Farm Fresh: Bengaluru’s Farmlore Named Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 One To Watch

Bengaluru’s Farmlore has nabbed the 2025 American Express One To Watch Award, staking its claim as Asia’s rising culinary star. The recognition comes as part of the build-up to the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony happening March 25 in Seoul, where the full ranking will be unveiled.

The restaurant stands out in a crowded field of farm-to-table pretenders. While many establishments claim the term, Farmlore actually sits on a 37-acre working farm, creating what is less a restaurant with a garden and more a farm that happens to have an 18-seat dining room.

Beyond Buzzwords At Farmlore in Bengaluru

Chef Johnson Ebenezer and entrepreneur Kaushik Raju have created something that defies the usual restaurant categorization. The name itself—a portmanteau of “folklore” and “locavore”—signals their dual commitment to cultural narratives and hyperlocal ingredients.

“Amid the restaurants with a ‘farm-to-table’ philosophy, Farmlore stands apart with its immersive experience, nestled within an actual working farm,” says William Drew, Director of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. “The journey begins with a stroll through lush mango and coconut groves, offering guests an education in the natural farming principles they uphold.”

What makes Farmlore particularly intriguing is its no-compromises approach. The kitchen operates without gas, relying instead on wood-fired ovens and pit stoves. Ingredients come either from their soil or carefully selected local producers. The farming practices focus on soil health and nutrient density rather than yield or appearance.

A meal at Farmlore begins with one of the most unexpected amuse-bouches in fine dining: foraged ants from the property’s mango and citrus trees. It’s a direct nod to Indigenous food cultures of the Western Ghats, offering diners distinct astringent and tangy flavor profiles that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

Other standout dishes include Rameswaram-caught octopus paired with dark chocolate from West Godavari cocoa, goat milk with beet chips and fried rice, and dried Tamil Nadu persimmons. The restaurant maintains a cuisine-agnostic approach while incorporating strong South Indian influences throughout its ever-changing menu.

Farmlore Bengaluru’s Working Farm Experience

Unlike restaurants that source from farms or maintain small kitchen gardens, Farmlore’s entire 37-acre property is a functioning agricultural ecosystem. The farming operation doesn’t exist to serve the restaurant—rather, the restaurant exists to showcase what the farm produces.

This reversal of the traditional restaurant-supplier relationship means the menu is truly dictated by what’s growing, not what’s trending. If this season’s carrots are particularly good, they might feature prominently. If the mangos aren’t at their peak, they won’t appear on plates, no matter how popular they might be with guests.

The agricultural practices employed draw from generational knowledge of ethical, organic farming. The focus remains on preserving soil health while creating nutrient-rich produce. This approach stands in contrast to the industrial farming models that dominate much of modern agriculture, even at the luxury end of the market.

Guests who dine at Farmlore don’t just eat the food—they experience the entire journey from soil to plate. The meal begins with that walk through the farm, creating a connection to the landscape that informs everything that follows. It’s a reminder that great restaurants aren’t just about technical cooking skills; they’re about creating meaningful relationships with food systems.

Farmlore Joins the Pre-Award Winners’ Circle

Farmlore’s recognition adds to the anticipation building ahead of the full Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 reveal. They join two other early award winners, each representing different facets of Asian gastronomy’s evolution.

Manila’s Toyo Eatery has secured the Gin Mare Art of Hospitality Award, continuing a remarkable trajectory that began when they were named One To Watch in 2018—the same award Farmlore has just received. Now ranked 24th on the list, Toyo has held the title of Best Restaurant in the Philippines for five consecutive years while also earning the Sustainable Restaurant Award in 2023.

Led by husband-wife team Jordy and May Navarra, Toyo Eatery creates an intimately Filipino dining experience. Jordy brings impressive credentials, having worked at The Fat Duck in the UK (ranked The World’s Best Restaurant in 2005) and Hong Kong’s Bo Innovation before returning to focus on his home country’s culinary heritage.

Their signature dishes tell stories of cultural significance. The Bahay Kubo salad features 18 vegetables named in a beloved Tagalog folk song. Their reimagined pork barbecue showcases three distinct cuts. Perhaps most captivating is their Tortang Talong, where banana ketchup pairs with a perfectly prepared aubergine omelette.

Meanwhile, Bangkok’s Chudaree ‘Tam’ Debhakam has been named Asia’s Best Female Chef 2025. Her restaurant, Baan Tepa (ranked 42nd), offers a unique dining experience set within her grandmother’s former home. This three-generation family estate has been transformed into an open-kitchen dining room, chef’s table, and organic culinary garden.

Chef Tam’s seven-course tasting menu takes diners on a journey through Thailand with regionally inspired dishes like “Heart of Thailand: Nam Prik” and “Anatomy of a River Prawn.” With training from New York’s International Culinary Center and experience under chef Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, she brings global expertise to her deeply Thai creations.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants One To Watch Trajectory

For Farmlore, this recognition potentially signals the beginning of a significant culinary journey. Previous recipients of the One To Watch Award have gone on to claim spots on the main Asia’s 50 Best list, often climbing steadily through the ranks in subsequent years.

Toyo Eatery’s path from One To Watch in 2018 to its current position at number 24 demonstrates the potential trajectory. Other past winners like Bangkok’s 80/20, Seoul’s Mosu, and Tokyo’s Florilège have all made similar journeys from promising newcomers to established fixtures on the list.

The award specifically highlights establishments that showcase exceptional culinary talent, creativity, and potential. It serves as both recognition of current achievement and a prediction of future success, selected by the 50 Best team based on the votes of its Academy and specific editorial criteria.

For diners, the One To Watch designation offers the opportunity to experience a restaurant at a pivotal moment in its development—before it potentially becomes impossible to reserve. It’s a signal to culinary trend-watchers about where innovative dining experiences are emerging.

The Future of Farm-Driven Cuisine

Farmlore’s recognition suggests a shift in how the culinary world evaluates excellence. Rather than focusing solely on technique or presentation, there’s increasing acknowledgment of restaurants that create meaningful connections to place, season, and agricultural systems.

This approach resonates with growing consumer interest in food provenance and sustainability. However, Farmlore distinguishes itself through commitment rather than marketing. The restaurant doesn’t just talk about seasonality and local sourcing—it is physically bound to those principles through its location and operations.

The gas-free kitchen represents another notable element of their approach. By cooking exclusively with wood fire, they connect to culinary traditions that predate modern kitchen technology. This creates both challenges and opportunities for the chefs, requiring different techniques and approaches than conventional fine dining.

For diners seeking authentic connections to food and place, Farmlore offers something increasingly rare—a truly immersive culinary experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Each meal is unique, tied to the specific conditions of the farm at that moment, creating what might be called “extreme seasonality.”

Anticipation Over Awards Season Builds With Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 

As the culinary world looks toward the March 25 ceremony in Seoul, these early award announcements build anticipation for the complete Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list. The ceremony will take place at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, in collaboration with host destination partners, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

For those unable to attend in person, the awards ceremony will be streamed live on the 50 Best YouTube channel, beginning at 20:00 Korea time. This digital access ensures global audiences can witness the unveiling of this year’s culinary titans alongside industry insiders.

Previous years have seen restaurants from Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and mainland China dominating the upper echelons of the list. The 2025 edition may reveal shifting dynamics in the region’s culinary landscape, particularly as post-pandemic recovery continues to reshape dining scenes across Asia.

The early recognition of establishments in India, the Philippines, and Thailand already suggests a geographically diverse list that acknowledges excellence beyond traditional fine dining capitals. For food enthusiasts, these awards offer both a celebration of current achievement and a roadmap for future dining explorations across the continent.

As Farmlore joins Toyo Eatery and Baan Tepa in securing early recognition, they represent different facets of Asia’s evolving culinary identity—one that increasingly celebrates authenticity, connection to place, and meaningful dining experiences beyond technical perfection and luxury ingredients.