13 Chinese Restaurants on 2016 Asia's 50 Best List

The 2016 edition of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list has come out, and it seems that China has contributed 13 of its own to the all-star team. 

Sponsored by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, this year's announcement saw just three Mainland restaurants make the grade to the Asia specific version of the list. Shanghai's Ultraviolet and Mr & Mrs Bund, headed by 2015 That's Shanghai Food & Drink Lifetime Achievement Award winner Paul Pairet, made the cut at #7 and #28 respectively, while Tony Lu's fine dining Chinese vegetarian concept Fu He Hui came in at #18. 

Hong Kong, meanwhile, had a hearty helping of nine restaurants on the list, with Richard Ekkebus' French fine dining outfit Amber at #4 and Cantonese restaurant Lung King Heen at #10. Sadly, no other Mainland restaurants made the grade. 

The Asia-specific list is sister to the global edition, dubbed the 'World's 50 Best Restaurants,' which has courted criticizm in the past for favoring fine dining, predominantly French or European-influenced restaurants run by overwhelmingly white, male chefs. The list has also drawn scrutiny for its lack of restrictions over how members pay for their meals. 

Voted for by Diner's Club members, an "influential group of almost 1,000 leaders in the restaurant community," regional panels like the Asia's 50 Best list are made up of "food writers, critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded 'gastronomes.'" 

The list also comes just weeks after rumors swirled of a possible Michelin Guide debut in Shanghai later in 2016, though nothing has been confirmed. If verified, implementation of the Michelin starring system may see the city's restaurants draw more attention from the 'World's 50 Best' voters, meaning more Shanghai restaurants could be on the list in future.

Read more: Sorry China, the 'Best' Restaurant in Your Country is Run by a Foreigner

UPDATE (March 1, 2016 at 6.34pm CST): This story has been corrected to reflect that 13 restaurants from China were included in the Asia's 50 Best Restaurant's 2016 list (not 12, as originally stated).