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Have Plate, Will Travel
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By: Gary Bowerman, Issue 38 – Autumn 2009
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(The Michelin Rating – Asia)
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ASIA’S TOP RESTAURANTS CONTINUE TO WIN AWARDS.
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A frisson of foodie excitement enveloped Asia in November 2007, when Michelin launched its Tokyo finedining guide. The first time the French-based food bible had ventured beyond Europe and the United States saw Michelin award 191 of its prized culinary stars across 150 restaurants.
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Overnight, the Japanese capital became Michelin’s most starred culinary city, surprisingly moving ahead of Paris. France, after all, was where the guides were founded in 1900, by André and Édouard Michelin, as a free resource for pioneering motorists. Tokyo’s pre-eminent position was strengthened in November 2008, when the second edition awarded it a total of 227 culinary stars – 36 more than the debut year.
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Asian chefs had another reason to celebrate just a few weeks later. On 5 December 2008, Michelin published its inaugural Hong Kong and Macau gastronomic guide. In total, 169 restaurants were evaluated in Hong Kong, with 14 awarded a one Michelin star, seven earning two stars, and one restaurant, Lung King Heen, garnering the three-star award. In Macau, 33 restaurants were included, with four gaining one Michelin star, one earning two stars, and Robuchon a Galera crowned as the sole three-star eatery. For a destination self-branded as ‘Asia’s World City’, and which is justifiably proud of its pan-global dining scene, the Hong Kong launch created quite a buzz. “All the chefs are talking about the guide, and so are the customers,” says Chef Frederic Chabbert of Restaurant Petrus, the 56th-floor classical French restaurant at the Island Shangri-La hotel, which gained one Michelin star. “It’s great for the whole dining scene here that we are recognised by Michelin. I think it will raise competiveness and quality across the board.”
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The Rating Process
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The Michelin rating process has been honed since 1926 to “identify consistently high-quality establishments to suit a range of budgets and across a range of styles and cuisines.” Full-time professional inspectors are employed to anonymously visit restaurants and hotels in each destination, and evaluate them on five key of criteria: 1) the quality of the products; 2) mastery of flavour and cooking; 3) ‘personality’ of the cuisine; 4) value for money; and 5) consistency between visits. If a restaurant passes the initial test, inspectors return at least once more to check on the consistency. Local hoteliers and restaurateurs believe this sets an important benchmark for the future. For while Hong Kong and Macau collectively trail Tokyo by some distance – 40 total stars versus 227 total stars – the challenge now is to continue raising standards. “Hong Kong has long had a very sophisticated dining scene, and the Michelin guide has added a new level of interest,” says Darren Gearing, Area Manager and General Manager of Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong, which gained two-starred restaurants – the one-star earned by Petrus, and Chef Lee Keung’s two-starred Summer Palace Cantonese restaurant. “It’s all about continuous improvement now. Every restaurant that gained one star wants to get two stars in 2009.”
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Picks of the List
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Of the 28 starred restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, 18 are located in hotels and 10 are independent. The much cherished three Michelin star commendation was claimed, both in Hong Kong and Macau, by hotel restaurants – Lung King Heen in Hong Kong and Robuchon a Galera in Macau. Translated as ‘view of the dragon,’ Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hong Kong serves Cantonese cuisine described as “expertly crafted, nicely balanced and enticingly presented.” The standout freshness of the seafood dishes was highly commended. In Macau, masterchef Joel Robuchon’s modern French cuisine at Robuchon a Galera at the Lisboa Hotel was praised for its “excellent fresh ingredients [that] underpin contemporary Gallic cuisine.” The wine list, comprising more than 3,400 global labels, was hailed as “superb.” The list includes some intriguing dining choices, with Cantonese and French cooking strongly covered. Yung Kee, in Central Hong Kong, for example, has been serving its signature roast goose and barbecue pork for 65 years. Bo Innovation, meanwhile, is described as “x-treme Chinese cuisine,” and “deconstructs recognisable Chinese flavour combinations” in favour of playful, innovative China-fusion dishes, such as lamb and kumquat shank dumpling, spicy spring roll and tenderloin kebab; and langoustine golden style, served with preserved duck egg, English mustard, ox tail “tong bao” and cauliflower risotto black truffle. In Macau, Ying at Crown Towers Hotel is hailed as “a terrific restaurant with breathtaking views …[and] some of the best Cantonese cooking in the region.” The two-starred Tim’s Kitchen is showered with even greater praise in the guide. “Hong Kong foodies make a special pilgrimage here,” says Michelin. “A joy for the taste buds.”
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The Michelin Rating System
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Top chefs in 22 countries prize their Michelin stars, which are awarded in recognition of outstanding culinary quality and consistency. Today’s one-, two-, and three-star restaurant rating system adheres to Michelin’s restaurant evaluation principles established in 1926.
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One Michelin star = a very good cuisine in its category.
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Two Michelin stars = excellent cooking and worth a detour.
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Three Michelin stars = exceptional cuisine and worth the journey.
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