As part of the launch of the inaugural edition of The Miele Guide, the much anticipated first-ever ranked list of Asia’s Top 20 Restaurants was announced at The Miele Guide Dinner on October 31, 2008.

This year, Hong Kong has emerged as the best city in Asia to dine in. Eight restaurants in The Miele Guide’s Top 20 are in Hong Kong.

It is also worth noting that one chef-restaurateur has three restaurants in The Miele Guide’s Top 20. Joel Robuchon (the French chief), once heralded as the world’s greatest chef, is undoubtedly helping to transform Asia’s culinary scene through his restaurants in Hong Kong, Macau and Tokyo.

Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, the richest man in Europe and the 4th richest man in the world, is now the world’s biggest loser from the credit crunch with more than £16 billion/ $29 billion wiped off his fortune by plummeting stock markets in just four months.

Mittal has seen his family’s stake in ArcelorMittal, the steel conglomerate, fall from £33.2/$58.2 billion on June 4 this year to £16.6/$29 billion at the close of Friday’s markets. The loss is the equivalent of £137m/$240 million a day or nearly £6m/$10 million an hour.

Mittal, who paid a record $200 million for a Georgian mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens earlier this year, heads a list of 10 super-rich losers who between them have seen their share portfolios shrink by some £23/$40 billion from their peaks.But no worries, Mittal has still $17 billion left, the London Times reports.

Lakshmi Mittal and family: Steel
Down £16.6bn /$29bn

Anil Agarwal: Metals
Down £2.7bn / $4.7bn

Mike Ashley: Sports retail
Down £960m / $1.7bn