SINGAPORE — Two Singapore restaurants made their debut on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list, announced on March 26 in Seoul, South Korea.

Lolla, a restaurant in Ann Siang Hill headed by chef Johanne Siy, 42, came in at No. 43. She had been named Asia's Best Female Chef in 2023.

Fine-dining restaurant Seroja in Fraser Street, led by chef Kevin Wong, 29, was named the highest new entry at No. 31.

Singapore has seven other restaurants on the list: Les Amis (No. 38), Labyrinth (No. 30), Meta (No. 28), Born, which debuted in 2023 at No. 36 and climbed to No. 25 in 2024, Euphoria (No. 20), Burnt Ends (No. 15) and Odette, which, at No. 10, is the highest-ranking Singapore restaurant.

Two restaurants on the Top 50 list from 2023, Zen and Cloudstreet, are in the No. 51 to 100 list.

Still, with nine entries, Singapore is the city with the most number of restaurants on the list, followed by Bangkok with eight and Hong Kong with six.

Singaporean chef Jimmy Lim of JL Studio in Taichung, Taiwan, did the Republic proud. His three-Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant re-entered the list at No. 33. It was No. 45 in 2022, but did not make the list in 2023.

Asia's Best Restaurant was Sezanne in Tokyo, serving French food by British chef Daniel Calvert. Florilege, also in Tokyo, was No. 2. In third place was Gaggan Anand in Bangkok.

The ceremony, attended by chefs, restaurateurs and others in the industry, was held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam.

The annual awards is organised by British media company William Reed. The list tabulates votes from 318 food writers and critics, chefs and restaurateurs.

In 2024, panellists could vote for a total of 10 restaurants, including up to seven from their home country, with no obligation to fill in the international votes.

Seroja's chef Wong, whose restaurant serves food inspired by the Malay Archipelago, says of his debut on the list: "I am extremely grateful for the support and so happy that our humble young restaurant, serving Malay Archipelago cuisine, is recognised to be among the top restaurants in Asia.

"It gives us the motivation to continue cooking our hearts out."

The restaurant, which opened in 2022, garnered one Michelin star in 2023 and was awarded Singapore's first green star, given to restaurants that practise sustainability seriously.

On one-Michelin-starred Born's leap from No. 36 to No. 25, chef Zor Tan, 36, says: "We are beyond delighted to have achieved outstanding results this year, surpassing our performance the previous year. Our team's hard work and dedication have truly paid off and we look forward to continuing this upward trajectory."

Chef Julien Royer, 42, of three-Michelin-starred Odette at National Gallery Singapore, marks the restaurant's eighth year on the list. It opened in 2015.

He says: "We're immensely grateful to be recognised by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants for the eighth consecutive year, alongside some of the finest restaurants in Asia.

"This would not have been possible without my amazing team, who inspires me daily; and our community, which has continuously supported us from Day 1. At Odette, our dedication drives us to continuously push our boundaries, always striving to improve each day, all in pursuit of delivering the highest level of hospitality."

The No. 51 to 100 list, released on March 13, included two new Singapore entries — Peach Blossoms at No. 74 and Mustard Seed at No. 81.

They join six other Singapore restaurants — Cloudstreet (No. 82), Summer Pavilion (No. 75), Nae:um (No. 73), Thevar (No. 72), Zen (No. 57) and Jaan by Kirk Westaway (No. 53).

ALSO READ: Kok Sen and Coconut Club return to Michelin's Bib Gourmand list along with 17 new hawker stalls

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.