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Evelyn Chen
Evelyn Chen
SCMP Contributor
Born, bred and educated in Singapore, Evelyn Chen is a food and travel writer and editor with bylines in CNN, CNBC, New York Times and finedininglovers.com, amongst others. In between dinners and travel assignments, the former Zagat editor shares her favourite food discoveries on Instagram.

Corey Lee, the chef of three-Michelin-star Benu in San Francisco, is working up the menu for Na Oh, a new restaurant in Korean carmaker Hyundai’s Innovation Centre Singapore with its own smart farm.

Wang Yong trained in Shanghai before heading to Jin Sha at the Four Seasons Hangzhou, where he is now executive Chinese chef, using sophisticated techniques to cook the best regional produce.

Hangzhou is known more for history than food, but some restaurants in the city are changing perceptions of the Chinese city’s culinary scene with their cool concepts and innovative cooking. Here are 4 of them.

Shanghai’s dining scene is bouncing back after the pandemic, with new openings including offshoots of Michelin-star restaurants in Norway and Japan and others serving regional Chinese cuisine.

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The Portuguese capital enjoys fresh seafood from the Atlantic, and the best produce from inland, and its inventive chefs make good use of them – it’s why Lisbon is a foodie’s delight.

Barcelona is full of restaurants, cafes and bars. Top Spanish chefs Albert Adria, Eduard Xatruch, Sergio Torres and Jordi Roca reveal their favourite places to eat and drink in the Catalan capital.

Ebru Baybara Demir set up soup kitchens in earthquake-hit areas in Turkey in early 2023, and has spent her career helping displaced women. She recently won the Basque Culinary World Prize.

Ian Goh recently won first prize in the Asian edition of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Awards. The Singaporean explains how his Hainanese heritage inspired his competition-winning dish.

First it was K-pop, now it’s K-food: Seoul in South Korea is showcasing to the world its culinary culture, from Michelin-star modern fare to traditional dishes and cooking techniques.

Indian barbecue eatery Revolver, Korean restaurant Naeum, the “kappo”-style Willow and French brasserie Claudine have been drawing hordes of diners despite ongoing restrictions.

Could Singapore be the next global hotspot for home-grown craft spirits? Hip brands like Brass Lion, SoulSister and Compendium are putting the city on the map fast

Singapore’s fine-dining restaurants have mostly survived the pandemic, but more casual outlets have struggled. With a fresh set of dining restrictions having kicked in, chefs and owners talk about how they are coping.

High quality produce from South Korea’s seas and farms has been overlooked internationally, but the hallyu wave is helping chefs introduce its food to a wider audience

Ethnic Singaporean food might be gaining a stronger presence on the international stage, thanks to these chefs honing their talent at Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe

Guests can savour anything from Peranakan to artisanal Italian pastas and pizzas, homespun Cantonese dishes, hearty European classics and modern American fare

Royer’s Singapore eatery Odette, which serves Asian-inflected modern French cuisine, clinched top spot at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards

Many of the Indonesian town’s fine dining eateries, including Aperitif, Room4Dessert and Nusantara, are happy to create a great tasting menu for lovers of plant-based food

Guests can savour seafood from the Far East, lamb from Kabardino-Balkaria, St Petersburg smelt, honey agarics and mushrooms from the Urals, as well as red deer meat from Altai

In the land of smorgasbord, organic and biodynamic are the watchwords as sustainable dining grows in popularity and restaurants source ingredients that are locally produced, or which they even grow themselves

Chefs in Europe’s most ecological city – working at top restaurants like Frantzén, Agrikultur, Ekstedt, Volt and Oaxen Slip/Krog – are using sustainable ingredients and leftovers to create delicious dishes