.

Gaggan won Asia's Best Restaurant for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018 for his eponymous Indian restaurant in Bangkok, and told Prestige how he was “ready to lose” last year. The chef claims second place for the restaurant but is now preparing to close it in 2020. He will be opening a new restaurant called GohGan, a collaboration with chef Takeshi “Goh” Fukuyama, in Fukuoka in 2021.

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Hong Kong claimed nine spots on the list; The Chairman climbed up from No. 22 to No. 11, whilst first-time entrants VEA, helmed by chef Vicky Cheng, and Seventh Son took home No. 34 and No. 44, respectively. Most impressive, however, with this year's Highest Climber award, is popular modern French bistro Belon, jumping an incredible 25 places to No. 15. Meanwhile in Macau, Jade Dragon rose eight places to No. 27, and Wing Lei Palace made its debut at No. 36.

Other movements in Hong Kong to note: 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana rose one spot to No. 12, Richard Ekkebus’ Amber (which is currently closed for renovation) slipped from No. 7 to No. 21, Ta Vie from No. 16 to No. 50, fine-dining Cantonese restaurant Lung King Heen from No. 24 to No. 38, and David Lai's Neighborhood fell slightly from No.32 to No.37. Ronin and Caprice, unfortunately, dropped off the list altogether.

Ahead of the ceremony, three awards outside of the ‘50 Best’ list were announced including Miele One to Watch, which was presented to Singaporean chef Jimmy Lim of JL Studio in Taiwan. Only two years after opening, Lim has become one of Asia’s rising stars and continues to wow diners with his mod-Sin (or modern Singaporean) fare. Garima Arora of Gaa in Bangkok, one of Gaggan’s pupils, took the Highest New Entry at No.16 and won the elit™ Vodka Asia’s Best Female Chef award. Japanese chef Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo was awarded the American Express Icon Award for his vision in progressive Japanese kaiseki cuisine.

Other winners included the Valrhona award for Asia's Best Pastry Chef, which went to Fabrizio Fiorani from Il Ristorante Luca Fantin in Tokyo. The Most Sustainable Restaurant Award in Asia was presented to Locavore in Bali, Indonesia, and the Art of Hospitality Award crowned Hong Kong's 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana the leader in the industry.

To create the list, a poll is collected from a group of 318 experts (made up of highly regarded food writers, critics, chefs and restaurateurs) across Asia who cast ten votes, in order of preference, for the restaurants they have had their best dining experience at in the last 18 months. At least four of those votes must be for restaurants outside of their home country.

Here's the full list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019:

1. Odette - Singapore (The Best Restaurant in Singapore and Asia)
2. Gaggan - Bangkok, Thailand (The Best Restaurant in Thailand)
3. Den - Tokyo, Japan (The Best Restaurant in Japan)
4. Sühring - Bangkok, Thailand
5. Florilège - Tokyo, Japan
6. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet - Shanghai, China (The Best Restaurant in China)
7. Mume - Taipei, Taiwan (The Best Restaurant in Taiwan)
8. Narisawa - Tokyo, Japan
9. Nihonryori RyuGin - Tokyo, Japan
10. Burnt Ends - Singapore
11. The Chairman - Hong Kong
12. 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana - Hong Kong
13. Mingles - Seoul, Korea (The Best Restaurant in Korea)
14. La Cime - Osaka, Japan
15. Belon - Hong Kong (Highest Climber)
16. Gaa - Bangkok, Thailand (Highest New Entry)
17. Indian Accent - New Delhi, India (The Best Restaurant in India)
18. Il Ristorante Luca Fantin - Tokyo, Japan
19. Bo.Lan - Bangkok, Thailand
20. Le Du - Bangkok, Thailand
21. Amber - Hong Kong
22. Nahm - Bangkok, Thailand
23. Sazenka - Tokyo, Japan (New Entry)
24. La Maison de la Nature Goh - Fukuoka, Japan
25. Sushi Saito - Tokyo, Japan
26. L'Effervescence - Tokyo, Japan
27. Jade Dragon - Macau
28. Paste - Bangkok, Thailand
29. Fu He Hui - Shanghai, China
30. Raw - Taipei, Taiwan
31. Shoun RyuGin - Taipei, Taiwan
32. Jaan - Singapore
33. Les Amis - Singapore
34. VEA - Hong Kong (New Entry)
35. Ministry of Crab - Colombo, Sri Lanka (The Best Restaurant in Sri Lanka)
36. Wing Lei Palace - Macau, China (New Entry)
37. Neighborhood - Hong Kong
38. Lung King Heen - Hong Kong
39. Nouri - Singapore (New Entry)
40. Waku Gin - Singapore
41. TocToc - Seoul, Korea
42. Locavore - Bali, Indonesia (The Best Restaurant in Indonesia)
43. Toyo Eatery - Manila, Philippines (The Best Restaurant in Philippines/New Entry)
44. Seventh Son - Hong Kong
45. Quintessence - Tokyo, Japan
46. Dewakan - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (The Best Restaurant in Malaysia/New Entry)
47. Sugalabo - Tokyo, Japan (New Entry)
48. Sorn - Bangkok, Thailand (New Entry)
49. Corner House - Singapore
50. Ta Vie - Hong Kong

For more information, visit Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

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