Asia's food and beverage industry is attracting attention from around the world.
What are the restaurants ranked in the "50 best restaurants"?

"I never expected the coronavirus pandemic to last this long..."

The results of "Asia's 9 Best Restaurants", which will be held for the 50th time this year, were announced on March 2021, 3. San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna serve as international sponsors of Asia's largest restaurant competition held once a year. In the past, it has been held in major cities such as Singapore, Bangkok, and Macau, and all of these events bring together star chefs from all over Asia, as well as famous foodies and media from around the world who want to witness the moment. It was a great event, but the aspect was quite different between last year and this year due to the recent situation.

This day was held at ``The Kahala Hotel & Resort Yokohama,'' which had just been completed in Yokohama's Minato Mirai district in September last year, but even though the state of emergency has been lifted, the situation is still far from allowing people to enjoy the festival atmosphere. The attendees were aware of this, and even though everyone who entered the venue said the opening words at the very beginning, they still seemed to be deeply moved by the fact that the award ceremony was being held. there were.

"We couldn't even decide whether or not to hold the event for a long time. At the end of 2020, we finally received a notice from our home country office that they wanted to properly publish the voting results," says the longtime chairman of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Takanori Nakamura serves as the man.

“It has been almost a year since the extraordinary situation in which travel and eating and drinking were restricted all over the world.The world has changed and we have been forced to live in a way we have never experienced before.The deceased and their families It's heartbreaking to think about this, but the hardships the food and beverage industry is going through are also unbearable.The one good thing about the coronavirus pandemic is knowing that it will end in the near future. When the time comes for us to travel to restaurants, a list of attractive restaurants is absolutely necessary to support the food and beverage industry in Asia. I'm really glad that we decided to hold this event in order to bring back that excitement."

``Consideration and effort'' are featured throughout the evaluation.
How do you view and think about this year's results?

Normally, the awards ceremony for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants would be filled with flashy performances, flamboyantly dressed hoodies, and journalists from all over the world. Unfortunately, this year, as with the Olympics, it was not possible for athletes from other countries to participate, so a large monitor was set up at the venue, and the rankings were announced by the secretariat, the UK, in a simultaneous worldwide broadcast. Let's start with the results of the Japanese team.

Nine stores from Japan ranked within the top 50. Starting with "Japanese Cuisine Ryugin" which ranked 9th, "La Maison de la Naturegaux" (35th), "Ode" (30th), "Les Felvessons" (27th), "Cha" The final results were ``Zenka'' (19th place), ``NARISAWA'' (12th place), ``Raseem'' (9th place), ``Florerege'' (8th place), and ``Den'' (7rd place). It's not much different from last year, but from spring 3 to the present, boaters, who have the right to vote and decide the outcome, have been largely prohibited from traveling overseas. Japan, an island country, is naturally at a disadvantage compared to other countries, and considering that, it is easy to imagine how well the fact that there has been no major change reflects how well Japan has put up a good fight.

Of particular note is ``Les Felvessons,'' which came in 19th place. Last year it was 48th. Chef Fuminobu Namae, who was interviewed, analyzed the results in his own way.

"Last year, I thought we might not be able to make it next year. However, right after that, a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo, and the food and beverage industry was in a terrible state. At that time, our owner said, ``It's okay. Please don't worry. Let's all work together and find something to do without giving up on the restaurant industry.''We opened just before the Great Tohoku Earthquake and experienced a period when we had no customers. I feel like my experience has become a stepping stone for how to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.I've been in contact not only in the kitchen, but also with producers and local chefs outside the restaurant, encouraging each other to work together. I am moved by the fact that I received such a warm award.''

The words Namae said were ``a warm award.'' This is also the guideline for the ``50 Best Restaurants.'' The eternal rule of the "50 Best Restaurants" is to make a list of "great restaurants" rather than "fine restaurants." ``Den,'' which has maintained the Japanese lead for four years in a row, was praised by all the foodies as ``having a strong charm that makes you want to come back again,'' and was even awarded an award for its hospitality.

Hasegawa, the head chef at Den, said, ``Hong Kong's ``Chairman,'' which won first place this time, is definitely one of the restaurants that I want to come back to.I love (chef) Danny, and I love restaurants like this. I thought it would be great if I could come in first place, but it actually happened," he commented cheerfully.

Originally, a major feature of the ``50 Best Restaurants'' compared to other restaurant competitions was that chefs were highly praised for their ability to send messages to society, but unexpectedly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, chefs who excel in their ability to send messages to society even more. This may have led to the attention it received.

11 “New Entries”!
What Japanese teams should aim for in the future is training the next generation?

There are other things worth noting. One of the reasons is that 50 new stores were added to the ranking out of the 11 in Asia as a whole. It is a pity that not a single Japanese restaurant entered the new entry slot. However, Ryogo Tahara, who heads Logy (Taipei), who ranked 1th in his first appearance, previously served as sous chef under Hiroyasu Kawate at Florilage. Youth and lack of popularity were not a hindrance; the restaurant, which started with all Taiwanese except for the chef Tahara, made it into the ranking two years after it opened, and Tahara's talent is of course important, as is the new hero. The deep pockets of the Asian food and beverage industry, which supported the birth of the company, are also significant.

Just as Tahara has achieved a great position overseas, there should be more opportunities for young overseas talent to be evaluated in the Japanese food and beverage industry. I believe that this will lead to raising the standard of the food and beverage industry in this country.

Now, this is our first attempt to announce the rankings from 51st to 100th, which may help usher in the emergence of new star chefs. This is because the results show an unprecedented trend.

Natsuko Shoji, who runs été, was awarded ``Asia's Best Pastry Chef'' last year. This time, she came in 83rd place as a restaurant. There is probably no other company that has made a name for itself in two fields: pastries and restaurants. She is still young, at 31 years old, and as she herself has said, ``The summit she is aiming for is still far away.''

Ken Sakamoto of ``cenci'' visited the venue for the first time, and Hiroshi Kobayashi of ``Villa Aida'' runs a store in Wakayama. Tensushi Kyomachi, which unfortunately did not participate in the award ceremony, but came in 71st place, is also located in Kitakyushu City. With the spread of remote work, an increasing number of people are living in their favorite areas, but in the food and beverage industry, "local gastronomy" has been a trend worldwide for several years, and as more and more people go to rural areas, local gastronomy is becoming more popular. so that the famous restaurants of

Looking at these things from a bird's-eye view, it can be said that although the means of travel have been cut off due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world has become closer together. I believe that both the chefs who make the food and the customers who eat it have become able to approach food more freely and in a variety of ways.

Looking beyond Asia,
Naturally, new ways to eat and drink will open up.

Now that we are shut down and unable to move freely, I wonder what kind of food we will be looking for after the coronavirus subsides. Takanori Nakamura says that his yearning for travel is increasing to no end, and goes on to say, ``I think the results of next year and the year after will be very different.'' According to him, people start choosing food with a new mindset, they search for restaurants in search of a food culture they're not familiar with, and they choose restaurants because they're more attracted to the chef's humanity and character. The standards will change.

What can we do in the future to ensure that Japanese restaurants and Japanese chefs are successful overseas and that this country's gastronomy and aesthetic sense are appreciated? This time, I was impressed by the words spoken by Ikuo Maeda, a car designer and managing executive officer of local event partner Mazda.

``I have been in the car industry for a long time.This time, I had the opportunity to get a glimpse into the world of food professionals, and it really resonated with me.The reason is that I thought that chefs and designers are very similar. I think there are many things we can do to show off Japan's food culture and aesthetic sense to the world, but as creators we need more than just improving our skills to reach out to the world. I think those who can think about what constitutes a square in order to compete will be able to win the highest honor."

I'm looking forward to seeing Asia's 2022 Best Restaurants in 50. And while I look forward to the day when the food and beverage industry can come back to life, I would like to spend some quiet time for now.

(Titles omitted)

Takanori Nakamura
Chairman of "World's 50 Best Restaurants"
columnist
Born in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. She is active in magazines, newspapers, and TV, focusing on fashion, culture, gourmet food, travel, hotels, and other luxury lifestyle themes. In 2007, he was awarded the title of Chevalier of the French Order of Champagne. In 2010, he was also awarded the title of Knight of Cava by Spain. Since 2013, he has served as the Japan Council Chairman for the World's 50 Best Restaurants. He is a XNUMXth dan kendo teacher. He is a tea ceremony professor at the Dainippon Tea Ceremony Society. His books include ``THE CIGAR LIFE,'' co-authored with Mamoru Hiromi and Takanori Nakamura (Ota Publications), and ``Pilgrimage Training of Famous Restaurant Recipes - The Secret of the Taste I Learned by Making It'' (Sekai Bunkasha).