Asia’s 50 Best Honours Florilège in Tokyo

Tokyo (Japan) – January 26, 2016 (travelindex) – Florilège in Tokyo is the recipient of the 2016 One To Watch Award sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro. For the first time in the four-year history of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, the One To Watch Award honours a restaurant that is outside the 50 Best list but is identified as the rising star of the region. Selected by the organisers of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, in collaboration with its regional experts, the One To Watch Award acknowledges a restaurant that received a significant number of Academy votes and has the potential to break into the 50 Best list in the near future.

In previous years One To Watch winners were chosen from within the Asia’s 50 Best list, including inaugural honouree JAAN in Singapore, Tenku Ryugin in Hong Kong and last year’s La Yeon in Seoul.

William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is committed to inspiring young talent and showcasing up-and-coming restaurants. In keeping with this goal, we adjusted the selection criteria to recognise a restaurant outside of the 50 Best ranking to emphasise the quality of young talent in the region and to shine a spotlight on a restaurant of the future.” Florilège’s owner-chef Hiroyasu Kawate will formally accept the award at the fourth annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony on 29th February 2016, hosted at the W Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

A former sous chef at Tokyo’s Quintessence, Kawate opened Florilège in 2009. Six years later, the restaurant relocated to its current premises in Tokyo’s Shibuya district where it continues to attract in-the-know gourmands. An intimate 22-seat restaurant, Florilège is dedicated to modern French cuisine presented with impeccable style and a Japanese sense of refinement. Chef Kawate’s attention to detail, coupled with his commitment to sourcing ingredients from Japan, creates an exceptional dining experience. While the open-plan kitchen adds a sense of theatre, the multi-course tasting menu reveals Kawate’s creativity and mastery of French cooking. Acknowledging the award, Kawate said: “I am very flattered to be recognised by the organisers of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. The One To Watch Award Sponsors Host Country encourages our team to work harder and continue to push culinary boundaries to earn a position in the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is synonymous with the highest standards in the culinary world and we are incredibly honoured to be a partner for the third year running,” said Federico Bogna, Brand Ambassador of Peroni Nastro Azzurro. “The winner of this year’s One To Watch Award has proven itself truly deserving of the accolade by pushing the creative boundaries in gastronomy. I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to a rising star and one of Tokyo’s most exciting restaurants, Florilège. Here’s to great food, great beer and great people.”

How Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is compiled Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is created by The Diners Club® Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for their expert opinion of Asia’s restaurant scene.

The Academy is divided into six voting regions: India & Subcontinent; South-East Asia – South; South-East Asia – North; Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau; mainland China & Korea; Japan. The divisions are designed to represent the Asian restaurant scene as fairly as possible at the current time and are agreed with the Academy Chairs. Each region has its own panel of 53 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded ‘foodies’. Each panellist has seven restaurant votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognise restaurants outside of the voter’s home country.

For the 2016 edition, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is working with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner. The adjudication by Deloitte will ensure that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants are protected. Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards: This year’s results will be announced at the annual awards ceremony held in Bangkok, Thailand on 29 February 2016 and released live on Twitter (@Asias50Best) and later on www.theworlds50best.com/asia. The awards will also be streamed live courtesy of our main sponsor, S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna via its content hub www.finedininglovers.com

Further information, photography and video footage is available on www.theworlds50best.com/asia Sponsors Host Country Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Individual Awards Categories are:
– The Best Restaurant in Asia, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna
– The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award
– Highest New Entry Award, sponsored by LesConcierges
– One To Watch Award, sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro
– Asia’s Best Pastry Chef Award, sponsored by Cacao Barry
– Chefs’ Choice Award
– Asia’s Best Female Chef Award
– Highest Climber Award
– Individual ‘Best in Country’ Awards

PR Coordinator:
Alison Lee
CatchOn & Company Limited
D: (852) 2807 0022
T: (852) 2566 8988
F: (852) 2570 3332
Skype: alison_catchon
Unit 1301, 13/F, Kodak House, Phase II
39 Healthy Street East, North Point
Hong Kong SAR
web: