Michelin may be finally getting to grips with China
Meanwhile, the Michelin Guide has actually caught up on Shanghainese cuisine and flavors of the Jiangnan region, the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Now there are seven Shanghainese restaurants with stars, plus tastes of Huaiyang, Hangzhou and Ningbo cuisines.
Moose, a Shanghainese eatery that was renovated and reopened this May, has won a Michelin star.
Serving Taizhou cuisine from Zhejiang, Xin Rong Ji (Nanyang Road) now has two Michelin stars.
Its Huangpu branch has one star.
Tony Lu’s Huaiyang cuisine restaurant Yong Yi Ting at the Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai, and his vegetarian establishment Fu He Hui have both maintained their one-star rating.
Lu is the only chef with two Michelin-starred restaurants under his name in Shanghai that are not franchises.
Yong Fu, which specializes in the seafood-oriented Ningbo cuisine, maintained the one star it was awarded last year.
Two Western restaurants have joined the Michelin echelon this year: French restaurant Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, which opened last summer in Capella Shanghai Jian Ye Li and Italian restaurant Il RistoranteNiko Romito, which opened this June in the Bvlgari Hotel Shanghai.
The latter is a curious selection, as it raises the question of whether a three-month-old restaurant is worthy of a Michelin star, which of course, should stand the test of time.
In the Bib Gourmands, Michelin has dropped Hanmama Taiwan Noodle Restaurant and Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, and added Lan Ting Restaurant, Rong Cuisine and Shum Sam Wei.
While the Michelin Guide is mapping out China at a slow pace, domestic restaurant guides have emerged to rival the world’s most famous restaurant guide, and they are very smart to play to their strengths.
One that has generated a lot of buzz is Meituan-Dianping’s Black Pearl, a guide sharing similar reviewing/rating system as the Michelin Guide.
It premiered in January and awarded one, two and three “diamonds” to 330 restaurants in 22 cities across China and five cities abroad, namely: Tokyo, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Paris.
The ambitious move by China’s largest restaurant-review and group-buying service catered to Chinese consumers’ evolving taste for traditional and modern cuisines in China and across the world.
A board of 15 master chefs, culinary experts and special advisors, including Chen Xiaoqing, documentary director of “A Bite of China,” nominated the restaurants that were then anonymously reviewed by inspectors.
Backed by Meituan-Dianping’s dominant position in the industry, the list has received wide exposure and users of their services can reference the ratings conveniently.
Ctrip, a Chinese travel service provider, also launched a restaurant guide called Ctrip Gourmet List.
The company entered the F&B market with the goal of providing customers with knowledge of where to find the best food in 100 cities across the globe, so the list with its focus on gastronomy tourism can connect travel, lifestyle and cuisine.
Ctrip has invited Chua Lam, a renowned gastronome, columnist and food critic to join the jury panel.
He’s also partnered with Ctrip to lead food discovery journeys worldwide.
Last year, Lam led a group of 30 to Melbourne on a seven-day gourmet trip, with prices starting at 118,888 yuan per person, which included round-trip business class tickets, five-star hotel accommodation and dining in the city’s top restaurants like Maha Restaurant, Vlado’s and Shoya.
While the Michelin Guide focuses more on fine dining, these domestic guides are covering wider ranges to cater to the customers’ more specific needs.