Amber shines again

Veal cooked in clay and gazpacho at Amber.[Photo provided to China Daily]

China leads Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards with 13 eateries in the 2016 list announced this week, Mike Peters reports.

Amber restaurant in Hong Kong added a bit of extra luster to the two Michelin stars it holds this week, reclaiming the title "Best Restaurant in China" and No 4 in Asia at the 2016 awards for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

Gaggan in Bangkok, where chef Gaggan Anand uses modern cooking techniques to reinterpret traditional Indian cuisine, claimed the No 1 ranking for all of Asia for the second year running.

Last year's top-rated restaurant in China, Ultraviolet in Shanghai, slipped to No 7 in the newest Asia rankings, though chef Paul Pairet took home the chef's choice award voted by his peers. Pairet's other restaurant, Mr & Mrs Bund, ranked 28th.

"Amber has been around for 10 years, going on 11 and it's still prominent," says culinary director Richard Ekkebus, who directs the kitchen at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. "We are reaping the rewards of hard and consistent work, and of never being complacent. I can only do it with the help and support of a great team, especially Maxime Gilbert, Amber's chef de cuisine."

The 2016 list boasts a total of nine Hong Kong restaurants, including longtime favorites Lung King Heen (10th), 8½ Otto E Mezzo Bombana (13th) and The Chairman (27th) as well as first-time entry Ta Vie (48th). Lung King Heen, a Cantonese standout located in the Four Seasons hotel, was the world's first Chinese restaurant to be awarded the coveted Michelin three-star rating.

Taiwan is represented by Le Mout (30th) and Raw (46th), while Macao earned a place with Robuchon Au Dome (35th).