A dollop of off-the-curb eating quirk to brighten up those midweek blues every wednesday or thursdays or both Photo by The Dana Files
The Michelin guide is quite possibly the most prestigious restaurant rating system in the world. Gaining one of these bad boys is like giving a restaurant a license to charge ridiculous amounts of money and be able to create gimmick heavy food while almost guaranteeing rock-star celebrity status within the community. The rating system is fairly straightforward in that it only gives them away to a fairly small group of establishments (and their mates) which are deemed worthy. There are only three categories:
- One Star given for a very good restaurant in its category
- Two Stars given for excellent cooking, worth a detour
- Three Stars for exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey
Over the decades, the Red Guide has had its fair share of critics, citing that because it’s a French publication – it’s ratings tend to be skewed toward French restaurants with an emphasis on stuffy over complicated formality and way too much attention to presentation rather than just straight forward great food.
What did you expect right? It is a European based publication after all and they only release the red guide for a handful of countries (in which the UK is one of them) and interestingly enough, Tokyo holds the most number of stars compared to any other country (173 with one or more) . Still, the French version is now headed by a German woman, the Honorable Goddess Ms Juliane Caspar. She must have a sensitive tongue. I’d love to take her out for a meal.
In addition to the glamorous three stars, The Michelin guide also awards the ‘Bib Gourmand’ to restaurants which provide good food at moderate prices. In the UK, that means a menu priced at no greater than 28 squiddies.
So does this mean that a three star place is a guaranteed meal of a lifetime? Well, I don’t know, never been to one, but very few are in this category and there are only three in the whole of the UK and only one of them is in London (belonging to a certain flying Scotsman). It does guarantee that it’s going to be pricy though. I’ve noticed that restaurants in contention/possessing of a Michelin star do seem to loosely follow French conventions when it comes to service and style. In the UK, the price of the menu is also quite indicative of how many stars they possess ( 3 courses ):
- 3 stars : £125 and up
- 2 stars : £75 to £95
- 1 star : About £50
- In contention : £about 50 squiddies too, maybe less in recession.
I have been to a few one stars ( Hibiscus , Maze ) but only one two star ( Square ) and it seems like the Square is way better than the rest in terms of cooking, service, ambiance, even down to the cutlery. Does this mean that the more stars a restaurant holds, the better the food? Well, I don’t think so, I think it’s indicative of quality, but it doesnt guarantee that a one-star place is going to taste any less compared to a two-star place. I think when that happens, it means more stars for the former and a deduction for the latter. In that regard, it really means that holding a star does not equal good food (if it did, there would be no debate over this guide).
Personally, the star just means more £££ to me and sometimes I just want simple tasty food and not burn a hole in my wallet. Although I do enjoy a beautiful dinner, after all that’s what I write about, but a beautiful dinner need not come from restaurants with a surcharge from the Michelin man.
What about you? What’s your view on the Michelin man? Is it a guiding light for your restaurant experiences, or do you rely on word of mouth and hidden gems to find your dishes?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
A star means individual towels in the toilets. You can tell this must be a prerequisite because restaurants which have ambitions to be starred have them too.
ive found starred restaurants to be good. then again I also find greasy spoons good.
It does guarantee that it’s going to be pricy though.
Good service with a smiling face and good food are what I need when I eat at a restaurant. I don’t mind the rest. (And of course please be clean ! :))) )
Btw I love this ne design here
Good job!
I know I’m welcomed back! :)))
Bob, hahahha.. That is actually very true! The more stars, the better quality the towels are!! I can visualise the Michelin Inspector excusing himself and going to the toilet to scrutinise the towel brand and making sure it is at least Egyptian cotton!
Banu, welcome back indeed
it’s been a while since I last heard from you -busy? Happy new year by the way, hope you have been well!
I’ve been a bit busy with the engagement stuff and then a funeral
But I’m doing ok now
I was assistant manager at a resteraunt which acheived one star satatus in the last couple of years and i for one can tell you that stars mean very different things to different people involved. to me it was a proud acheivement of my progression. For head chef it was the culmination of 18 years of hard graft, blood sweat and tears. for the moronic owner (who was not from a F+B background) it just seemed to be a bauble, somthing to shout to whoever would listen. the ones who make the most noise are the ones who deserve it lease and have had the least to do with it.
Safron,
That’s an interesting perspective - an emotional one - coming from someone who has worked hard for the star, and also from the perspective of the people behind the restaurant. I wonder if you feel a little apprehension and wariness toward food blogs and critics if they condemn the restaurant in one fell swoop of a sentence.
To me, it’s very simple - and I am sure all Chefs can relate to this - a restaurant exists to cook great food. There is no question the better the food, the more work & dedication goes into crafting those dishes ( isnt it the same with any quality product?) and I don’t think the public views a Michelin star as belonging to the owner.
In fact, far from it - if the food is good, I will think ‘Wow, what a great chef, totally deserving of his stars’ . And if the service is good I’ll think ‘ wow, what great service, the staff are amazing’ . Don’t really think much of the owner in any case.
I know this mixed response is abit wishy washy - but what I’m trying to say is that a great restaurant which produces great food and great service is respected by the customer because of those two reasons. Michelin star or not, that should always be the priority of a restaurant.
I have been quite lucky, and eaten at quite a few one starred restaurants, Maze, Chez Bruce, Arbutus to name a few, which were all good, great service, nice food. Then I went to the three starred Arzak in San Sebastian, and this blew me away, it was amazing! Quite expensive, but what can you expect? I have already started saving to go back to San Sebastian this coming May for Sunday lunch at Martín Berasategui. I’m not sure how I feel about this whole Michelin star business, but I did love Arzak.
Caitlin