Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021: 11 from Hong Kong make list, The Chairman named No 1 – a first for city, and for a Chinese-cuisine restaurant

The small, socially distanced group of staff, regular guests and supporters watching the big screen in the downstairs dining room at The Chairman, a Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong’s Central district, waited breathlessly, then screamed with joy.

On a live stream from London, the master of ceremonies had just announced the restaurant in second place on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants (A50 Best) list for 2021: Odette, in Singapore.

This meant only one thing: that The Chairman, a “modern classic” Cantonese restaurant in Kau U Fong, had taken the No 1 spot – the first time since A50Best was started in 2013 that the top spot had gone to a Hong Kong restaurant, and to a Chinese-cuisine restaurant.

It swapped places with last year’s number one, Odette, the fine-dining French establishment led by Julien Royer, who also has Louise restaurant at PMQ in Hong Kong.

Before the awards ceremony began, Danny Yip, owner of The Chairman, said he didn’t think the restaurant had a chance at getting up to number one. “People haven’t been travelling to Hong Kong, so there’s no hope,” he said.

Upon hearing his restaurant had placed first, he said: “I can’t believe it! We would have been happy to be in the top 10 – this is unbelievable. There are so many good restaurants in Asia, so many other deserving places.

Hong Kong scores in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings for 2020

“This award makes all the hard work worth it. I’m very proud of the team. Being the first number one Hong Kong Chinese restaurant on the list means a lot to us.”

The Chairman, which opened in 2009, made its entry at number 18 on the inaugural A50 Best list in 2013, fell off the list the following year, but since 2015 has been a steady presence. It’s also the only Hong Kong restaurant on the World’s 50 Best list, which was last released in 2019 (no list was issued in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic).

A50 Best, run by William Reed business media, is an offshoot of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, which started in 2002.

The results for Hong Kong were very impressive this year – it has 11 restaurants on the list, more than Japan, with nine, and Singapore, with eight. Making its debut in the rankings is Mono in Central, opened in 2019 by Venezuelan chef Ricardo Chaneton, which came in at 44. It’s the only Latin American restaurant on the list.

Two Hong Kong restaurants that had previously been on the list returned - Ta Vie in Central, the French-Japanese establishment by Hideaki Sato, in 38th spot, and Caprice, at the Four Seasons, by chef Guillaume Galliot, in 28th spot.

The other Hong Kong restaurants ranked include Neighborhood, in Central, which climbed two spots from 19 to 17, and VEA Restaurant & Lounge, also in Central, which fell to 16th, from 12th last year, and which won the A50 Best’s Art of Hospitality award.

Cantonese restaurant Seventh Son in Wan Chai fell from 25th to 48th, Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons dropped from 33 to 47, and Belon, which recently reopened after moving to another space and changing chefs, went from fourth to 25. Amber at the Landmark Mandarin in Central fell from 31 to 37 and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Central from 32 to 33.

China had only one restaurant on the list, Fu He Hui in Shanghai, in 22nd spot. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, in 41st place last year, fell out of the top 50 onto the A50 Best’s extended list of 51-100, placing 52nd. Ensue, the restaurant in Shenzhen, southern China, opened in 2019 by Christopher Kostow, of Restaurant at Meadowood, in California, debuted on the list in 69th place.

Special awards for 2021 include Asia’s best female chef, given to Hong Kong-born DeAille Tam, of Obscura, in Shanghai; best pastry chef Angela Lai of Tairroir in Taipei; the chef’s choice award, given to Kang Min-goo of Mingles in Seoul, South Korea; the “one to watch” award (for an up-and-coming establishment) to Meta, in Singapore; and the “icon” award, presented to Supinya Junsuta, the septuagenarian chef behind Jay Fai, a street stall famous for its crab omelette, in Bangkok, Thailand, and which came in at 62nd on the extended list.

In addition to adding the extended list of 51-100, A50 Best 2021 launched the Essence of Asia, an unranked list celebrating smaller or lesser-known restaurants that are important to a city’s culture and community.

In Hong Kong, they are Australian Dairy Company in Jordan; Kau Kee – beef brisket specialists in Central; Yin Yang Coastal by chef Margaret Xu in Ting Kau, Tsuen Wan; Dignity Kitchen, a social enterprise in Mong Kok that benefits differently abled young people; Pei Ho Counterparts in Sham Shui Po, which gives food to those in need; and Roots in Wan Chai, a restaurant by chef Stephanie Wong.

For A50 Best, Asia is divided into six voting regions: India and the Subcontinent; Southeast Asia – South; Southeast Asia – North; Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau; mainland China and Korea; and Japan. “Academy chairs” for each region select voters, who can be chefs and restaurateurs, food journalists and bloggers, and well-travelled food lovers. (This writer is academy chair for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.)

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the voting process was changed slightly from previous years, and the voters were asked to choose the seven best restaurant experiences (down from 10) they’ve had within Asia in the past 18 months.

The voting process is online and anonymous, and results are independently adjudicated by Deloitte.