(Mar 29): The chef who built a menu out of emojis has done it again.

Bangkok’s Gaggan restaurant has just topped the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for a fourth consecutive year.

The Indian eatery, renowned for its 25-course tasting menu illustrated only with emoji symbols, eclipsed stiff competition from Tokyo, with Den and Florilege, taking second and third spots respectively.

Den's garden salad with a single ant.Photographer: Shinichiro Fujii

The winners were announced at a ceremony at Wynn Palace in Macau. The list is chosen by a panel of more than 300 food writers, critics, chefs and restaurateurs spanning six geographical regions. Each expert picks 10 restaurants and lists them in order of preference. They must have eaten at every restaurant on their list within the previous 18 months.

Rounding out the top five were modern German spot Suhring in Bangkok and French restaurant Odette in Singapore.

In total Tokyo had four restaurants in the top 10, doubling its 2017 tally, with Narisawa coming in at number six and Nihonryori RyuGin at number nine. Bangkok had a respectable showing with Suhring (in fourth place) and Nahm (in 10th) joining Gaggan.

Things weren’t so rosy for Hong Kong, with Amber slipping from third to seventh, and 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana dropping from fourth to languish outside the top 10 at number 13.

Odette's Escargot Tart.Source: The Lo & Behold Group

Odette was Singapore’s highest ranked establishment, up four places on last year. Restaurant Andre, which bagged the number two spot last year, was a notable absence after chef-owner Andre Chiang closed the doors in February this year.

After his win last year, Gaggan Anand shocked the foodie world by announcing that he would shut down his award-winning restaurant in 2020. He told Bloomberg that he planned to move to Japan and open several new restaurants, drawing on Buddhist principles.

Chef Gaggan Anand.Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

“We have really worked hard, hard to be a stronger team,” he said today before learning he had won. “So whatever the result is today, we party hard and continue to make our guests lick the plates.”

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is published by William Reed Business Media. The World’s 50 Best will be revealed at a ceremony in Bilbao, Spain, in June.

The Winners

  1.     Gaggan, Bangkok
  2.     Den, Tokyo
  3.     Florilege, Tokyo
  4.     Suhring, Bangkok
  5.     Odette, Singapore
  6.     Narisawa, Tokyo
  7.     Amber, Hong Kong
  8.     Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai
  9.     Nihonryori RyuGin, Tokyo
  10.     Nahm, Bangkok
  11.     Mingles, Seoul
  12.     Burnt Ends, Singapore
  13.     8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, Hong Kong
  14.     Le Du, Bangkok
  15.     Raw, Taipei
  16.     Ta Vie, Hong Kong
  17.     La Cime, Osaka
  18.     Mume, Taipei
  19.     Indian Accent, New Delhi
  20.     L’Effervescence, Tokyo
  21.     Locavore, Bali
  22.     The Chairman, Hong Kong
  23.     Waku Ghin, Singapore
  24.     Lung King Heen, Hong Kong
  25.     Minstry of Crab, Colombo
  26.     Jungsik, Seoul
  27.     Sushi Saito, Tokyo
  28.     Il Ristorante – Luca Fantin, Tokyo
  29.     Les Amis, Singapore
  30.     Fu He Hui, Shanghai
  31.     Paste, Bangkok
  32.     Neighborhood, Hong Kong
  33.     Eat Me, Bangkok
  34.     Hajime, Osaka
  35.     Jade Dragon, Macao
  36.     Corner House, Singapore
  37.     Bo Lan, Bangkok
  38.     Quintessence, Tokyo
  39.     Issaya Siamese Club, Bangkok
  40.     Belon, Hong Kong
  41.     Ronin, Hong Kong
  42.     TocToc, Seoul
  43.     The Dining Room at the House on Sathorn, Bangkok
  44.     Jaan, Singapore
  45.     Nihonbashi, Colombo
  46.     Caprice, Hong Kong
  47.     Shoun RyuGin, Taipei
  48.     La Masion de la Nature Goh, Fukuoka, Japan
  49.     Wasabi by Morimoto, Mumbai
  50.     Whitegrass, Singapore