A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a project that S and I — with loads of help from a fantastic and hard-working team — have been working on for several months. I’ll be the first to admit that The Miele Guide is an ambitious project. Our goal with this publication is to launch the first really independent and credible guide to Asia’s best restaurants. It is something that S and I have been talking about for years and are thrilled to finally get off the ground.

In simple terms, what we are hoping to do, through The Miele Guide, is raise the profile of Asias top restaurants and to make them as well known as their counterparts overseas. If successful, The Miele Guide should be able to draw attention to the culinary richness of Asia as a region. At present, there is no credible Asia-wide restaurant guide which Asian food lovers consider a benchmark reflective of our regions taste, culture and collective culinary standards. Our hope and goal is that The Miele Guide can set that standard.

In order to put together the best possible list of Asia’s best restaurants, we are conducting four rounds of evaluation. In the first, a panel made up of 84 of Asia’s top restaurant critics have created a shortlist of what they believe are the best restaurants in their the region. Now, it’s your turn. Our second round of evaluations, which has just started, depends upon your participation. We’ve launched a public vote on our site, www.mieleguide.com.

Please take some time to click over and vote. You’ll need to register — this will take all of a minute and a half — before you can vote. And when you do, you’ll stand a chance to win one of three pretty cool prizes. We’re giving away dinner for 2 at the top-ranked restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo (respectively), plus a 2-night stay at a five-star hotel in each city. Voting should also take just a few minutes. Visa is our Official Credit Card. In order to vote, you’ll need to key in a few digits from your Visa card number — just a few, i.e. just enough to register you as a unique voter.

Once registered, you’ll have 10 votes. If you live in one of the 16 countries in Asia that we’re covering, you’ll only be allowed to vote for a maximum of 3 restaurants in your home-country. Voting is simple. Just choose the country whose restaurants you want to see and a shortlist appears on screen. To select, just click on the restaurant’s name. If there is a restaurant that isn’t on the shortlist that you want to vote for, no problem. We’ve made allowances for you to be able to write in your own nominations.

Voting is open from now until 31 July at www.mieleguide.com.

So far on this blog, I’ve avoided running pictures of myself. But the one I have included I actually kind of like. Pictured from right to left is me, The Miele Guide’s Associate Publisher Ms Pauline Ooi, and S. And of course, The Miele Guide is holding court centre-stage. The photo was taken by superstar fashion photographer Geoff Ang, whom I’ve known and whose work I have admired for almost a decade. I was told by the PR firm who is helping us publicize The Miele Guide, after seeing the rather scary pictures that the Straits Times ran of S and me a couple weeks back, that we had to have proper press portraits taken. Which we did.

Thank you again for your support. Please tell your friends about The Miele Guide.

I love tonkotsu ramen. It ranks as among my all-time favourite foods. The cloudy white soup, made with crushed pork bones, is sinfully rich and always satisfying. Served with firm, well-made noodles, perfectly roasted slices of pork, and a ni-tamago (a boiled egg with firm whites but a soft yolk), and I’m in heaven. Here in Singapore, I’ve enjoyed regularly tucking into the version served at Tampopo, located in Liang Court. And up until a few weeks ago, I thought that Tampopo’s tonkotsu ramen was pretty darned good.

But then I went to Kyushu. And discovered what really good tonkotsu ramen tastes like.

During my recent slightly-crazy dash across Japan, I was able to spend 2 nights in Fukuoka. It was just one of two places during my 16 day trip that I was able to spend more than one night. While we had two meetings to attend in Kyushu’s capital city, we also had a little bit of free time to explore the city. One of the first things I did, after checking into my hotel, was grill the hotel’s staff on what their favourite tonkotsu ramen stalls were. Experiencing great tonkotsu ramen was certainly at the top of my must-do-in-Kyushu checklist.

I was thrilled when one of the gals I spoke with quickly produced an article that she then xeroxed for me. The article listed the best tonkotsu ramen stalls in town. Of them, she said that her favourite, and the favourite of most of her colleagues, was Ichiran. She told me that while Ichiran was now a chain, the original branch was not far from the hotel. No more than a 10-15 minute walk in fact.

The next morning, armed with a map and a large appetite, my colleague D and I set off to discover Ichiran. While we found it easily enough, we were slightly befuddled by shop’s layout and ordering system. All of Ichiran’s branches have a similar and uniquely striking layout. They are narrow and long. Two long rows of seats are arranged around a central corridor. Each eating station (for lack of a better term) is cordoned off from its neighbor by wooden dividers. In front of each eating station is a red curtain, which hangs low. The open space in front of each customer is just barely big enough for the waiters and waitresses who roam the central corridor to pass food through. When seated, you can’t see your neighbor’s faces. You can’t see the faces of the people serving you or the people eating across from you (unless, like me, you rather rudely stick your camera into the opening). The whole experience feels slightly illicit, sort of like sitting at a peep show. But instead of naked performers, you’re being served up wonderful portions of food porn.

Before finding one’s seat, a customer can order his or her ramen from a vending machine stationed near the door. If you aren’t comfortable with this, ignore it. Ichiran now has order sheets in English. Just ask for one when you sit down. Also near the door is a lit layout display of the restaurant. The layout actually shows you where the empty seats are, which is fantastic when trying to find a place in this fabulously popular ramen shop.

I loved that Ichiran offers customers a huge host of options when ordering. In addition to a variety of extra edible items that you can ask for, you will be asked to write down exactly how you want your ramen prepared. Your ordering sheet will give you options to choose from for the following categories: flavor strength; richness (fat content); garlic; green onion; roast pork filet; “secret sauce” (using red pepper as a base); and noodle’s tenderness. When I visited, I ordered mine with medium flavor; rich broth; regular garlic; weak green onion; with roast pork filet (and a ni-tamago, of course); no “secret sauce”; and firm noodles.

My ramen was amazing. The broth was ridiculously rich and divine. The noodles were delicious and cooked perfectly. After every bite, I had to stop and turn to D, declaring, “Oh my God! This is so good!” It was, hands-down, the most enjoyable ramen I have ever had. It was also probably the fattiest, but hey, you only live once.

Ichiran has branches all over Fukuoka. There is a list of all of its branches on its website. Note though that it is in Japanese. If you want some basic info on Ichiran in English, you can click here. Now that I am back in Singapore, I am desperately hoping someone will bring Ichiran here. I can’t imagine having to wait to return to Fukuoka before having another bowl of this simply stunning ramen.

I know I promised to write about the amazing tonkotsu ramen I had in Fukuoka, and I will get to that within the next few posts, but I thought It would be fun to share something that I had created for a friend with all of you.

A really good buddy of mine told me a couple months ago that she and her husband’s family were going to be heading to Italy this Spring for an extended vacation. One of their stops was going to be Venice, which long-time readers will know is one of my all-time favourite cities in the world (seriously, top 5). She asked me to email her a list of recommendations. More specifically, she asked me, if I only had a couple days, which restaurants would I visit?

The answers, to me, were pretty clear. Emailing her a simple list would be easy. But I wanted to create something that she and her husband could slip into their pockets and carry with them as they travelled through La Serenissima. So, late one night, while watching TV, I spent a couple of hours fiddling away on Adobe InDesign and cobbled together an itty-bitty — well, technically it’s A7 — dining guide to Venice.

The guide should be printed on a sheet of A4 paper. You’ll need to print on both sides of the same sheet; there are instructions on how to feed the paper into your printer so that the alignment is correct. There are also some instructions on how to fold the paper up so that the guide reads properly.

Anyway, I’ve uploaded the guide to my server. You can download it here at http://www.chubbyhubby.net/blog/downloads/venicedining.pdf. I had fun putting this together. And I was really stoked that my friend liked it. I hope you guys do to.

While I often write about rather chi-chi dining establishments, long-time readers will also know that I’m a huge fan of some pretty low-brow foods. Especially burgers. While in Japan this trip (I am writing this from Tokyo), one of the many things on my must-do list was visit a Freshness Burger.

Freshness Burger is a nation-wide chain. One friend once described it to me as the closest he had ever found to In-N-Out Burger outside of California. Other friends had similarly raved about Freshness Burger’s small but amazingly well-prepared burgers. During my last trip to Japan, my darling wife S had pretty much hijacked our itinerary. That meant that Freshness Burger was not on the menu — instead we ran back and forth across Tokyo trying as many high-end pastry shops as possible.

Well, this time, I finally made my way to a Freshness Burger. The branch I visited was in Fukuoka, but I’m pretty sure that the quality is standard across all of the company’s many outlets. Not wanting to get too creative, I had the Classic Cheese Burger. All I can say is, “YUM!” It was, hands-down, one of the best burgers I have ever had, in either a gourmet restaurant or a fast food outlet.

The staff, pictured here, were also really cool. The guy in the cap made my burger while the dude with the glasses took my order. The girl in black seemed to be in charge and the gal in the cap was, well, I don’t know what she does there, but I enjoyed watching her do it (yah, I know, I’m a dog).

I can’t wait for my next visit to Freshness Burger. I’d love to slowly work my way through their pretty extensive menu. Sadly, when I went to this branch in Fukuoka, I wasn’t too hungry — I had just filled up on the best tonkotsu ramen I had ever eaten (but that my friends is another post).

On a totally unrelated note, I just want to say that I LOVE Hokkaido. Even through I was there for just 2 days and really didn’t see that much, I am already a fan. I’m posting 3 pictures from my quick visit. The grilled scallop, topped with Hokkaido butter, was part of the breakfast set I was served at the gorgeous ryokan I stayed in.

This miso cod, plated with daikon and tamago, was also part of the same really huge breakfast. I can’t even begin to describe the Kaiseki dinner I had the night before. It was ridiculously good, but moron that I am, I didn’t take a single picture.

I did take this shot though, which is the private, outdoor hot spring tub attached to my room. I have to admit that visiting some of the country’s best ryokans these past 2 weeks in Japan has given me a new appreciation for the art of bathing. While I was really a shower-only person, I’m now sold on a good hot soak.

For the past few years, I have considered it a mixed honour to be one of the (few) jury members that help Restaurant magazine determine its annual list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. I have honestly felt a great sense of pride to have been asked for my votes each year, as well as a great sense of responsibility. But every year, when the results are announced, I feel somewhat let down. I won’t bore readers with my detailed analysis of why Restaurant magazine’s jury system is flawed and biased to favour restaurants in the Western hemisphere (for that, you can read a previous post, archived here). I just want to express my continued dismay at the results of this very important and respected survey.

The 2008 results have just been announced. If you want to see the list, please click over here. In addition to profiling the world’s top 50, Restaurant magazine also lists the next 50 (i.e. those ranked between 51 - 100). This year, only 5 restaurants in Asia made the top 100; all are ranked in the bottom half of the list. Bukhara, in India, at #55, continues to hold its place as Asia’s top-ranked restaurant. Iggy’s, in Singapore, is in second place, at #77. The next three Asian restaurants are all situated in Hong Kong. Pierre Gagnaire, Robuchon a Galera (technically in Macau), and Zuma are ranked at #88, #98, and #99 respectively.

Each year, when these results are announced, I have the same reaction. While it is always cool to scan the top 10 or 20 restaurants and pat myself on the back for having visited several of them, the thing that irks me is the question, “Surely, Asia has more than just 5 world-class restaurants?” Glaringly missing (as usual) are restaurants in Japan.

I am actually in Fukuoka right now. Over the past few years, S and I have been coming to Japan almost every year just to eat. Over the past week while travelling across this country, I have been indulging in great food. At super-high-end ryokans, small zen-like kappo spaces and swish restaurants, I have eaten meals that are undoubtedly as good if not better than the meals I have had in Paris’ or New York’s best eating establishments. The Michelin Guide to Tokyo, despite all its flaws, did a great thing when it awarded more stars to restaurants in Tokyo than in both London and Paris combined. This move loudly declared what all foodies already knew — that the food and the restaurants in Asia are as good as any in the West. The only problem is that not enough Westerners have eaten at these places (or have even heard of them) … and the media in the Eastern hemisphere just isn’t as good at promoting these establishments as their counterparts in the West.

For several years, S and I have grappled with this problem. Yes, things like how Asia’s restaurant industry is perceived really does keep the two of us awake at night. And of course, I’ve complained about what I have believed to be an imbalance to anyone and everyone who would listen. But over the past year, we decided that it was time to either put up or shut up — to quite literally put my money where my mouth was. So, we started working on what we could do to correct this imbalance.

The result, which you all will probably hear quite a bit about over the next year (and hopefully for a long time to come) is The Miele Guide. The Miele Guide, which we are publishing with the huge (and long-term) support of the ultra-high end kitchen and domestic appliance manufacturer Miele, will be the first truly independent and (hopefully) authoritative restaurant guide to Asia.

To put this guide together, we will be going through 4 rounds of evaluation. In our first round, an invited panel of 90 of Asias most influential restaurant critics have helped us create a shortlist of what they believe are Asias best restaurants. It was very important for us to work with respected local food writers and critics in each country. That means people like Susan Jung, food editor of The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong; Wong Ah Yoke, the main food reviewer for The Straits Times in Singapore; Rashmi Uday Singh, one of India’s most famous food journalists; and well-known food writers Yuya Tomosato and Jun Yokokawa in Japan.

In Mid-May, our second round begins. At that time, we want you, the public to cast your votes online. You will also have the option of nominating restaurants that you feel are missing from our shortlist. Concurrently, a selected jury of respected foodies and food and wine professionals across Asia will be invited to place their own votes.

In our final round, The Miele Guide’s editorial team, joined by contributing editors stationed across Asia, will dine anonymously at the top ranked restaurants to verify the combined results of Rounds 2 and 3. One of the things that we felt was very important was to commit to never accepting any free meals from any restaurants that are under evaluation. We have also commited to never accepting any kind of advertising or sponsorship from the industry.

From these four rounds, we will then decide and announce the top 20 restaurants in Asia, plus the best restaurants in each respective country. Please note that while Miele is our naming sponsor, they will not exert any influence over the selection and judging process that determines which restaurants appear in The Miele Guide.

We hope to launch The Miele Guide through most major bookstores internationally at the end of October this year. Of course, any survey will run into criticism. One restaurateur-friend, when I explained what we were doing, whistled loudly and then said, “Wow, you’re going to create some enemies. Especially with that top 20 ranking.”

And while we understand that the final results might stir up some controversy, we’re ready for it. Most importantly, if it gets the world talking about the restaurants in this part of the world, if it gets people passionately debating the merits of Asia’s top ranked restaurants to the point where their names become as recognizable as El Bulli, Fat Duck and French Laundry, then we have done our job. After all, our goal is not to antagonize specific restaurateurs or put others down. Our goal is to create a standard of evaluation and a standard of recognition that can really help promote Asia’s best restaurants to the world.