Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants unveiled its extended list in which it named the dining establishments that made it to its 51-100 list. Six restaurants from Hong Kong are included in the ranking: Xin Rong Ji, Ta Vie, Vea, Estro, Godenya, and Howard’s Gourmet.
Tokyo and Singapore each have eight restaurants on the list — the highest number of entries — followed by Bangkok (7), Hong Kong, Seoul (5), Shanghai (3) and Mumbai (3). Twelve restaurants made their debut in the rankings, which includes Howard’s Gourmet from Hong Kong.
Xin Rong Ji, No. 52 (No. 99 in 2023)
This Shanghai-based restaurant in Hong Kong focuses on Taizhou cuisine, which is known for its seafood. Some standouts on their menu include sautéed rice cakes with cuttlefish and their ink, and Peking duck.
Location: 1/F & G/F, China Overseas Building, 138 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai
Contact: +852 3462 3516
Ta Vie, No. 55 (No. 53 in 2023)
The Hideaki Sato-helmed Ta Vie is driven by the chef’s passion for cooking and experimental approach. This results in original creations made with ingredients sourced mainly from Sato’s home country of Japan, such as the Charcoal grilled Nozaki beef rib-eye smoked with hoba leaf and Shiro ebi and green asparagus tartare topped with Oscietra caviar.
Location: Shop 3, 2/F, The Pottinger, 74 Queen’s Road Central, Central
Contact: Website | Facebook | Instagram | +852 2668 6488
Vea, No. 68 (No. 100 in 2023)
The dishes at this restaurant are an expression of Chef Vicky Cheng’s culinary skills — which you can witness thanks to the open kitchen — and are a culmination of his Chinese heritage and French training. Each dish in the restaurant’s eight-course tasting menu tells a story about Hong Kong’s food culture and the chef’s childhood memories.
Location: The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central
Contact: Website | Facebook | Instagram | +852 2711 8639
Estro, No. 71 (No. 62 in 2023)
This restaurant opened in 2021 and debuted on this list in 2023. Diners can choose between the six- and eight-course menus crafted by Naples-born Antimo Maria Merone who uses modern techniques to elevate classic Neapolitan cuisine and to tell personal stories associated with each dish. Highlights include the handmade bottoni pasta stuffed with parmesan emulsion with a saffron glaze, and red prawn panna cotta topped with caviar.
Location: 2/F, 1 Duddell Street, Central
Contact: Website | Facebook | Instagram | +852 9380 0161
Godenya, No. 88 (No. 64 in 2022)
Chef Shinya Goshima devises his dishes around the sake he wants to pair it with, and the menu indicates each wine’s name, grade, and at the temperature it should be served — some of which include rare labels. The restaurant is booked out months in advance for its sole omakase menu featuring kappo dishes made with seasonal produce.
Location: Upper G/F, 182 Wellington Street, Central
Contact: Website | Facebook | +852 6713 5917
Howard’s Gourmet, No. 100 (New entry)
Guangzhou celebrity foodie Howard Cai crafts dishes based on the produce he gets that day. This has made Howard’s Gourmet one of the high points of Hong Kong’s culinary scene, along with its gilded bar and floor-to-ceiling views of Victoria Harbour.
Location: 5/F, CCB Tower, 3 Connaught Road Central, Central
Contact: Website | Facebook | Instagram | +852 2115 3388
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2024 will be announced on March 26 in a presentation ceremony in Seoul. Hong Kong has already been represented in the pre-announced award category when The Chairman’s Danny Yip was awarded the Icon Award – Asia 2024 for his efforts in showcasing traditional Cantonese cuisine on the global stage.
Last year, five restaurants from the SAR were featured in the top 50 — The Chairman, Neighborhood, Wing, Mono, and Caprice — in addition to the eight Hong Kong establishments that were included in the 2023 51-100 list.
Header image credits: Howard’s Gourmet, Ta Vie, Estro