HOW I T S TA R T E D Michelin stars are highly coveted by chefs around the world, serving as a symbol for outstanding cooking and food that’s worth travelling for. Yet the Michelin Guide didn’t stem from culinary comprehension or passion. The guide was created by brothers André and Édouard Michelin, the same brothers who founded the Michelin tyre company in 1889. Having started producing tyres in the French city of Clermont-Ferrand, the brothers wanted to create a guide encouraging people to travel more and as a result buy more tyres. The first Michelin Guide included maps, along


with petrol stations, garage tyre mechanics, hotels and restaurants along popular routes in France, handed out for free to the few hundred car owners in the country. By 1904, the guide had become international, turning into a commercial guide by 1920. By this point, the dining section had become so popular that the brothers started appointing anonymous food critics to grade the restaurants and hotels they’d visit, with the Michelin star system introduced six years later. Restaurants were at first awarded one star if they were considered a ‘fine dining establishment’. The system expanded to ratings between one and three stars in 1931. During World War II, the guide went on hiatus,


as it contained maps that could be useful to enemy forces. Upon its return, ratings were taken down to two stars — with food shortages, the quality of restaurants changed and the criteria was adjusted accordingly. This was how the Bib Gourmand rating system came about, acknowledging restaurants serving high-quality food at lower prices, dependent on a region’s cost of living. Today, the three-star system is back, running


alongside the Bib Gourmand across much of Europe, parts of Asia, Brazil and the USA.


HOW I T WOR K S Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants and eateries, but not directly to chefs. This means that only dining establishments can be awarded, and that there is no such thing as a ‘Michelin-starred chef’. To earn a Michelin star, you must be able to produce consistently high-quality dishes. One star is awarded to venues that are deemed ‘a very good restaurant in its own category’. For two, it’s ‘excellent cooking; worth a detour’, and three means ‘exceptional cuisine, worth a special trip’. The anonymous inspectors for Michelin — all of


whom have extensive backgrounds in the culinary arts, many being former chefs themselves — are barred from speaking to journalists, and unlike many other food critics will generally not take notes while eating. The Michelin Guide team will select a number


of establishments within a set location to be inspected before sending an inspector, who will write up an extensive report to be discussed and analysed in a group. They will oſten visit a restaurant multiple times on their own before reaching a conclusion on the star rating. The quality and consistency of the food


and the mastery of techniques from the chefs are the main focal points when rating for Michelin stars; the ambiance, decor and table setting aren’t part of the consideration, though it’s been argued that this could influence the inspector’s mood and experience, which could subconsciously impact the rating. Since the inclusion of the Bib Gourmand


category, the list has also started adding other ratings. Little red and black symbols denote interesting or magnificent views, while grapes, sake sets and cocktail glass icons indicate places that serve alcohol at a noteworthy standard.


WHE R E TO E AT The Michelin Guide is perhaps most famous for including big-hitting, blockbuster restaurants: the UK’s Fat Duck, Copenhagen’s Noma, Central in Lima, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester are just some of the big names that come to mind. While these titans of the food world are worthy of their plaudits, the Guide also features quirkier restaurants and dining establishments that offer distinctly different and enticing propositions.


STREET FOOD In 2016, Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle in Singapore’s Chinatown district made history by becoming the first street food stall to gain a Michelin star — also scoring the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred dish. Chef and owner Chan Hon Meng’s other kiosk, Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle in Kallang, Singapore, was accredited a Michelin star for its popular bowls of steaming pork noodles. Another notable street food spot is Raan


Jay Fai in Bangkok, Thailand. All food is made personally by 77-year-old Jay Fai, known for her wok-cooked seafood, particularly the incredible crab omelette.


DESSERT In Berlin’s Neukolln, Coda is setting a new bar by putting pudding as the protagonist on its menu. The lauded dessert-only restaurant gained two Michelin stars for its focus on patisserie techniques. There are two seatings in an evening with a seven-course menu of desserts offered at 6pm and a five-course one at 10pm. Both come with options for wine pairings and cocktails, but the menu itself is seasonal with a focus on more ecologically sustainable base ingredients.


National Geographic Traveller – Luxury Collection 29


IMAGES: ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE DORCHESTER; P MONETTA


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