Page 59 - Hong_Kong_&_Macau's_Best_Restaurants_English_edition

What defines a great restaurant? In our quest to find the
most memorable dining experiences in Hong Kong and
Macau, we discovered a diverse landscape that includes
everything from serious noodle bars to multi-course culinary
nirvanas—proof that the idea of fine dining is no longer
what it used to be. Charmaine Mok lifts the cloche on the
current state of our evolving food scene

or the past six years, we have set had failed to transcend their reputations.
ourselves the challenge of distilling a They rallied behind restaurants they felt
year’s worth of dining experiences into offered more than just a good meal—and
Fa list of 20 exceptional restaurants—a made their voices heard about those whose
task that is, crucially, approached with an standards had slipped. And so, after months
open mind. Joining Hong Kong Tatler’s Dining of anonymous visits, blind voting and
Editor Wilson Fok and myself is the T.Dining deliberating, we are proud to reveal our
panel of reviewers (page 10), a diverse group definitive Top 20 list for the year. There
of experienced food writers and trusted are some old favourites, as well as some
palates who tasted and rated more than 220 surprising new entrants—we think that every
restaurants and bars in Hong Kong and Macau single one should be added to your dining
with us. Each restaurant’s score is based on agenda right now.
four key criteria—food, setting, drinks and
service—and, more importantly, judged in the HOW WE DO IT
context of whether or not it offers something Each restaurant is reviewed anonymously—
exceptional and unique. our reviewers do not make themselves known
The T.Dining Top 20 is not a list of the to the restaurant prior to their visit—and
best restaurants of all time. Given the rated using an extensive scoresheet that takes
volatile nature of the dining scene and the into account more than 35 different points of
continuous evolution that even extends reference including creativity of the plating,
to our all-time favourites, it would be manners of staff, comprehensiveness of the
fruitless—not to mention a bore—to simply drinks list, and whether or not the restaurant
publish a collection of what everyone makes an effort to be environmentally aware.
already knows from years of restaurant Reviewers are also encouraged to include
rankings and Michelin-star accolades. additional notes and comments that are not
What this list aims to do is to showcase covered by the scoring matrix. Following the
the restaurants that we felt offered the completion of the reviews, we compiled the
most exceptional dining experiences of the scores to find the top-rated restaurants—this
year and that have the potential for more year, 70 venues made the cut. Each reviewer
surprises yet to come. was given the list, in alphabetical order and
A restaurant can be technically brilliant with no final scores to influence them, and
and score highly on paper—but can fail to asked to select 20 restaurants they felt were
make it on the list if it appeared perfunctory most deserving of inclusion based on their
or lacked soul, or if we had seen little progress experiences; conversely, they were also asked
or development in the last 12 months. Our to mark down venues that they felt were
reviewers didn’t merely review, tallying points not appropriate. Ultimately, the Top 20 list
on their scoresheets like QC officers—they is an expression of the restaurants that have
also appraised, putting forward their thoughts captured the zeitgeist of the dining scene in
on who had exceeded expectations and who 2017. Flip ahead to read more about them.

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