For the first time the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant is releasing an unranked list called the Essence Of Asia, bringing to you some of the best local flavours across Asia. Our very own Malaysia has four restaurants on the list, including eateries our of Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Kota Kinabalu.
What Is The Essence Of Asia?
This unranked list has been compiled across 49 cities and 20 contries across Asia, bringing to you the flavours of culinary Asia, from street food vendors, to age old institutions, community focused establishments, and progressive cuisine restaurants. This list was created based on recommendations from chefs from the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 and 2021, 50 Best Academy Chairs as well as gourmands in the region.
Artisan Homemade Bread, Ipoh
Artisan Homemade Bread is run by Sam Lau, both a bakery throughout the day but has an amazing omakase lunch menu that is not only easy on the pocket, but on the palate. The not so humble omakase spots local ingredients and elevates local dishes such as their Sotong Kangkung and award winning Lor Mai Kai. Sam has been in the culinary industry for 16 years, ranging from London to Kuala Lumpur.
Bijan, Kuala Lumpur
Bijan is a Malay focused restaurant serving elevated cuisine, bringing to you some of the most well-known regional flavours of Malay cuisine, all in one place. The restaurant is run by three women, namely Yuen Sze To, Lissa Yeoh and Way Cheng Yeoh, who delivers an updated but true to its essence quality of cooking.
For our previous review, see Bijan.
Kedai Kopi Yee Fung, Kota Kinabalu
Located in Kota Kinabalu on East Malaysia, Kedai Kopi Yee Fung is known for their Ngiu Chap, a beef noodle soup dish; and their Sabah Laksa, quite similar to the neighbouring and more popular thanks to Anthony Bourdain Sarawak Laksa. True to the essence of Malaysia, our street food is engrained in our DNA.
Siam Road Char Kway Teow, Penang
Malaysia sees 4 restaurants appearing on the list, namely the notoriously long queued Siam Road Char Kway Teow in Penang, a street food vendor that needs no introduction. As Char Kway Teow is one of Malaysia’s unofficial national dishes, being the best in Penang says quite a lot. With the right ‘wok hei’ and balance of sweet savoury and umami, some would argue that the 1 to 2 hour queue is justified.
The Essence Of Asia List
Bangladesh
Haji Biryani, Dhaka
Kasturi, Dhaka
Cambodia
Nesat Seafood House, Phnom Penh
Lum Orng Farm To Table, Siem Reap
The Sugar Palm, Siem Reap
Mainland China
Li Qun Roast Duck, Beijing
Chen Mapo Tofu, Chengdu
102 House, Foshan
Longjing Manor, Hangzhou
Fuchun (Yuyuan Road), Shanghai
Lihuayuan, Wuhan
Hong Kong
Australia Dairy Company
Dignity Kitchen
Kau Kee
Pei Ho Counterparts Roots
Yin Yang Coastal
India
Bengaluru Oota Company, Bangalore
Mum’s Kitchen, Goa
Ahdoo’s, Kashmir
Shree Thaker Bhojanalay, Mumbai
Swati Snacks, Mumbai
Rustom’s, New Delhi
Indonesia
Babi Guling Pande Egi, Bali
KooD, Bali
Pagi Sore, Jakarta
Lupis Mbah Satinem, Yogyakarta
Japan
Natsukashiya, Amami Ōshima
Honke Owariya, Kyoto
Pasania, Osaka
Eatrip, Tokyo
Sincere Blue, Tokyo
Sushi Dai, Tokyo
Laos
Tamarind, Luang Prabang
Doi Ka Noi, Vientiane
Macau
Henri’s Galley
IFT Educational Restaurant
La Famiglia
Malaysia
Artisan Handmade Bread, Ipoh
Kedai Kopi Yee Fung, Kota Kinabalu
Bijan, Kuala Lumpur
Siam Road Char Koay Teow, Penang
Myanmar
Rangoon Tea House, Yangon
Shan Kitchen, Yangon
Shwe Sa Bwe, Yangon
Nepal
Newa Momo Nepal, Kathmandu
Tukche Thakali Kitchen, Kathmandu
Pakistan
N’ecos, Karachi
Waris Nihari, Lahore
Philippines
Farmer’s Daughter, Baguio
|Earth Kitchen, Manila
Hapag, Manila
Bale Dutung, Pampanga
Singapore
Botanico at The Garage
Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap
Keng Eng Kee
Mr. and Mrs. Mohgan’s Super Crispy
Roti Prata
Naked Finn
Restaurant Kin
South Korea
Nangpoonbopsang, Jeju
Base Is Nice, Seoul
Guemdwaeji Sikdang, Seoul
Miro Sikdang, Seoul
Sri Lanka
Café Kumbuk, Colombo
Paradise Road: The Gallery Café, Colombo
Mettha’s Traditional Home Cooked Meals, Unawatuna
Taiwan
Akame, Pingtung
Yu Li Cultural Bookstore and Community Kitchen, Taichung
|Huang’s Lu Rou Fan, Taipei
Plants, Taipei
Thailand
100 Mahaseth, Bangkok
Barefood Bangkok, Bangkok
Na Café at Bangkok 1899, Bangkok
Wattana Panich, Bangkok
Locus Native Food Lab, Chiang Rai
Samuay & Sons, Udon Thani
Vietnam
Pho Gia Truyen, Hanoi
Ngoc Suong Seafood & Bar, Ho Chi Minh City
Pizza 4P’s, Ho Chi Minh City
Madam Khanh – The Banh Mi Queen, Hoi An
#50BestTalks Meets Essence Of Asia
With this year’s #50BestTalks, celebrity chef Gaggan Anand of Gaggan, Bangkok fame and Margarita Forés of Cibo will be giving their two cents of exploring and talking about the culinary scenes in their respective cities, Bangkok and Manila, providing insights into the food industry. Tune in at 4.00 pm on Thursday 18th March 2021 for Gaggan Anand and Saturday 20th March 20201 for Margarita Forés.
The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant 2021 will be televised live on the 50 Best Facebook Page on 25th March 2021.
For all 50 Best related content, see 50 Best.
| PHOTOGRAPHY: ASIA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS & NICHOLAS NG | WEBSITE: ESSENCE OF ASIA |