GAGGAN, A FORMIDABLE Bangkok restaurant specialising in “progressive Indian cuisine”, has again been named the best place to eat in both Thailand and all of Asia.

So it was only fitting that Thailand play host for the first time to the “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards, and to cap off the occasion on Monday night at the W Bangkok Hotel, three other eateries in the city consolidated their positions on the list.

An audience comprised of Asia’s most celebrated chefs and restaurateurs and other industry VIPs watched as the fourth edition of the awards placed Nahm at No 8 on the list, Issaya Siamese Club at No 19 (up 20 places from last year), and Eat Me at No 23.

David Thompson, the acclaimed chef at both Nahm and Long Chim in Singapore, also received the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

There are 10 new entries on this year’s list, three of them in Japan. Shanghai and Hong Kong account for 13 of the gourmet locations and Singapore and Japan each have 10. With 13 nations represented, the 2016 list includes restaurants from more countries than ever before, underscoring the rich variety in dining experiences available across the region.

Gaggan retains the dual titles of Best Restaurant in Asia and Best Restaurant in Thailand, both honours sponsored by S Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. It’s a brace of fresh feathers in the tall chef’s cap of Gaggan Anand, who reinterprets traditional Indian cuisine with modernist techniques, drawing inspiration from the street food of Kolkata, his hometown.

His approach is inventive, adventurous and highly individual, yet respectful to India’s culinary legacy. His restaurant debuted on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No 17 in 2014 and by last year was ranked 10th, as well as No 1 in Asia.

“Winning at home is the sweetest,” Anand said in an acceptance speech. “Last year I travelled a lot and I ate at prime restaurants in Asia, and I didn’t know if ranking even mattered. But then I looked at my gurus, people I used to read about in books – [Yoshihiro] Narisawa, Paul Pairet – and they were the finest meals I ever had. Thank you, Thailand!”

Asked afterward what the double triumph means to him, Anand said winning for two consecutive years “gives you more confidence”.

“Our restaurant has changed a lot since last year. So this was like being in school and waiting for your exam results,” said the 36-year-old, who always says his heart belongs to India but his soul is in Thailand.

“One of the great things about the award is that talented chefs are always being discovered. I never knew there’d be a great female chef in the Philippines or a great pastry chef in Singapore. Now I’m excited to go to Japan and try Chef Kawate [Hiroyasu Kawate at Florilege].

“There are also a lot of young chefs who aren’t on the list but want to be,” he said. “In 2007 I wanted to be where I am today, so just imagine in another five years, when there’ll be new talents on the list offering something new and exciting!”

Anand was asked what his restaurant could possibly do for an encore, only to reveal that it will close in 2020.

“We’re halfway on our journey. I have told our partners that we’re going to run the restaurant for another five years. A restaurant like this gets saturated, and in 10 years we won’t want to be cooking anymore – we’ll be grumpy at every chef and every customer. We don’t want to get to that point.”

Anand said he and his staff are currently conducting “a lab, the only one of its kind in Asia”. He called it a “research centre” to examine all they’ve accomplished in the past five years and suggest where they might be headed in the next five.

“We don’t know what we’ll be doing then. I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow! We could be more playful to fuel the energy for the restaurant for the next five years. But 2020 will be the last year of Gaggan for sure. Then I might be doing something else – a rock band, perhaps?”

The best restaurant in Japan and ranking second on the Asia list is Narisawa, headed by Yoshihiro Narisawa, whom Anand so admires. It and four others in Japan are in the top 20, joined on the list by three newcomers – La Maison De La Nature Goh in Fukuoka (No 31), Den in Tokyo (No 37) and Kikunoi in Kyoto (No 42).

Singapore’s best restaurant is Andre, where Andre Chiang’s cooking has elevated its status two places to No 3. Chiang also impressed diners in Taipei at his restaurant abruptly named Raw, which enters the list at No 46.

Also noted in Singapore are long-time favourites Waku Ghin (No 6), Les Amis (No 12) and Burnt Ends (No 14) and new inductees Corner House (No 17) and Wild Rocket (No 38).

In Hong Kong, Amber at No 4 reclaims the title of best restaurant in China from last year’s winner, Ultraviolet, which has slipped to No 7. There are nine Hong Kong restaurants on this year’s list, including the new kid on the block, Ta Vie, at No 48.

Added to the list at No 15, Mingles in Seoul is another with dual reasons to celebrate. It’s the highest-ranked new entry as well as the Best Restaurant in South Korea.

The best in the Philippines is Gallery Vask in Manila (No 39), while Locavore in Bali (No 49) is tops in Indonesia. And India’s finest place to dine for a second consecutive year is Indian Accent in New Delhi, rising 13 places to No 9.

Rounding out the winners’ circle are Le Mot (No 30), retaining its best-restaurant-in-Taiwan title; Ministry of Crab in Colombo (No 31), the best in Sri Lanka; and Cambodia’s favourite, Cuisine Wat Damnak in Siem Reap (No 43).

On the Web:

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