Desi delights: Three Indian restaurants make it to Asia’s 50 best restaurants

Mar 30, 2023

By: Srishti Magan

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​Asia’s 50 best restaurants 2023​

Since 2013, media company William Reed has been releasing an annual list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants. And in this year’s list, the following three Indian restaurants made it to the top 50:

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​Masque, Mumbai

Ranked 16th on the list, Masque opened in 2016. Set in a former textile mill, the restaurant first entered Asia’s best list in 2021 at the 32nd position. The restaurant is known for its stylish setting and ten-course tasting menu based on local and seasonal ingredients.

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​Indian Accent, Delhi

Chef Manish Mehrotra’s inventive tasting menus helped fine-dining restaurant Indian Accent land the 19th position this year. Indian Accent claims to offer an “inventive approach to Indian cuisine”. It’s situated on Lodhi Road in Delhi and also has an outlet in New York.

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​Avartana, Chennai

Located inside the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai, Avartana is an upscale dining restaurant that combines global cooking techniques with traditional flavours and ingredients, to serve innovative dishes from Southern India. It’s ranked at the 30th position this year.

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​Bangkok and Tokyo dominate the top 10

While the list includes restaurants from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, etc., restaurants from Bangkok and Tokyo dominated the top 10, with four each from these cities. Here are the top three:

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​Asia’s best is Le Du, Bangkok

Le Du in Bangkok first entered the list in 2017 at the 37th position. It has been slowly climbing the charts since then, landing the top spot this year. Michelin-star winner Le Du, which means ‘season’ in Thai, offers four and six-course tasting menus and is the brainchild of celebrity chef, Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn.

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​Sézanne, Tokyo

Ranked second on the list, Sézanne combines classic French food with Asian ingredients. Opened in 2021, the restaurant is headed by British chef Daniel Calvert and is situated in the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi.

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​Nusara, Bangkok​

Bangkok’s Nusara, which is also chef Ton’s venture and serves traditional Thai cuisine, is ranked at number three. Named after chef Ton’s grandmother, Nusara offers a stunning view of Bangkok’s old town that only enhances the dining experience.

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​How’s the list decided?​

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of more than 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, voted for the final list. Voters must have eaten in the restaurants they nominate within the previous 18 months and can’t vote for restaurants they own or have a financial interest in.

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India in the top 10 on travel platform Agoda’s Sustainable Impact Survey 2023