New Restaurant Guide covering Asia to be launched in October

A new restaurant guide, the Miele Guide, is to be released at the end of October 2008. The Miele Guide will rank what it believes are Asia’s top 20 best restaurants annually. The guide will feature in-depth profiles of these top 20 restaurants plus a select list of other top restaurants in the region, categorised by country, city and cuisine.

“We want to create a credible, transparent system through which to showcase establishments that deliver excellence and exceptional dining by Asian standards. We hope that The Miele Guide will not only accurately reflect the opinions of Asia’s most respected restaurant writers, but more importantly, capture public opinion. It is vital that The Miele Guide reflects the tastes of the dining public in Asia,” said Aun Koh, Director of Ate Media Pte Ltd, which is publishing the guide.

The information in the guide will be compiled through several rounds of judging. The first round gathers input from 84 respected restaurant critics in Asia. The second and third rounds will be conducted simultaneously via online polls that will run from May 15 to the end of July 2008. In addition, a selected jury of respected foodies and food and wine professionals across Asia will be invited to place their votes for the third round of judging.

Voters will be asked to cast their votes for a specific number of restaurants from their own countries and a larger number of restaurants from outside their own countries. If a voter wants to nominate a restaurant that does not appear on the shortlist, he or she may do so. The final evaluation will be made by The Miele Guide’s in-house editorial team and contributing editors who will visit all of the top-ranked restaurants anonymously in order to verify the voting results.

Voters also have the chance to win attractive prizes. An all-expenses paid meal at the top ranked restaurant in Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo, plus a stay in one of Asia’s most luxurious hotels (upon registration, voters will be asked to choose the city they want to be eligible for) are all up for grabs. The results of the voting will be announced in October 2008 when The Miele Guide is launched.

As an independent guide, The Miele Guide claims it will not accept any advertising or sponsorship, nor any free meals, from any of the restaurants reviewed.

The first edition of The Miele Guide will evaluate restaurants in 16 Asian countries—Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and  Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Miele Guide is published by Ate Media and sponsored by Miele, a German manufacturer of premium and innovative cooking appliances for the home.

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