Chefs in Britain are paying closer attention to their peers’ work on the other side of the world,  since Restaurant magazine launched its ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant awards’ this year.

The inaugural awards highlighted the high standards being set across the continent.

British chef Tom Kerridge, of the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, recently tweeted that André Chaing of Restaurant André, Singapore is “one of the best chefs cooking on Planet Earth”.

Chaing’s work in a converted 19th-century house in Chinatown is defined by his “octaphilosophy”, the eight components being unique, texture, memory, pure, terroir, salt, south and artisan. That translates as Mediterranean-influenced dishes such as foie gras jelly with olive oil, fleur de sel and black truffle coulis.

Rated best in Asia by Restaurant magazine (and No?20 on the World list), is Narisawa in Tokyo.  Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa’s refined 10-course tasting menus might include “Ash 2009”: grilled squid in a coating of frozen powdered olive oil, lemon juice and charred red pepper ash that forms a sauce for the dish as it melts.

“Demon Chef” Alvin Leung, who recently opened Bo London, has abstained  from his signature “X-treme Chinese” cuisine at the new C Kitchen in Hong Kong, to focus on comfort food, albeit in a refined way.

Hajime Yoneda of Hajime, Osaka arranges more than 100 types of vegetables, grains and herbs around asari clam broth to create his signature dish chikyu (earth) that evokes the forest and the sea on a plate.

Korean dishes are being given a modern twist by Kwon Woo-joong at the East Village Bistro & Gastropub, Seoul. He’s elevated the humble dish of tteokgalbi (charcoal grilled beef short rib and pork patties) by marinating finely chopped prime short rib in soy sauce, garlic, leek and plum extract, served with ssambap rice wraps.