There were cheers and tears in equal measure as the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards ceremony reached its climax in Tokyo last Tuesday evening.
It was a result for the ages: 11 restaurants from Japan made the cut, including eight in the top 20. If that wasn’t enough, the top prize went to Tokyo’s much loved Den, the first time Japan has taken the ultimate accolade since Narisawa topped the inaugural rankings in 2013.
Held at the plush Palace Hotel, this was the largest iteration of the ceremony since the beginning of the pandemic, held in front of a live (albeit fully masked) audience of over 100. Meanwhile, concurrent events were in progress in Bangkok and Macau, with the prerecorded presentation livestreamed simultaneously to each venue.