I can see it now, chefs sat around the kitchen waiting for the phone to ring. Like a 14 year old girl waiting for her first boyfriend to whisper sweet nothings down the telephone lines. Later this morning Michelin will announce who has won, lost and kept their michelin stars. Michelin is the Oscars of the culinary world, and is just as respected by chefs as it is by restaurant visiting public around the globe. Not bad for a guide that was originally started as a marketing tool to promote tyres. Today is the day when we find out who has excelled, who has failed and who has been consistent. Will Marcus Wareing gain that coveted third star? Will Gordon Ramsey lose one of his stars? Personally I think the answer to both is yes.
Having been lucky enough to eat at many Michelin starred restaurants I have wondered how relevant they actually are. I'm sure Mr Wareing will disagree, but my feeling is that Michelin has become a Timeout Guide for the rich. It allows those who travel to ensure they will get a consistent level of food and service across the globe. This, strangely, was also the ethos that McDonald's creator Ray Kroc set out to achieve. Michelin let's those people that are too afraid try new things find refuge in consistency and safety.
All this is not to say that the food and service in such places is not good, or even brilliant in many cases. The problem I have is that Michelin only seems to award those doing things in a certain way. It promotes an ideal, and has such a limited range that the best food I have eaten has never come from a starred restaurant. Why is there only one type of restaurant on the list? Why do all the restaurants have to be stuffy al a carte places with very little soul? Where are the great steak houses? Why can't I look at Michelin and find a local restaurant with great service and incredible food? It is not because they don't exist; to me the reason for this is that Michelin is only aiming the guide at the uneducated and wealthy.
It feels to me that Michelin has become an old boy's club for the restaurants that are in it. It really promotes those that have come through in the correct way. As long as your restaurant went to Eton or Harrow then it will get into a good university. I'm sure they would argue that their is no favouritism at Michelin, but having eaten at many restaurants on the list I can not understand how this is possible. I have had many better meals at one stars than I have had at two stars. Last year I was lucky enough to eat at Marcus Wareing's, and although the food and service were good it was no where near as enjoyable as a meal at one starred Arbutus.
I have no idea who the Michelin reviewers are, but I feel that they have possibly started to lose understanding of what is relevant to the restaurant going public. They have become trapped in their Ivory towers, and no longer see the world through the eyes of those living beyond the castle walls.
This is the time Michelin need to look at how relevant they are. If the purpose of the guide is to be an award ceremony for chefs then I have no issue. They can have their night of back slapping and self congratulations till the end of time; if however they are a restaurant guide for the public they, in my opinion, need to take a fresh look about who they award to.
Thankfully, I think that with the rise of the internet Michelin will be relegated to an industry award show rather than a guide. You no longer have to buy a guide to tell you what restaurants are good. With blogging as it is you can find writers and reviews who match your ideals all over the world. You can find reviews from like minded people who enjoy food for what it is not because of who it is made by. You can build armies of restaurant critics on twitter. The internet has made opinion free to everyone. Don't let good restaurants suffer because they don't fit the institution that is Michelin.
I truly wish those who win congratulations, but much like an Oscar it won't make me want to eat at your restaurant any more than I would have already.
So good luck, and if you are waiting by the phone remember it is ok to hang up first. I'm sure Michelin won't dump you...
Recent Comments