SINGAPORE — Janice Wong, owner of 2am: Dessert Bar in Singapore, was named Asia’s Best Pastry Chef at the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best restaurants awards, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna and organised by William Reed Business Media, while the S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Singapore award was given to Restaurant Andre, run by Chef Andre Chiang.

Narisawa in Tokyo secured the top spot at the inaugural Asia’s 50 Best restaurants awards, in a list dominated by China (16 restaurants in the top 50), Singapore (10 restaurants) and Japan (9 restaurants).

This for the first time, the organizers of the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list announced a separate list solely for the Asia region. For all the results, click here.

The Singapore restaurants that made the top 50 are: Restaurant Andre (5^th place overall) , Iggy’s (9 ^th), Waku Ghin (11 ^th), Les Amis (14 ^th), Jaan (22 ^th), L’atelier de Joel Robuchon (24 ^th), Shinji By Kanesaka (32 ^th), Osteria Mozza (35 ^th), Gunther’s (42 ^th) and Imperial Treasure (49 ^th). Jaan, which showcase modern French cuisine, was named the ‘One To Watch.’

The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is created from The Diners Club World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of over 900 people considered to be international leaders in the restaurant industry. The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world. Each region has its own panel of 36 members and each member has seven votes, three of which they must cast outside of their region.

Announcing the awards, the organizers stated that Wong was chosen in recognition of “her creation and delivery of a multi-sensory experience for those who taste her desserts combined with her experimentation with sweet and savoury flavours, inspired from her childhood in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan,” while Jaan was singled out for the witty presentation and immaculate execution of the dishes emerging from the kitchen of Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer.

Chef Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre has quickly established himself with a strong following for his Mediterranean-inspired menu that is inspired by his ‘octaphilosophy,’ a term used by Chiang to characterise his culinary style’s eight factors: unique, texture, memory, pure, terroir, salt, south, and artisan.