Discover the new vanguard of Asian restaurants redefining fine dining

Gone are the days when the global fine dining scene was dictated by a rigid playbook. The world of gilded dining rooms, starched linen and strict processions of courses has evolved into a varied, dynamic and forward-looking ecosystem – and its epicentre is in Asia. 

Last year, we asked our members to vote for Asia’s best fine dining restaurant in the Cathay Members’ Choice Awards 2025; their response proved the appetite for innovative dining experiences is stronger than ever. From the bustling streets of Bangkok to the trendy neighbourhoods of Seoul, the next generation of chefs is embracing change, and diners are eating it up. 

The rise of experiential dining

Take Gaggan  – Gaggan Anand’s eponymous restaurant in Bangkok. Voted Asia’s best fine dining restaurant by Cathay members, it’s a prime example of abjuring formal settings. Dining here is a full sensory exploration: courses are eaten with hands; music and laughter pulse throughout the dining room; and of course, there’s the famous “Lick It Up” course, during which guests are encouraged to lick up dollops of sweet and savoury gel, jam, chutney and purée. It’s a deliberate subversion of conventional etiquette.

The farm-to-fork movement

While the farm-to-fork movement has global roots, Asian chefs are pushing it into a new realm, moving past the simple act of sourcing locally to tell the story of a specific landscape. 

At Locavore NXT  in Bali, chefs Ray Adriansyah and Eelke Plasmeijer follow a hyper-local ethos: if it’s not grown or raised in Indonesia, it’s not on the menu. Their latest Nature’s Compass 2.0 tasting menu celebrates Indonesian and Balinese produce, utilising indigenous ingredients from peel to pip. The result is a powerful statement on sustainability and our relationship with nature.

Across the Java Sea, PRU  in Phuket champions a community-to-fork gastronomy experience. From the locally caught fish to the clay plates handcrafted by Thai artisans, PRU invites diners on an exploration of Thailand’s unique ecosystems and traditions. 

For a gastronomic journey through South Korea, pay a visit to Mingles , where Korean chef-owner Mingoo Kang brings a new perspective to heirloom dishes from his homeland. Using creative techniques and oft-underappreciated ingredients, Kang challenges notions of Korean cuisine in a modern fine dining context.

Storytelling on a plate

Today, tasting menus are more than a simple demonstration of skill; they allow a chef to tell personal stories or create specific dining experiences.  

In Singapore, French chef-owner Julien Royer’s Odette  serves as a tribute to his grandmother – one of his greatest culinary influences. Each plate is loaded with the flavours from Royer’s childhood, elevated by the chef’s cooking techniques to reimagine and revitalise French cuisine. 

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, acclaimed French chef David Toutain’s  first overseas restaurant, Feuille , touts plant-forward fine dining. The menu is inspired by the life cycle of a plant from seed to flower – a conceptual, artistic endeavour that treats the dining room as a stage for nature’s story. Dishes are also refreshed every few months according to seasonality and availability from local farmers and suppliers.  

Daring pairings 

A wine pairing with dinner? How passé. Given the rising focus on wellness, restaurants around the world are concocting innovative non-alcoholic drinks to pair with their food. 

At Fe He Hui  in Shanghai, the traditional wine pairing menu is replaced by a curated list of regionally inspired teas, designed to create harmonies and contrasts that rival the finest Bordeaux or Burgundy. It is a confident, culturally-grounded assertion that a luxury meal accompaniment need be neither European nor alcoholic. 

In a city famous for inexpensive street food and even more affordable beer, Anan Saigon  in Ho Chi Minh is making waves for its creative tasting menu and thoughtfully curated drinks selection. Non-alcoholic beverages are crafted with the same care as its cocktails and wines, made from scratch through techniques such as fermentation and infusion. The result is a delicious collection of refined mocktails that match and balance the complexity of the dishes they’re paired with. 

Want to learn more about other Asian fine dining restaurants making an impact? Check out the full list of nominees for the Cathay Members’ Choice Awards 2025 here.