TRB Named #1 Fine Dining Resto in Asia, Cracks Global Top 10
Throughout its six-year run, the Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) brand has lured droves of Beijing foodies looking to splurge in the high-end fine dining restaurant, and now that recognition has spread well beyond the Chinese capital. That's proven by the fact that travel site TripAdvisor has now ranked the TRB Hutong branch not only the number one fine dining restaurant in Asia but also the seventh best upscale restaurant in the world.
When I first opened my own restaurant I really wanted to establish a world-class international restaurant run by local talent.
“When I first opened my own restaurant I really wanted to establish a world-class international restaurant run by local talent,” proprietor Ignace Lecleir tells the Beijinger when asked to look back on TRB’s successes. The Belgian expat adds: “Given that many of our team members have never previously been exposed to an international market makes this achievement that much more remarkable. I am incredibly proud to see the personal growth and professional progress that they have made, and I look forward to the great things ahead of us in the years to come.”
TRB proprietor Ignace Lecleir
TRB Hutong is in good company on the global list, joining Au Crocodile restaurant in Strasbourg, France, which also earned one star on the 2018 Michelin Guide. Other heavy hitters on the list include two Spanish restaurants: Martin Berasategui and El Celler de Can Roca, which ranked second and third respectively and each snagged three stars on the 2019 Michelin Guide.
After kicking off his Beijing F&B stint at the now-defunct Maison Boulud in 2008, Lecleir opened TRB Hutong in 2012. Nestled in a traditional Beijing alleyway near the Forbidden City’s Palace Museum, the restaurant quickly earned rave reviews in the capital’s dining scene for its elegant ambiance, gourmet food, and, above all, its attentive service. Since then, the TRB brand has grown with the opening of sister restaurants TRB Forbidden City, Copper, along with TRB Catering and the more casual Sanlitun eatery Hulu.
The growth we have experienced here [in Beijing] as a restaurant... is incredible.
“The growth we have experienced here as a restaurant... is incredible,” Lecleir said in a press release after TripAdvisor announced the rankings. “There is a deep, rich culture here that has seeped into my soul and I am so grateful to be where we are.”
For the full rankings of both global and Asia top fine dining restaurants, go to: tripadvisor.com.
Photos courtesy of TRB, Uni
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