Three Indian restaurants named among Asia’s Top 50

Three Indian restaurants have featured in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants published by William Reed Business Media Ltd. Taking the 21st and the 22nd spots are Masque in Mumbai and Indian Accent in Delhi, while Megu in New Delhi grabbed the 49th spot. Moreover, this year’s edition has a new ‘best restaurant’. The latest list, published on March 29, places Den in Tokyo in the top spot.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled after votes by a panel of over 350 food writers, critics, restaurateurs, chefs and food aficionados. The first of the lists was published in 2013. This year’s list is the 10th edition.

Masque

Founded by chef Prateek Sadhu and director Aditi Dugar, Masque revolves around a tasting menu-only concept. It focuses on seasonal and local Indian ingredients. Sadhu and Dugar aimed to change the way Indian food is perceived around the world, the report added, elaborating on why the restaurant was picked to feature on the list. Sadhu left the restaurant in 2020. 

“By putting the focus on indigenous ingredients and transforming traditional recipes into modern and elegant dishes, it is crafting new Indian flavours and dreaming of developing a strong legacy for the country’s cuisine,” it said. 

It offers scrumptious dishes such as french lychee stuffed with mango-kimchi gel, gongura greens and jicama, kholal with lamb neck or turnip, and moral shabdeg curry with a duck or lotus stem kebab.

Masque was added to the ‘One To Watch Award for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2020’ list four years after its opening. 

Indian Accent

Indian Accent was founded by chef Manish Mehrotra. The menu offers the country’s cuisine with a creative touch, complete with global ingredients and techniques. Small bites such as the pumpkin bitterballen with mustard and coconut, and squash curry with paneer and roast potato are some of the popular choices. The dessert menu with contenders such as soft baked chocolate with fresh berries and basundi is also one-of-a-kind.

“Indian Accent never fails to impress with its winning combination of creative modern dishes and warm hospitality. Season after season, chef Manish Mehrotra’s inventive tasting menus add an international accent to his country’s cuisine by mixing in global ingredients and techniques,” the report added. 

Indian Accent also has a successful branch in New York. 

Megu

Located on the ground floor of The Leela, Megu is a Japanese restaurant that also boasts an excellent sake menu. The miso grilled chicken with charred scallions, the sweet and tangy 24-hour braised pork belly, or the Scottish salmon steak with teriyaki sauce are some of the dishes that found mention on the list. 

The wine and sake menus are likely to have helped Megu bag its spot on the list. “With over 60 to choose from, including a sparkling variety infused with tropical fruits and candied citrus, there is a glass to complement every dish. Try a tipple with the signature yellowtail carpaccio or the salmon tartare,” the report added. 

Top 10

The Top 10 restaurants in Asia are as follows – Den (Tokyo), Sorn (Bangkok), Florilege (Tokyo), Le Du (Bangkok), The Chairman (Hong Kong), La Cime (Osaka), Suhring (Bangkok), Odette (Singapore), Neighborhood (Hong Kong) and Nusara (Bangkok).

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