Malaysian Restaurants Featured in Global Food Tourism Rankings

Trip.Gourmet, the food travel guide from Trip.com Group, recently revealed its top global restaurants during the Trip.Gourmet Global Rebrand Launch and Trip.Best Gourmet Awards. The event, held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, signifies a major step in Trip.Gourmet’s efforts to enhance food tourism by connecting travellers with top culinary experiences worldwide.

As the popularity of food tourism grows, Trip.com data shows a notable rise in food-related searches. There has been a 30% year-on-year increase in queries for terms like “fine dining,” “local specialities,” and popular food destinations such as “Tokyo street food” and “Singapore cuisine.” A user survey also found that 44% of travellers consider food experiences when selecting their travel destinations.

Sunny Sun, Vice President of Trip.com Group and CEO of Trip.Gourmet, highlighted the growing trend of exploring global cuisines: “More travellers are excited to explore the world through the universal language of food. At Trip.Gourmet, we celebrate culinary excellence, from fine dining to local flavours. Our new rankings and upgrades empower travellers to savour exceptional gastronomic experiences wherever they go.”

Trip.Gourmet Expands Restaurant Rankings

Since its inception in 2016, Trip.Gourmet has developed into a comprehensive food guide offering global restaurant rankings, food-centric travel content, and reservation services. Several updates were introduced at the event, including an expanded global selection and ranking system. Now featuring over 10,000 restaurants across 300 cities and regions, Trip.Gourmet categorises restaurants into four themes that combine travel with dining: Fine Dining (with Black Diamond, Diamond, and Platinum tiers), Local Restaurants, Light Bites, and Restaurants for Views & Experiences.

These restaurants are chosen based on factors such as quality, popularity, user reviews, and their relevance to the travel experience. Trip.Gourmet places a greater emphasis on the travel appeal of restaurants compared to other food-focused rankings.

Another key enhancement is the full integration of selected restaurants within Trip.Best lists on the Trip.com app, enabling travellers to discover top accommodations, activities, dining, and nightlife options in a single platform.

Celebrating Excellence in Fine Dining and Hotel Restaurants

At the awards ceremony, several fine dining establishments from the Asia-Pacific region were honoured, including Odette, Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda, and CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Singapore. Other notable winners were Kubu at Mandapa in Bali, Potong and Le Du in Bangkok, SÉZANNE and RyuGin in Tokyo, and La Yeon and Bicena in Seoul.

Malaysia’s Culinary Scene Recognised:

• Fine Dining: Six Malaysian restaurants received accolades, including renowned establishments such as DC Restaurant, Nadodi, and Sushi Taka.
• Hotel Dining: Lai Po Heen at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur (pictured, above) was acknowledged among the top luxury hotel restaurants, reflecting the growing popularity of hotel dining among affluent travellers.

The prestigious Black Diamond list featured nearly 49.12% of its top restaurants from France, China, and Japan, underlining their leadership in the fine dining world. Europe also made a strong showing, with restaurants like Core by Clare Smyth (UK), L’Oiseau Blanc (France), and Disfrutar (Spain) being recognised.

Luxury hotel dining continues to gain traction, with 41% of the Trip.Gourmet rankings dedicated to restaurants in top hotels. Notable entries included Lai Po Heen at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, JAAN by Kirk Westaway at Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore, and Ossiano at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton brands were particularly well-represented, hosting several top-rated restaurants in cities like Hong Kong, Paris, Tokyo, and Osaka.