From authentic Thai to European inspired recipes with an Asian twist, these restaurants excel at delivering culinary encounters that aren’t easily forgotten.

As the hospitality industry continues to bounce back from the restrictions of the last two years, Asia’s best chefs and restaurant owners look forward to sharing their hyper-seasonal creations with the global food community once again.

Since launching 10 years ago, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants – sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna – recently unveiled its prestigious list for 2022. With Japan in the lead, closely followed by Thailand and Singapore, boasting the most entries, this year’s winner was Tokyo’s Den.

In previous years Den, conceived by chef Zaiyu Hasegawa, ranked consistently high as Japan’s voted best restaurant every year since 2018. Renowned for its playfulness, Hasegawa’s dishes are a perfect marriage of contemporary meets traditional Japanese cuisine, of which the Dentucky Fried Chicken is a prime example.

Chefs, restaurateurs, industry VIPs and the media were brought together across three different events in Bangkok, Macau and Tokyo to celebrate the top 50 chefs in Asia.

“In its 10th year, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants proudly continues the tradition of rewarding culinary excellence and guiding diners to the most unique gastronomic experiences across the continent,” explains William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Get ready as we take you behind the scenes of the top culinary destinations in Asia and examine the philosophies and experiences underpinning the success of each chef.

1. Den, Tokyo

While growing up, Owner and Chef at Den, Zaiyu Hasegawa became fascinated by traditional Japanese cuisine. As a geisha his mum would bring home Bento for him from the ryotei (fine dining restaurant) where she worked.

While Hasegawa’s career began in one of these exclusive restaurants, Den’s philosophy is more of an elevated expression of Japanese home cooking. While the menu coincides with the changing seasons, the restaurant is renowned for its chicken wings, signature salad, snow crab tofu glazed with mizore sauce and donabe-gohan – rice heated in an earthen pot and paired with wagyu beef or seafood.

“Thanks to the support of producers, the vegetables we use are grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers. Our specialty salad expresses our connection to farmers and is a fun way for diners to see what came out of the garden,” Hasegawa says.

In 2019 Den was also recognised for its heart-warming hospitality, earning the Art of Hospitality Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

2. Sorn, Bangkok

Sorn’s Head Chef Supaksorn Jongsiri became deeply inspired by southern Thai cuisine from his grandmother. His menu today is not only bursting with flavour and encompasses the cultural diversity of the South, but each dish is served at the right temperature – introducing a unique element to Thai cuisine.

If you’re lucky enough to secure a reservation at Sorn you can expect a one-of-a-kind service you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Staff are specially trained to delight guests with stories of Jongsiri’s vision and memories that inform each dish.

Combining the most highly-prized parts of a crab and coated in crab roe paste, Kan Chu Piang – gems on crab stick – is arguably a winning dish whose flavour is enhanced by piquant orange chilli sauce.

3. Florilège, Tokyo

If you’re looking for an experience that goes beyond the everyday Florilège is likely to pique your interest. With innovative French cuisine openly prepared for all eyes to see, Chef Hiroyasu Kawate provides a rare encounter for guests who desire a more transparent sensory experience.

With ingredients sourced locally and seasonally, Kawate’s dishes are imbued with a distinct Japanese quality. The restaurant specialises in preparing meals with sophisticated techniques that are served in Japanese style plates and bowls.

4. Le Du, Bangkok

A seemingly French name, Le Du in fact derived from the Thai word for ‘season’. Thitid Tassanakajohn, a master chef and restaurant empire builder co-founded the restaurant around the concept of regional Thai cooking with a French twist.

Trained in the US, Tassanakajohn’s menu showcases the finest local and seasonal ingredients, which are combined with modern cooking techniques. Le Du’s wines are sourced from around the globe and are carefully selected by Tassanakajohn who’s also a certified sommelier.

While Le Du’s menu is constantly changing, there is one dish Khao kluk kapi – river prawn paired with brown rice risotto and shrimp paste – that is synonymous with the restaurant and what it stands for.

5. The Chairman, Hong Kong

The Chairman was the first restaurant in Hong Kong to earn the prestigious title of The Best Restaurant in Asia, and for good reason. While the menu is contemporary, tradition and seasonal fresh ingredients play an important role in continuing the legacy of Cantonese cuisine.

Rare delicacies from southern China, including 20-year-old pickled lemon, sugar-roasted chrysanthemum and mini water crabs are procured from the most remote villages in China.

A favourite is undoubtedly the steamed flowery crab served with Chinese wine, clam juice and flat rice noodles.

6. La Chime, Osaka

La Cime, meaning summit in French, sets the bar high when it comes to delivering classic cuisine expressed through modern cooking techniques. Its star chef Yusuke Takada began his culinary career in Lyon and later worked in Osaka and Paris.

Our childhood memories can be one of the greatest sources of inspiration and for Takada the small island in southern Japan in which he grew up informs his recipes today.

With a flair for rare flavour combinations, Takada’s angler fish liver is served with persimmon and green onion, and for vegetarians the sea cucumber paired with turnip and starflower is a must.

7. Sühring, Bangkok

Nestled in a serene setting in the heart of Bangkok, the Sühring brothers Thomas and Mathias established a restaurant that is more akin to a house with several dining spaces to choose from.

With a wealth of international experience under their belt, the duo embarked on a fresh re-interpretation of traditional German gastronomy prepared to the standard of haute cuisine. With an array of fresh produce and seafood on their doorstep, the pair include crayfish, blue lobster and butternut squash on the menu.

Guests can expect a relaxed yet sophisticated encounter in a 1970s villa complete with a lush garden and open kitchen to observe the chefs bringing their creations to life.

8. Odette, Singapore

This year Odette, located in Singapore’s National Gallery, once again ranked high in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as it has done in the past few years. As the recipient of the highly coveted Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award, this year Odette has proven itself as the ultimate destination to enjoy modern French cuisine in an artistic setting infused with genuine hospitality.

“I owe everything that I am to my family, especially my grandmother, Odette. She showed me how the most remarkable dishes can come from the purest ingredients and taught me the importance of adding that ‘little something’ to create dishes that excite the palate and fill the heart,” explains Julien Royer, Chef and Owner of Odette.

Boutique producers around the world supply the finest ingredients to bring signature dishes – Normandy brown crab and pepper-crusted pigeon – to life with attention to seasonality and terroir.

9. Neighborhood, Hong Kong

A hidden laneway teeming with markets, local bars and antique shops is an unusual setting in which to establish a gourmet restaurant. Although fully booked, Chef and Owner David Lai doesn’t rely on a polished website or instagram account to entice people into tasting his simple French cooking.

Lai worked in exclusive high-end restaurants in both Hong Kong and San Francisco before adopting the ‘slow food’ philosophy of Alice Waters that he came across while completing his studies in California.

At Neighborhood lamb sourced from the Pyrenees, local seafood and wild game can be found on the specials menu, which always reflect the current season.

10. Nusara, Bangkok

Chef Thitid Tassanakajohn, of Le Du, pays homage to his grandmother Nusara with a menu that re-visits family recipes.

From the 12-course tasting menu the spicy squid salad and wok-fried wagyu beef topped with basil lead into the heartier crab curry served in a betel leaf.

While the second floor seats 10 in a room that has an intimate atmosphere from another era, the ground floor is home to a chic bar serving beverages that have Tassanakajohn’s stamp of approval, as a certified sommelier.

Dispelling myths about mental health can help break the stigma and create a culture that encourages people of any age to seek support when they need it. Here are seven common misconceptions about mental health:

1. Myth: If a person has a mental health condition, it means the person has low intelligence.

Fact: Mental illness, like physical illness, can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, or income level.

2. Myth: You only need to take care of your mental health if you have a mental health condition.

Fact: Everyone can benefit from taking active steps to promote their well-being and improve their mental health. Similarly, everyone can take active steps and engage in healthy habits to optimize their physical health.

3. Myth: Poor mental health is not a big issue for teenagers. They just have mood swings caused by hormonal fluctuations and act out due to a desire for attention.

Fact: Teenagers often have mood swings, but that does not mean that adolescents may not also struggle with their mental health. Fourteen per cent of the world’s adolescents experience mental-health problems. Globally, among those aged 10–15, suicide is the fifth most prevalent cause of death, and for adolescents aged 15–19 it is the fourth most common cause. Half of all mental health conditions start by the age of 14.

4. Myth: Nothing can be done to protect people from developing mental health conditions.

Fact: Many factors can protect people from developing mental health conditions, including strengthening social and emotional skills, seeking help and support early on, developing supportive, loving, warm family relationships, and having a positive school environment and healthy sleep patterns. The ability to overcome adversity relies on a combination of protective factors, and neither environmental nor individual stressors alone will necessarily result in mental health problems. Children and adolescents who do well in the face of adversity typically have biological resistance as well as strong, supportive relationships with family, friends and adults around them, resulting in a combination of protective factors to support well-being.

5. Myth: A mental health condition is a sign of weakness; if the person were stronger, they would not have this condition.

Fact: A mental health condition has nothing to do with being weak or lacking willpower. It is not a condition people choose to have or not have. In fact, recognizing the need to accept help for a mental health condition requires great strength and courage. Anyone can develop a mental health condition.

6. Myth: Adolescents who get good grades and have a lot of friends will not have mental health conditions because they have nothing to be depressed about.

Fact: Depression is a common mental health condition resulting from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. Depression can affect anyone regardless of their socioeconomic status or how good their life appears at face value. Young people doing well in school may feel pressure to succeed, which can cause anxiety, or they may have challenges at home. They may also experience depression or anxiety for no reason that can be easily identified.

7. Myth: Bad parenting causes mental conditions in adolescents.

Fact: Many factors – including poverty, unemployment, and exposure to violence, migration, and other adverse circumstances and events – may influence the well-being and mental health of adolescents, their caregivers and the relationship between them. Adolescents from loving, supporting homes can experience mental health difficulties, as can adolescent from homes where there may be caregivers who need support to maintain an optimum environment for healthy adolescent development. With support, caregivers can play an essential role in helping adolescents to overcome any problems they experience.

(This article is based on UNICEF and the World Health Organization's Teacher’s Guide to the Magnificent Mei and Friends Comic Series.)

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastro-intestinal issue affecting a large number of people. IBS is any feeling of pain in stomach for which one cannot assign a cause like swelling in intestine or stomach. The condition may last lifelong and patients suffer from symptoms like stomach pain, abdominal bloating, constipation among other digestive issues. So, far, the exact cause of IBS has not been fully understood but what experts know is that it has certain triggers like increase in stress, eating spicy foods, caffeinated drinks or alcohol. IBS is more common in people over 40 years of age but can even affect young people.

WHAT IS IBS

"Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastro­ intestinal disorder that has a substantial impact on quality of life and social functioning. The pathophysiology of IBS is not fully understood. The condition affects between 5% and 15% of the Indian population and is characterised by recurrent abdominal pain associated with a change in the form of the stool or a change in the frequency of stool," says Dr Sandeep R Sharma, Consultant -Interventional & medical gastroenterology, Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR IBS

While there are various therapies that can help treat IBS, the first step always includes dietary and lifestyle modifications.

1. REGULAR EXERCISE

Including regular exercise in one’s routine has been shown to improve symptoms of bloating and abdominal pain in many individuals in various studies.

"Any form of exercise is a welcome addition to the management of IBS symptoms. There is no preference for any particular exercise, it can even be traditional forms, such as yoga," says Dr Sharma.

2. INCREASE FIBRE INTAKE

Improving fibre intake in the diet is the second most important step towards mitigating symptoms of IBS. Dr Sharma suggests taking soluble fibre, such as ispaghula husk (around 20-30 grams per day).

3. LOW FODMAP DIET

Another intervention that is effective in improving symptoms of IBS is a diet low in FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols). These are found in a variety of natural foods, fruits, and vegetables. It is beneficial in certain individuals to restrict FODMAP-rich foods in their diet. However, a long-term low FODMAP diet can be deleterious. It is advisable to slowly reintroduce FODMAP foods in a graded manner as tolerated by the individual, once there is improvement in IBS symptoms.

Fruits like apple, avocado, blackberry, mango, watermelon and dairy products with lactose are avoided in low FODMAP diet, while banana, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit and lactose-free dairy can be consumed.

4. INCLUDE PROBIOTICS

IBS symptoms can also be managed by inclusion of probiotics or foods rich in probiotics, such as curd, yogurt, buttermilk, and certain types of cheese (gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, and cottage cheese).

"In a few trials, probiotics were found to be useful in alleviating diarrhoea and reducing the frequency of bowel movements in IBS patients," says Dr Sharma.

Nior, an American Color Cosmetics and Skincare brand, is going to make its luminous presence at the US Trade Show 2022. The annual US Trade Show is about to make its return to Dhaka after its two-year hiatus today. One of the highlights of this event is going to be the presence of the American Color Cosmetics and Skincare brand Nior. With constant research and cutting-edge technology, Nior's products have paved the way in the hearts of cosmetic enthusiasts.

This event's 28th iteration will take place on October 27, 28, and 29 from 10 am to 8 pm. The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) and the American Embassy are jointly sponsoring the grand renaissance of this trade event, which is going to take place at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel. Famous celebrities, dermatologists, beauticians, and influencers are going to attend the event to experience a variety of US goods from various brands.

Nior, which began operations in 1996, is currently one of Bangladesh's most popular and well-known brands. With a solid market position for more than 25 years, Nior has demonstrated that innovation in beauty procedures has enhanced consumer confidence. Amid boosted clientele confidence and demand, Nior currently has 49 products in the color cosmetics market in Bangladesh. At the same time, Nior promises to expand its presence in the glamour world in the future.

Tickets for this event, which is going to be open to all, will be available for regular visitors at the exhibition gate. Students will get free entry to this event by showing their identity cards

Several recent studies have suggested that drinking several cups of tea per day could lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

The latest study indicates that drinking four cups of black, green, or oolong tea per day can lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 17% over a decade. The research will be presented next week at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual conference.

“Our results are exciting because they suggest that people can do something as simple as drinking four cups of tea a day to potentially lessen their risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” Xiaying Li, a researcher at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, told NBC News.

Li and colleagues reviewed 19 studies, which included more than 1 million adults across 8 countries. They found that the benefits of drinking tea went up as someone drank more cups. For one to three cups per day, for instance, the risk of type 2 diabetes dropped by 4%. The percentages increased from there.

In another study published last month, researchers found that drinking two or more cups of black tea per day lowered the overall risk of death by 9% to 13% among 498,000 people in the U.K. during a 14-year period, as compared with those who drank no tea. The study also found a link between drinking multiple cups of tea per day and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

“We think our findings will be very reassuring to people who are already drinking tea,” Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, a staff scientist at the National Cancer Institute, told NBC News.

Even among those who drank more than 10 cups of tea per day, “we didn’t see any negative effects on mortality risk,” she said.

The health benefits could stem from the polyphenols in tea, which are natural compounds in plants that provide antioxidants and may decrease inflammation, Inoue-Choi noted. Reducing inflammation can lower the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease.

In green tea, the dominant polyphenols are called catechins, which can protect cells from damage, NBC News reported. When green tea leaves are fermented to make black tea, the catechins convert to theaflavins, which provide another form of antioxidants.

Inoue-Choi said she and colleagues found that adding milk or sugar to tea didn’t reduce the health benefits. But she noted that the participants tended to use those ingredients sparingly.

“The sweetened tea from the store has a lot more sugar,” she said. “We should still follow the dietary guidelines to avoid too much sugar and too much saturated fat.”

Other studies have found that drinking tea may provide other health benefits as well, such as reducing the risk of lung, ovarian, prostate, or colorectal cancer. But the results have been mixed. Other studies have found that drinking several cups of black tea per day can increase the risk of breast cancer, and one study found that drinking extremely hot tea can increase the risk of esophageal cancer.

“Findings for cancer have been more mixed,” Inoue-Choi said. ‘There have been more consistent results for [reduced risks of] heart disease or stroke.”

For now, she said, drinking tea appears beneficial, but scientists wouldn’t likely tell people to change their behavior or give recommendations about the ideal amount of tea to drink.

“We wouldn’t recommend people change their tea intake solely based on this single study,” Inoue-Choi said.