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| (From left) Aun Koh, Pauline Ooi and Tan Su-Lyn at the launch of The Miele Guide |
I was at the Bukhara — and dining incognito. There was an interesting spread in front of me — tandoori prawns and chicken, a juicy leg of lamb, a thick dal and a platter of rotis. I tore a bit of raan and popped it into my mouth with a piece of roti dipped in the dal — and thought about a group of people in Singapore and an Asian restaurant ready reckoner called The Miele Guide.
But let me start at the beginning. Several months ago, I got an e-mail from Singapore. That was when I heard about The Miele Guide, which seeks to do in Asia what Michelin does in other parts of the world.
The guide — sponsored by Miele, a German company that makes home appliances, and produced by a Singapore group, Ate Media — was going to rate the best restaurants in Asia. And I was asked if I would be willing to make a shortlist of 20 Indian restaurants that I had been to and considered among the best in the country.
I made my list — some of the restaurants were in the top–notch hotels, some were standalone restaurants here and there, and a few were those little known eateries where I’ve eaten some of the best food ever.
My list — along with several other food writers’ lists — was then put on the Internet, and people were urged to vote for their favourite restaurants. A total of 2,000 restaurants from 15 countries had to be assessed. A flurry of Net voting took place, and The Miele Guide collated a list of 320 most popular restaurants in Asia. And from this lot, the guide zeroed in on the 20 best restaurants in Asia.
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| Ignatius Chan of Iggy’s, the only joint that has made it to the Restaurant magazine’s top 50 list for the last three years running |
On top of the list was Iggy’s at Singapore. India’s own Bukhara — a restaurant serving North West Frontier cuisine at the ITC Maurya — had been voted the 14th best restaurant in Asia. This was why I had to have a quiet meal at the Bukhara, to write a small restaurant profile. Bukhara, incidentally, was the only Indian restaurant in the list of 20.
The Miele Guide was released in Singapore on October 31. I was present on the occasion as a member of the jury. It was quite a festive launch, and the evening showcased an array of wonderful dishes cooked by some of the best known chefs of the region.
The appetisers had been prepared by Chef Stig Drageide of Mezza9, Grand Hyatt, Singapore. The entrées were cooked by chef Li Shu Tim of One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong, Chef Sufian Zain from Iggy’s and Chef Chris Salans of Mozaic, Bali, Indonesia. The Desserts were by Chef Gottfried Shutzenberger of the Grand Hyatt, Singapore.
The ball was set rolling with Hokkaido scallops with truffle vinaigrette, fresh pickled king salmon with baby vegetables and horseradish cream and seared tuna with a mango salad and coriander oil.
But the dish that I liked the most was from Iggy’s — an eponymous restaurant run by Ignatius Chan. It’s the only restaurant in Southeast Asia to make it to the Restaurant magazine’s 50 best restaurants in the world three years in a row — and this when it itself is just four years old! Its entrée — smoked veal cheeks, truffle mashed Ile de Batz potatoes and braised shallots — was truly delicious.
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| The entrées for The Miele Guide bash were rustled up by Chef Chris Salans of Mozaic, Bali and chef Li Shu Tim of One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong |
It was quite a gala evening — led by the guide’s associate publisher, Pauline Ooi, and Ate Media director Aun Koh and Tan Su-Lyn. The guests — mostly food writers and chefs — wined and dined, and the book was launched with suitable fanfare.
It’s a well brought out guide, with a bright red jacket, and with details of the 300-odd restaurants that have been listed there. This is the first edition of The Miele Guide, so it’s not by any stretch of imagination perfect. And, as India’s music reality show TV viewers would point out, the winner in a show based on votes may well be the most popular, but is not always the best singer.
The guide does not deal with nations in the western part of the continent, or in the south, barring India. The countries that figure in the guide are India, China (in three separate categories — Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Korea, Laos, Camb-odia, Indonesia, Mal-aysia, The Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. The top 20 list is dominated by restaurants from Hong Kong and Singapore — there are eight restaurants from Hong Kong, and four from Singapore. Three of celebrity chef Joel Robuchon’s restaurants — in Hong Kong, Macau and Tokyo — figure in the list of 20.
India’s list is fairly comprehensive — and features some of my favourites. The Delhi list includes Spice Route (Imperial), Dhaba and Sevilla (The Claridges), Dum Pukht and My Humble House (Maurya), The China Kitchen (Hyatt Regency) and Dakshin (Sheraton). Two of Calcutta’s restaurants are there in the list — Oh! Calcutta and Zen at The Park.
Of course, you have to remember that the list has been decided on the strength of popular votes. But I am disappointed to find that three of my favourite places don’t figure in the category of the best Indian restaurants. I think a list is incomplete without Diva and Swagath in Delhi and K.K.’s Fusion in Calcutta.
But then this is just the beginning. I don’t suppose too many Indians voted in their best restaurants, for it’s still something new for most of us. In the coming years, though, I see an Indian wave. There is no one to beat us when it comes to voting!