8 Top Chefs Pick Their Top Bites for 2016

CLAUS MEYER

Top Pick: Chicken Rice, Wee Nam Kee, Singapore

The renowned restaurateur and co-founder of two Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant Noma visited Singapore and had a taste of the famous chicken rice chain's signature dish. Meyer waxed lyrical to The Guardian newspaper about the "best chicken" he had ever eaten, confessing that "when the chicken melted in my mouth, tears came to my eyes".

TOM KITCHIN

Top Pick: Squid Bolognese, Koffman's, London

The Scottish chef and founder of The Kitchin in Edinburgh is well known as a guest judge and mentor on reality TV show MasterChef, and is the youngest restaurateur to earn a Michelin Star. He recommends French chef Pierre Koffman's squid bolognese at his landmark restaurant. Calling the unusual dish, which contains no pasta, "a must try", Kitchin told the Guardian that his choice could partly be driven by nostalgia as Koffman's will close indefinitely from January 1, 2017.

GEORGE MARCHAND

Top Pick: Scallops with Truffle Puree, Cove Club, London

George Marchand, chef-patron of London restaurant Frenchie, raved to The Guardian about this dish. He called it "really fresh, really beautiful and really, really tasty". So if you crave fresh seafood in London, Cove Club is the place to go.

EMMA BENGTSSON

Top Pick: Brunch, Le Barricou, New York

The executive chef of two-Michelin-starred Aquavit is a fan of New York's Le Berricou. She told Vogue that the French bistro offers a laidback, friendly atmosphere, for anyone who wishes to take a break from the bustling crowds of the Big Apple. "The food is just what you need on a Sunday morning." And the chef added that Le Berricou makes "a killer Bloody Mary".

MATT LAMBERT

Top Pick: Smoked Mozzarella and Sausage Pizza, San Matteo, New York

Psst, looking for a hidden gem? The co-owner and executive chef of one-Michelin-starred The Musket Room recommends San Matteo Pizza, a hole-in-the-wall brick oven pizza place. The New Zealand-born chef told Vogue that he eats there at least once a week, and also recommended their meat plate and calzones.

Tonkatsu, or pork cutlet, from Butagumi, a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan.

DAVID BARZELAY

Top Pick: Tonkatsu, Butagumi, Tokyo

David Barzelay, chef and owner of San Francisco hotspot The Lazy Bear, tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) in Japan is a must-try. He tweeted a picture of Butagumi's fat, juicy chop and declared it "one of the best things we have eaten so far". He told online travel site Afar that the tonkatsu was "beautifully crispy on the outside and tender and fatty on the inside" and called it "simple and delicious".

MASSIMO BOTTURA

Top Pick: Pumpkin Tortelli, Dal Pescatore, Canneto Sull'Oglio, Italy

Another dish which brought a chef to the brink of tears is Dal Pescatore's Pumpkin Tortelli. Acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura, chef-patron of three-Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, told The Guardian: "As soon as I tasted it, I was emotionally touched, because it took me back to the memory of my youth."

But it might be a hard dish to get to as the restaurant is located in Runata, a small rural village in the north of Italy. The restaurant is run by chef Nadia Santini – the first woman to be awarded three Michelin stars.

ANDY OLIVER

Top Pick: Gaeng Ki Lek (beef and cassia leaf curry), Bo.Lan, Bangkok

If you are headed to Bangkok for the holidays, you might want to check out chef Andy Oliver's recommendation. The co-owner of Som Saa restaurant picks a high-end interpretation of the humble beef curry by Bangkok fine dining restaurant Bo.Lan.

He told Guardian newspaper: "When you're just off a flight from the UK and eat here, it smacks you square in the face - all those familiar Thai tastes and ingredients are turned up to 11, because they're fresh from the market that morning."

This story first ran in The Straits Times.