The awards are a local version of the global World's 50 Best Restaurants, by San Pellegrino, and have come to be known as the definitive ranking for top restaurants in the world.

 

The traditional Thai food of David Thompson’s Nahm at the Metropolitan Hotel beat off rivals from such cuisine capitals as Tokyo and Hong Kong to be named best in the region. 

 

Thompson, whose now closed Nahm in London became the first Thai restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star, known for his focus on using traditional ingredients and for hunting down rare recipes was praised for his commitment to Thai cuisine.

 

“Thompson’s close attention … , makes Nahm a shining example of fine Thai cuisine and a restaurant worthy to sit on any galloping gastronomes’ list of must-visit destinations,” Asia 50's Best Restaurants wrote. 

 

Nahm moved up from ranking third at the 2013 Awards and in the process managed to dethrone last year’s winner, the sustainable two-Michelin Star French cuisine of Narisawa in Tokyo.

 

Despite the high praise Thompson did receive some pretty unwarranted criticism when he first opened Nahm back in 2010, with many locals complaining that foreigners couldn’t cook Thai food as well as Thais, and that his food was overpriced. Check out our interviews with Thompson here and here.

 

Nahm’s victory was not the only success story for Thailand at the ceremony with the molecular wizardry of Chef Gaggan Annand’s progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan finishing in an impressive third spot. The judges stated that “Anand’s restless creativity and sense of fun has helped Gaggan become one of Asia’s most fashionable destination restaurants.” We discovered that he has both in spades in a recent interview and learnt how his passion for food is driving him on to perfection.

 

Further down the list the Thai with a contemporary twist of Sra Bua by KiinKiin was at 21, former Alumni of Thompson’s Nahm in London Bo and Dylan and their Thai restaurant Bo.Lan came in at 28 ,while Ian Kittichai’s Issaya Siamese Club was a newcomer to the list at 31, with Tim Butler and Eat Me completing the list from a Bangkok and Thai perspective at 37. 

 

See the full list here.