As with the official 50 Best list, those polled for this feature were a mix of food and beverage professionals, writers and food lovers/gourmands. Following the same rules, they could pick five restaurants, with no more than three from our 'region'. The region comprises Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, while the mainland and Korea are considered a separate region. At least two of the restaurants on their list had to be outside the region - in other words, any other place in the world. They had to have eaten at the restaurants at some time within the past 18 months, they couldn't vote for any places they were affiliated with, and they were required to select the restaurants in their order of preference. Unlike the San Pellegrino/Restaurant Magazine guide, they were also asked to give a reason why they picked each restaurant.
