Thailand hands out its own awards while Asia's best list keeps reshuffling, and Piedmont's truffle market gets going for real
Monday news roundup: Bangkok had itself a week, collecting Chinese Restaurant Awards hours ago while its restaurants keep stacking up on Asia's 50 Best list. Tokyo quietly changed its restaurant map with three openings worth knowing. And somewhere in Piedmont right now, a grown man is sniffing a truffle the size of a fist and deciding whether to spend his daughter's college fund on it.
The Chinese Restaurant Awards named their 2026 Asia list today, and three Bangkok restaurants made the Elite 25: China House by Chef Fei for Teochew and Cantonese cooking, plus Chai Jia Chai and Purple Laurel for modern Chinese. It lands the same week Bangkok also picked up its own TOP25 Restaurants Thailand Awards and multiple spots on Asia's 50 Best, making this the city's biggest run of recognition in one month.
Asia's 50 Best gave its One to Watch award to San, a subterranean Gangnam restaurant that runs classical French technique through a Korean lens, including a dwaeji-gukbap course finished with caviar. It is the first time since 2017 a Seoul restaurant has won the title, part of a strong year for the city alongside Mingles, Eatanic Garden and Onjium.
After more than two decades as Sens & Saveurs in Marunouchi, the Pourcel brothers' Tokyo outpost is relaunching this month under its original French name, redesigned by Christian Collot with floor to ceiling windows looking at the Imperial Palace grounds. It opens October 30, timed with a wave of other Tokyo debuts this month including Chez Calvert, designed by British architect John Pawson.
Piedmont's white truffle market and fair runs from early October into early December, with a dedicated World Market for the truffles themselves alongside the region's cheeses and cured meats. Late October is peak digging season for tartufo bianco, and this week the market is thick with fresh hauls before the cold sets in and the season thins out.
See Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco di Alba →
Vendors weigh out whole white truffles by the gram right there at the stalls, the closest thing to buying diamonds that still smells like dirt and garlic. This is the only few weeks of the year the real thing shows up in this volume, straight from the hills around Alba.
A dense, not-too-sweet chestnut flour cake that shows up on tables across Piedmont once the truffle crowds thin out in the afternoon. Chestnuts and truffles peak at the same time, so the cake is everywhere alongside the main event right now.
Sin's debut cookbook is built around the cha chaan teng, the fast, unpretentious Hong Kong diners that mix British, Cantonese and American habits into one menu, from milk tea to baked pork chop rice. It is out November 3, from a chef who has spent his career arguing that diner food deserves the same respect as fine dining.
See the book and two recipes →
Daniel Humm's first restaurant under his own name, set in the old En Japanese Brasserie space, built as a looser a la carte sibling to Eleven Madison Park. It just opened this week, with a menu that includes crispy feta with sesame and shallot agrodolce, tuna crudo, and a chicory and tangerine salad.
Book on Resy now, this one will not stay easy to get into
A Boston udon shop opening its first New York location, with a tight menu of four hot and four cold udon options plus a few sides. It just opened this week, part of a mini wave of Boston restaurants arriving in the city right now.
Go for lunch on a weekday, before word gets around
A fine dining steak concept from the Little Prince team, taking over their old snug SoHo space, with caviar service and a dry-aged wagyu porterhouse. It just opened and includes a crispy lasagna with black truffle and taleggio that sounds like the dish people will be posting about.
Book ahead, the room is small
A new SoHo bakery selling a single sourdough rye loaf for sixty dollars has become the city's running argument about value, with lines forming and a food reviewer going viral for calling the bread "trash" and demanding a refund. The backlash video posted this week turned a bakery opening into a full blown debate about New York food prices.
Judge for yourself before the discourse moves on
The Michelin-noted Japanese-American restaurant in Greenpoint served its last meal on October 25, after three and a half years, with a new concept already planned for the space. The closing just happened this weekend and Brooklyn diners are trading memories of the room.
Follow the space for news of what's next
One of the opening dishes on Daniel Humm's new a la carte menu, built around a sweet and sour shallot agrodolce. The restaurant just opened, so this is as fresh as the menu gets right now.
Order it alongside the tuna crudo on a first visit
Grilled meats and aguachiles on housemade tortillas at the newer, more relaxed Mexican spot from the team behind Cuerno steakhouse. It opened within the past couple of weeks and is still settling into its groove, a good window to try it before the crowds catch on.
Walk in for a weeknight dinner
A citywide tasting event bringing together wine and food vendors for an afternoon session. It falls on Saturday, November 7, within the next two weeks.
Get tickets ahead of the date
An Italian food and culture festival landing in SoHo for a single day. It happens Thursday, November 12, just inside the two week window.
Reserve a spot if tickets are tiered
Earlier: Wednesday, October 28Tuesday, October 27Sunday, October 25Saturday, October 24Friday, October 23
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