Bangkok, 1 March, 2015 – Bangkok successfully hosted the fourth annual awards ceremony to celebrate Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which placed progressive Indian Restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok in the top spot for the second consecutive year while recognising three other Bangkok dining establishments in the top 25.
Held on 29 February, 2016, at the W Bangkok Hotel before an audience of Asia’s most celebrated chefs, restaurateurs and industry VIPs, the awards ceremony is testament to Bangkok’s popularity as the capital of culinary excellence. The significance role the awards play in celebrating the best of the best in the Asian restaurant scene is also recognised by the host country Thailand through a strong presence of high-ranking officials including the Deputy Prime Minister H.E. General Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Minister of Tourism and Sports H.E. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, as well as TAT’s executives.
H.E. Kobkarn said, “We are very pleased that the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant awards ceremony is hosted in Bangkok, which certainly helps enhance the city’s popularity as a diverse gastronomic destination in Asia. I also would like to extend my sincere appreciations to the organisers of the awards ceremony for supporting the region’s economy. By recognising great restaurants, great chefs, and great food, the awards in part help support the local communities who supply ingredients no matter whether they be for dishes served by street-side stalls or sophisticated restaurants.”
In the beginning of the awards ceremony, the video of ‘Discover Amazing Stories of Pad Thai’ was viewed by hundreds of chefs and participants, to be enticed with the hidden stories of its history, ingredients, and the way to cook. Everything instills the sense of ‘Thainess’, the distinctive characteristics found nowhere else, before Pad Thai became a popular recipe worldwide. The story of ‘Pad Thai’ is just the starter of visitors’ countless journeys to Thailand.
The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 recognised Gaggan in Bangkok in top spot for the second consecutive year, thus placing the progressive Indian Restaurant in the dual titles of The Best Restaurant in Asia and The Best Restaurant in Thailand. Its press statement reads, “At his eponymous Bangkok restaurant, Chef Gaggan Anand reinterprets traditional Indian cuisine with modernist cooking techniques. After debuting on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2014 at No. 17, Gaggan rose to No. 10 last year on the global list and No. 1 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.”
Thailand is also represented by three Bangkok establishments; namely, Nahm (No. 8), Issaya Siamese Club, rising 20 places to No. 19, and Eat Me at No. 23.
In addition, David Thompson, the celebrated chef of Nahm in Bangkok and Long Chim in Singapore, has been named the 2016 recipient of The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is voted by members of The Diners Club® Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, comprising over 300 leaders in the restaurant and culinary industries throughout Asia.
Mr. Yuthasak said, “These awards and honours are great news for Bangkok and Thailand as a whole. I would like to extend my congratulations to all the restaurants recognised in the 2016 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. And I must say ‘well done’ to all four Bangkok dining establishments that have made the list, especially for the hard work of Chef Gaggan Anand and his team. Thank you for being a part of the tireless efforts by everyone involved to show how Bangkok, and Thailand, is a popular destination for diverse gastronomy on top of our plethora of unique traditions and charming attractions.”
For a complete list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016, please click here.
Photo* Copyright: Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna
