The best dishes I had in 2024

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2024 was a strange year for me. While the borders had been fully-open since late 2022, I went on a self-imposed travel ban for 6 months in the middle of this year, thereby missing out on a few amazing culinary trips my friends undertook. I told everyone that I was staying in town to support Hong Kong's economy, and I hope my chef and restauranteur friends appreciated that...

As I have done each year since 2018, I have compiled a list of dishes I've enjoyed during the year which were the most emotional experiences for me. There have been no shortage of delicious dishes over hundreds of meals, and making a concise list of the best of them remains a difficult task. So here they are in chronological order:

Sweet and sour pig tails (菠蘿咕嚕豬尾), from The Chairman (大班樓) in Hong Kong - as someone who loves pig tails and who also enjoys a good sweet and sour pork this combination proved insanely delicious. The light and airy batter was especially bewitching.

Morel : Yunnan / beef / garlic leaf, from Petrus in Hong Kong - BBC jokes aside, anytime you stuff some beef cheeks into a giant morel, leave it swimming in truffled beef jus, and add some spring peas around... you're bound to have a winner.

Handmade garganelli / soft shell king crab, from Neighborhood in Hong Kong - this was the most ridiculous pasta that The Kitchen Nazi has ever served me. While there was garganelli here, most of the dish consisted of the soft shell king crab, and in fact the best part of it was the edible shell that basically were crab-flavored crispy chips! I wish I had enough stomach space to eat all the shell that the others were leaving behind.

La fine tarte: friande aux oignons confits et lard fumé paysan, from Robuchon au Dôme in Macau - I'm ever so grateful that Saffron Bae posted about having this dish just days before my visit, and also grateful that the powers that be arranged for Chef Julien Tongourian to make this special dish for us. This was only my second time tasting this, but I loved it every bit as much as my first time. It's pure decadence when 25 perfectly round discs of black truffle is all that one sees from the top down - completely covering the thin layers of filo pastry as well as the combination of onion confit and smoked lardon in between. How lucky were we?!

Flat iron steak, from Born and Bred in Seoul - just about every bite of beef at this temple of Hanwoo is delicious, but this cut was particularly outstanding, thanks both to the Suwon-style marinade and the "fire and ice" cooking.

Abalone, from Vinho (빈호) in Seoul - a very creative dish where both minced Korean beef and abalone were wrapped inside tofu skin before deep-frying. Reminded me of Peranakan ngo hiang but much, much more interesting (and premium).

Taro (토란), from Eatanic Garden in Seoul - besides the patty of tteokgalbi (떡갈비) that I expected to be tasty, it was the genius of combining alternating layers of beef, abalone, and bone marrow to make a millefeuille. But I felt shortchanged with such a small piece, because I would have had a bigger smile if Handsome Chef had served me double- or triple-portion.

Noresore egg-drop soup (ノレソレの玉汁), from Wagokoro Izumi (和ごころ 泉) in Kyoto - anytime I get to have noresore (ノレソレ), which are baby conger eels, I'm bound to be giddy. It's a delicacy with such a short season that for someone who lives outside Japan, the chance of having it is simply too slim. Looooved how fluffy they were.

Agemono: fried sandwich of bamboo and cherry salmon (揚物: 筍と桜鱒のはさみ揚げ), from Iida (飯田) in Kyoto - many of the dishes I had at this kaiseki (懐石) temple, where my friend made the reservation 2 years before inviting me to join him, showcased the best examples of those particular ingredients I had ever tasted. This particular dish created by sandwiching a piece of cherry salmon between two slices of fresh bamboo shoots, and coating the whole thing in a light batter and deep-frying, was nothing short of stunning. In that moment, one understood why a seat here is so sought after.

Canard Burgaud rôti, sauce de printemps, from Caprice in Hong Kong - Saffron Bae could always cook a duck, but this one came very thick cut and the satisfaction of biting into a big and juicy piece simply has no comparison.

Khao chae (ข้าวแช่), from Sanguan Sri (สงวนศรี) in Bangkok - this was my first time trying this seasonal dish and absolutely LOVED the sensation of eating jasmine rice soaked in ice-cold jasmine water. I loved learning about all the side dishes that came with the rice, and I'm now curious to try more upscale versions of this Thai classic.

Brittany blue lobster, mushrooms, poached white asparagus, foie gras, vin jaune sauce, from Caprice in Hong Kong - this dish was totally up my alley, with soft and fluffy poached foie gras together with homard bleu, mushrooms, and asparagus. Throw in some tarragon for fragrance, and pour some vin jaune sauce for added measure. Hearty and comforting, it just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. If only I could see the smile on my stomach...

Crab and potato salad, from Neighborhood in Hong Kong - it's a crab salad. Made with Alaskan king crab. With potato and mayo. Piled high on the shell of the king crab. 'Nuff said.

Steamed grouper fish head with fermented chili (剁椒鹹肉蒸龍躉魚頭), from The Chairman (大班樓) in Hong Kong - this is the perennial crowd-pleaser, and it's one of the few spicy dishes that I love to eat. So much collagen... and those slices of cured lard!

Aori-ika | yellow tomato, lemon, French beans, from Estro in Hong Kong - while slicing squid into "noodles" isn't new, Juve Fan did a particularly amazing job with this "pasta"... The yellow tomato and Amalfi lemon emulsion bought that fresh, fruity acidity I enjoyed so much.

Bottoni | buffalo cheese, morels, honey peas, from Estro in Hong Kong - this has got to be my favorite version of bottoni from Juve Fan, thanks to the beautiful richness of Robiola di Bufala and Parmigiano-Reggiano inside. Throw in morels and peas, and this becomes a homerun.

Spaghetti | cacio e pepe, from Estro in Hong Kong - this is a very, very special cacio e pepe that was made with a mélange of 5 different types of peppers. Such incredible fragrance!

Signature roasted pigeons (紅燒脆皮妙齡鴿), from Stellar House (星月居) in Hong Kong - I can't help it... This has been my favorite pigeon from a Chinese restaurant for quite a few years, and I can never get enough of the milky flavors of the meat. And I always try to drink the meat juice that runs down when I start to dismember the bird...

Slipper lobster paella, from Neighborhood in Hong Kong - The Kitchen Nazi has served up many different versions of his paella with a variety of seafood toppings, but this was my first time having slipper lobsters on top. That socarrat can make me drool at any time.

Chocolate pudding, from Ta Vie 旅 in Hong Kong - I can never not put this on the list. I lament the fact that I don't visit the restaurant often enough to have my favorite chocolate pudding in the world. And these days Sato-san always makes sure there's plenty of gold.

Crispy char siu with aged mandarin peel (脆皮陳皮黑叉燒), from Flower Drum (鋒膳) in Hong Kong - crispy.pork.belly. From Miyazaki Marumiton (宮崎まるみ豚). Flavored with aged tangerine peel. So good.

Oyster omelette (酥炸蠔餅), from Noble Imperial (尚御潮滷居) in Hong Kong - this was undoubtedly the best fried oyster omelette I have ever had. Although to call it an "omelette" would be a misnomer, as this really wasn't made with eggs but tons of batter. In fact, it's like a giant oyster tempura, except I loved the crunchy batter so much that I wanted more of it. In fact, I left the oysters to the others so I could eat more fried batter! This was a dish I loved so much that I had it four times this year.

Yong Fu's crispy chicken with mixed spice (甬府椒麻雞), from Yong Fu (甬府) in Hong Kong - this was unlike any chicken I've ever had, with the crispy skin cut away and served up like a Peking duck or a roast suckling pig, wrapped in thin pancakes. The shredded meat was beautifully seasoned with spices. A real head-turner.

Nodoguro, sudachi, coriander, and shrimp consommé, from Caprice in Hong Kong - so Saffron Bae is now serving Cantonese steamed fish from the kitchen of a French restaurant... The King of Sauce delivers once again with his delicate shrimp consommé that comes with a tinge of ginger and coriander.

Matsutake rice 🍚 fish maw curry, from the VEA x Gaggan collaboration at VEA in Hong Kong - I have always been a fan of Gaggan's crab curry rice, and this time we've got Vicky's braised fish maw combined with matsutake (松茸). So rich and sinful. I wish I were still young enough to order up an XXL bowl...

Pappardelle | onion “Genovese” ragout, wagyu, from Estro in Hong Kong - what can I say? I LOVE Juve Fan's pastas, and the sweet Genovese rich with beef flavor was another highlight of the year. Thankfully this was not a tasting portion, but from the new à la carte menu.

Markrin dark chocolate / chantilly / Thai herbs / sorbet, from the Chef's Table at The Lebua x Racines collaboration at Racines in Hong Kong - quelle surprise! A chocolate dish that was light and elegant thanks to a coulis made with Thai herbs.

Fermented yellow croaker nilgiri korma with bean curd (青咖喱豆腐皮燒發酵大黃魚), from the Yong Fu (甬府) x Leela collaboration at Leela in Hong Kong - the yellow croaker fermented for 18 months had a little more flavor that the usual fresh ones, but that nilgiri korma (नीलगिरि कोरमा) sauce was just incredibly awesome thanks to the fragrance of the curry leaves, and worked beautifully with the fish.

Indian dosa, lobster meat, hairy crab roe with coconut chutney (椰汁蟹粉扒龍蝦球), from the Yong Fu (甬府) x Leela collaboration at Leela in Hong Kong - this was... nothing short of magical. Somehow the lobster, hairy crab roe, and coconut chutney with its curry leaves became something I found myself unable to stop eating. I kept wanting more and more of this. I was even eating the coconut chutney on its own without anything else.

Deep-fried crab claws (椒鹽肉蟹鉗), from a private dining facility in Hong Kong - I've had plenty of deep-fried crab claws, including from this kitchen, but on this night I tasted the best I could remember. Perfect temperature on the claw, with the seasoning bringing out the sweet flavors of the crab meat.

Imperial scholar's five-snake soup (太史五蛇羹), from a private dining facility in Hong Kong - this always makes me very, very happy. But when you decided to upgrade it by pouring in some Cognac that costs an arm and a leg... that's when you realize that you'll remember the experience forever.

Medium-fatty tuna, upper back (中トロ 背上), from Sushitokoro Yamato (鮨処 やまと) in Tokyo - an achingly beautiful piece of sushi, thanks to the cotton candy-like fatty tuna that was so ethereal.

Spanish mackerel (鰆), from Sushitokoro Yamato (鮨処 やまと) in Tokyo - another stunning piece of sushi, the best Spanish mackerel I've ever had.

Baby tuna (メジマグロ), from Sushi Saito (鮨さいとう) in Tokyo - another fluffy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth piece of bluefin tuna.

A total of 34 dishes tasted across 6 cities in Asia. Very grateful for all the chefs and restaurants who fed me so well in 2024 - and obviously some have fed me better than others, looking at this list. I look forward to seeing you as often as possible in 2025.