u m a m i: 1st Annual Asia Pacific Best Restaurant List

Aprl_sidebar_small

Chubby Hubby came up with this survey to give recognition to the many excellent restaurants in our region. Here we go.

Best 2 restaurants in Singapore

Crystal Jade Palace, Ngee Ann City: It may be off the radar for many foodies since it is unfashionable but I like that it has been quietly and consistently serving excellent Cantonese food along with impeccable service for as long as I can remember, well, ever since I moved back to this city 12 years ago. There may be some dilution of standards in some Crystal Jade outlets due to competition with the Imperial Treasure/ My Choice Dining group but this flagship place (the last time I visited it was undergoing renovations and temporarily occupying the space that is Hu Cui) still manages to uphold its quality and continue to surprise our occasional jaded palates.
Oso Ristorante, 27 Tanjong Pagar Rd: It never disappoints. The smooth and discrete white linen service, unfussy yet flawless cooking, understated elegant space, all come rhythmically together to guarantee memorable meals, seemingly without much effort at all.

Favourite restaurant in Singapore:

Kuriya, Shaw Centre: We love our Japanese restaurants and wish there is room to name more (well if you wish to know- Tenshin, Kazu, Tonkichi) but one place that we go back again and again is this casual, unassuming all-rounder Japanese restaurant. They have a good mastery of standard dishes be it sashimi, sushi, grilled foods, simmered foods and noodles. The approachable counter staff and helpful wait staff make every visit stress- free and enjoyable. The prices are reasonable too, compared to its more fancy Kuriya Dining cousin and other more expensive sushi joints in town.

3 best restaurants from outside Singapore

Fernando's, Coloane Macau: There is no point visiting Macau without eating at this rustic Portugese restaurant. Unpretentious setting, cheerful service and above all, deeply satisfying finger-licking good food (OMG the potato wedges that makes me drool even in my sleep!)
Whampoa Club, Three on The Bund, Shanghai: Creative and utterly delectable Shanghainese cuisine that manages to be, surprise surprise, tasty without resorting to copious quantities of indispensable, to mainland Chinese cooks anyway, triumvirate of MSG, sugar and oil.
Third Floor, Marriot Hotel, Kuala Lumpur: This self-assured restaurant serves modern, edgy fusion cooking with great flair and aplomb. The food is always exciting, they are not stingy with the truffle butter spread, and the sauces are so masterfully rendered I could just lick the plates clean if no-one was looking.

2 favourite restaurants outside Singapore:

Madam Kwan's, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur: A household name when it used to be Sakura, it has never loosened its grip on our family's collective palate. Again and again we return to indulge in their super-shiok chicken curry, Ipoh hor fun, Nasi Lemak, Nasi Bojari and rich santan-based desserts.
Greyhound Cafe, Emporium, Bangkok: When in doubt about your next good meal in Bangkok, Greyhound Cafe is the answer. Street food made even more yummy with modern touches, I've seldom been disappointed here.

I have to add too that it was difficult to nominate the restaurants. There are so many other deserving places but one have to narrow the choices eventually. Also, "best" is a highly subjective term, and as Chubby Hubby did not specify his criterion for this category, this exercise was made even more difficult- do I award extra points for innovative cooking, gorgeous ambience, sterling wine lists, what? In the end I closed my eyes and the nominated names just seemed to shimmer on my consciousness, really, as indiscriminate and subjective as that.