Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Iggy's, a modern-European eatery in the Regent Singapore hotel, was named Asia's best restaurant last night in the first ``Miele Guide'' Top 20 list of the continent's eateries.

The Hong Kong outlet of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon took second place, ahead of two other Singapore venues: Les Amis and Gunther's. Mozaic, in Bali, was fifth, and Robuchon a Galera, the French chef's Macau establishment, took sixth place.

The ``Miele Guide'' was founded this year after Asian restaurants repeatedly failed to make a mark in the London-based San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The highest showing for an Asian eatery in that list in 2008 was Bukhara, in New Delhi, which only made 55th place. Iggy's came in at No. 77.

``The sad reality is that while Asia is home to some of the world's best and most popular cuisines, its restaurants and the personalities behind them are not getting the recognition that they so richly deserve,'' according to the guide, published by Guetersloh, Germany-based Miele Co., a domestic-appliance company.

Various Asian restaurants run by Western chains feature in the list, based on the opinions of 1,500 industry figures and journalists as well as a public vote. Nobu is there, along with London-based Zuma, while the best establishment in the whole of Japan is French, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

French food figures most prominently. The first seven venues are European. Nobu is top for Japanese cuisine. There are no Korean or Thai restaurants in the Top 20, only an Italian eatery in Bangkok. The sole Indian venue is Bukhara, a hotel outlet that counts former U.S. President Bill Clinton among its fans.

Leaving aside Hong Kong and Macau, the only winner in China is M on the Bund, the Shanghai outpost of a Western restaurant that was founded by an Australian in Hong Kong.

The results were announced at a gala dinner attended by 350 guests at the Grand Hyatt, Singapore. Here's the list from ``The Miele Guide: Your Guide to Asia's Finest Restaurants 2008/2009.''

1. Iggy's, Singapore.
2. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong.
3. Les Amis, Singapore.
4. Gunther's, Singapore.
5. Mozaic, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
6. Robuchon a Galera, Macau, China.
7. Garibaldi, Singapore.
8. Yung Kee, Hong Kong.
9. Hutong, Hong Kong.
10. Antonio's Fine Dining, Tagaytay, Philippines.
11. Caprice, Hong Kong.
12. Zuma, Hong Kong.
13. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Tokyo.
14. Bukhara, New Delhi.
15. Grissini, Hong Kong.
16. Nobu, Hong Kong.
17. M on the Bund, Shanghai.
18. Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong.
19. Zanotti, Bangkok.
20. Kyubey, Tokyo.

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines, in London, at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 31, 2008 12:00 EDT