The Miele Guide is a regional
guide book
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...
to restaurants in Asia. The 2008/2009 edition which was published at the end of October 2008, launched the first in an annual series, which ranked and showcased the top 20 restaurants in Asia, as well as categorised restaurants according to the city and country they are in. It is published by Singapore-based
Ate Media, and officially sponsored by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
home appliance
A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation.
Appliances are divided into three ...
maker
Miele
Miele ( ; ) is a German manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances and commercial equipment, headquartered in Gütersloh, Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The company was founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, and has always been a family-o ...
. Other official partners include
TIME Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
,
Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (; stylized as ''VISA'') is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, most commonly through Visa-branded cred ...
and
Hyatt Hotels. The guide does not accept advertising and none of the official partners have any influence on the multi-round judging process.
History
The Miele Guide was created by
Aun Koh and Tan Su-Lyn as they felt there is no authoritative reference to restaurants in Asia.
Aun Koh is the director of
Ate Media and also the noted
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
ger behind popular Singapore food
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
, Chubbyhubby.net. As early as 2006, the
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
featured entries discussing the lack of recognition for restaurants in Asia in international listings and rankings such as
Restaurant Magazine
''Restaurant'' magazine is a British magazine aimed at chefs, restaurant proprietors and other catering professionals that concentrates on the fine dining end of the restaurant industry.
History and profile
''Restaurant'' was founded in 2001. T ...
's annual Top 50 list
Restaurant (magazine) Top 50
The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards however are no longer directly related to ''Restaurant'' magazine ...
. A predecessor of the Miele Guide was probably Koh's early efforts to compile an alternative list of Asia's best restaurants through online polling on his website.
Restaurant Rankings and Listings
Geographical Coverage
The first printed edition of the Miele Guide was published at the end of October 2008. The 16
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
n countries evaluated by the Miele Guide in the first edition are: Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Judging Process
Each year's list of restaurants to be featured in the printed edition of the Miele Guide was compiled through four rigorous rounds of judging. In the initial round, the publishers worked with respected food critics at top magazines and newspapers across Asia, called the "shortlisting jury" to create a shortlist of restaurants for all the countries to be surveyed. In the second round, voting opens to the public on the website. In the third round, a special jury of more than 2000 food lovers and food and wine professionals cast their votes in a closed round of voting. In the final round, the Miele Guide's team, together with contributing editors across Asia, verify the results by dining anonymously and independently, before the final list of restaurants is compiled.
Judges are not paid for their efforts.
Top 20 List
A key feature of the printed edition of the Miele Guide is the Top 20 restaurants in Asia list. The restaurants that emerge in the top 20 from the combined rounds of judging are featured and profiled in-depth. The top 20 restaurants are listed with a detailed description on the Guide's website.
Top Restaurant List
* 2008/09: Iggy's, Singapore.
* 2009/10: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong.
* 2010/11: Iggy's, Singapore.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official website
Restaurant guides