ASIA
Curated by the Asia Taste Advisors Panel, chaired by acclaimed food critic Ms. Agnes Chee, this initiative brings together fifteen well-travelled authorities—Michelin-starred chefs, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders—who judge from first-hand meals to recognise Asia’s best Chinese restaurants and chefs, setting a clear benchmark for excellence.
The panel measures the total experience and its lasting satisfaction—craft and provenance, service and hospitality, setting and cultural context—and recommends must-try signature dishes, the founding purpose of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. The process is independent and transparent: individual ballots, strict conflict checks, full disclosures and recusals.
Our aim is to celebrate craftsmanship, safeguard tradition while championing innovation, and inspire travel across Asia’s regional cuisines and the people who shape them—so Chinese gastronomy’s depth informs both today’s canon and tomorrow’s future.
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With gratitude to this year’s Taste Advisors, whose participation made this list possible.
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Hong Kong
Agnes Chee
Chair of Judging Panel – Asia, Globetrotting Food Critic, Food Columnist and Food Show Host
Agnes Chee lives a life steeped in gastronomy, travelling the world to savour its finest flavours. A full-time globetrotting food critic and writer, she has been a food columnist for the Hong Kong Economic Journal since 2013. Author of Vanishing Flavour of Cantonese Cuisine and World-Changing Flavours, she chronicles the tastes, traditions, and culinary journeys of master chefs, while bridging the global dining scene. A member of Travel + Leisure’s Tastemakers panel, she also curates gastronomy programmes and events for the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and recently appeared as guest host on TVB’s Food Critic’s Choice.
Beijing
Yaning Liu
Director of Gastronomic Culture Committee, China Tourism Association and Director & EVP, Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality
Yaning Liu is a leading advocate for Chinese culinary heritage, serving as Director of the Gastronomic Culture Committee of the China Tourism Association and Director & Executive Vice President of Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality. He champions the preservation and promotion of Chinese cuisine by connecting its diverse regional traditions with cultural exploration and sustainable tourism. While honoring all culinary schools, he holds a particular reverence for Jinglu Cuisine, the imperial refinement of Shandong traditions, celebrated for pristine ingredients, clear broths, and exquisite presentation. To Liu, Jinglu embodies the pinnacle of historical sophistication and artistry, and his mission is to showcase this legacy alongside China’s broader culinary narrative to the world.
Hong Kong
William Tang
Fashion Designer, Director, W Tang Co.
William Tang is a Hong Kong–based fashion designer and the Director of W Tang Co., recognized for his creative influence across fashion, media, and lifestyle. Beyond his design career, he is a seasoned television and radio presenter, hosting lifestyle programs that span food, travel, and fashion. An accomplished author, he has published over ten books on these subjects, reflecting his diverse passions and cultural insights. Through his work, Tang continues to shape conversations around style and lifestyle, connecting audiences with creativity and discovery.
Hong Kong
Umberto Bombana
Chef of three Michelin-starred restaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA
Hailed as the “King of White Truffles,” Chef Umberto Bombana is the Italian chef behind Hong Kong’s three-Michelin-starred 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA, the only Italian restaurant outside Italy to hold such acclaim. Originally from Bergamo, he has spent more than three decades in Asia, raising the profile of Italian cuisine with his mastery of seasonal ingredients, honest cooking, and respect for produce. From his adopted home in Hong Kong, his influence extends across Macau, Shanghai, and Beijing, inspiring teams and elevating the appreciation of Italian dining. His life and work in Asia have also connected him deeply with the richness and vibrancy of Chinese dining culture, which continues to inspire him.
Hong Kong
Vena Cheng
Lawyer, PC Woo & Co
Vena Cheng is a practicing lawyer at PC Woo & Co in Hong Kong, specializing in white-collar and government defense, antitrust and competition, international trade law, complex litigation, and dispute resolution. Known for her analytical rigor, she balances her legal career with a deep passion for food and wine. Always curious about flavors and pairings, she delights in exploring cuisines and uncovering the stories behind them, finding in gastronomy both inspiration and joy.
Shanghai / Hong Kong
Oscar Wang
Multidisciplinary Artist & Founder, Open Work Studio
Oscar Wang is a multidisciplinary artist and founder of Open Work Studio, based between Shanghai and Hong Kong. Raised between China and abroad, he studied interior spatial design at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London before developing a practice that fuses traditional philosophies with contemporary life. Guided by the five senses as primal forms of perception and the “sixth sense” as the spark of creativity, he creates works and projects that integrate aesthetics into everyday experience. His art resonates with a new generation of cultural connoisseurs in Asia and beyond, bridging heritage and forward-looking creativity.
Taipei
Liz Kao
Food Writer & Content Creator
Liz Kao is a Taipei-based food writer, YouTuber, and former lawyer whose passion for cuisine has taken her around the world. She has published three books and shares her culinary journey through her YouTube channel Self-taught Gourmet, which has more than 118,000 subscribers, along with her Instagram. With over a decade of food writing and self-taught expertise, she approaches every dish with a discerning yet approachable voice. From hidden street eats to refined dining, she captures the cultural stories behind each plate, with a particular love for Cantonese cuisine. For Kao, food is a lifelong pursuit of discovery, learning, and connection.
Beijing
Jason Tang
Vice President, Head of Investment Analytics, Greater China, State Street
Jason Tang is Vice President and Head of Investment Analytics, Greater China at State Street. Beyond finance, he is a prolific food writer who has authored nearly a million words of restaurant reviews under the moniker “仔猫食處” across WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and Dianping. In 2024, he was recognized as one of Xiaohongshu’s Top 30 Food Critics of the Year. He also founded The Omnivore’s Table, a non-commercial initiative that explores food diversity and fosters dialogue between diners and chefs. Deeply rooted in his hometown, his favorite cuisine is Traditional Beijing cooking, whose flavors embody both cultural pride and personal memory.
Hong Kong
Dr. Angus Yui Pan Poon
Doctor, Virtus Medical Group
Dr. Angus Yui Pan Poon is a distinguished medical leader with Virtus Medical Group in Hong Kong, overseeing multiple healthcare organizations with vision and compassion. Outside medicine, he is a passionate food lover, equally at home savoring refined Cantonese dishes at Man Ho Chinese Restaurant, revisiting nostalgic street foods, or cooking family recipes. He holds a particular affection for Cantonese cuisine, valuing its warmth, balance, and cultural resonance. Among his favorite escapes is Sheung Wan’s No.9 SBI Canteen, renowned for traditional Cantonese cooking served with heart.
Singapore
David Yip
F&B Consultant
David Yip is a Singapore-based F&B consultant, journalist, chef, and restaurateur whose career spans more than two decades across Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. Known for his mastery of traditional Chinese techniques, he has helmed acclaimed restaurants and shaped gastronomic culture as a publisher, launching the careers of leading chefs through cookbooks. Today, as consultant to Shangri-La Hotel Group and instructor for Miele Singapore, he continues to share his expertise with the next generation. His disciples include Xu Jingye of 102 House in Shanghai, Agustin Balbi of Andō in Hong Kong, and LG Han of Labyrinth—reflecting his enduring role as a custodian of Chinese culinary heritage.
Hong Kong
Cheuk Shum
Marketer, HSBC Hong Kong
Cheuk Shum is a marketer at HSBC in Hong Kong whose love of food began with his parents and remains a cherished bond with family. An avid reader of recipe books and restaurant reviews, he finds inspiration in both words and images that spark culinary imagination. Eclectic in his tastes, he embraces many Chinese cuisines—enjoying the comfort of Cantonese meals at home, the conviviality of Chiu Chow food with friends, and the seasonal delights of Shanghainese dishes during hairy crab season. For Shum, food is a celebration of diversity and the momen
Taipei / Hong Kong
Annie Kao
Chairman, Suntek Motor Company Limited
Annie Kao is the Chairman of Suntek Motor Company Limited, where her passion for luxury cars extends naturally into the worlds of fine cigars and whiskey. A bold and discerning gourmand, she looks beyond Michelin stars, caring only for the integrity of top-quality ingredients and the authenticity of flavor. For Kao, true luxury is never about labels — it is about depth, honesty, and the uncompromising pursuit of excellence, whether behind the wheel of a classic car or at the table with a perfect meal.
Hong Kong
Alain Lam
Chief Financial Officer, Oriental Watch Holdings
Alain Lam is the Chief Financial Officer of Oriental Watch Holdings in Hong Kong. A passionate traveler and gastronome, he explores restaurants and cuisines worldwide with a discerning appreciation for culinary craft. Of all regional Chinese cuisines, he holds a particular fondness for Cantonese cooking, whose refinement, balance, and cultural depth embody the spirit of his home city. For Lam, food is more than a table pleasure—it is a reflection of heritage and tradition.
Shenzhen
Ricky Li
F&B Investor
Ricky Li is a Shenzhen-based dining investor whose passion for gastronomy has taken him around the world in search of extraordinary flavours. With more than a decade of experience opening restaurants in the U.S., he is the founder and principal investor behind Ensue, Shenzhen’s first fine-dining restaurant, created in partnership with Executive Chef Christopher Kostow, recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: West award.
One Singapore-based advisor from the finance sector prefers to remain unnamed.
Scallion oil crispy chicken
— Mian, Hong Kong —
