- Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide 2012 available soon - Michelin.com
Thursday December 1, 2011 was another big day in Hong Kong as winners who will be included in the fourth edition of the Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide were announced during a special press conference.
This year's awards saw a bit of a shake up as one three star was downgraded and two other two star restaurants joined the elite club of "3 Michelin-starred" restaurants in Hong Kong.
One of those downgraded this year was the previous year's winner that caused a bit of a ruckus.
Last year's awards raised some controversy after the first non-hotel restaurant, Sun Tung Lok was given three stars. The controversy didn't stem from the fact that Sun Tung Lok was not a hotel restaurant, but because they were quite simply known as "the shark fin soup" restaurant. After the conference last year, Jean-Luc Naret told attendees that Sun Tung Lok was given its three stars for their high-end Cantonese cuisine, not necessarily for the shark fin soup.
Two New Cuisine Types Added to 2012 Michelin Guide
This year's search for the best in Hong Kong yielded some interesting results -- including the addition of two new types of Cuisine to the awards. When the 2012 Michelin Guide is released, look for Singaporean and Xinjiang to be included.
While Singaporean is obviously due to the influence of Singaporeans in Hong Kong, many people not familiar with the intricacies and regions of Chinese cuisine have probably not heard of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is an autonomous region in China that particularly refers to Uyghur cuisine, which is characterized by things like roast mutton, kebabs, roast fish, and rice.
Michelin Guide Continues to Award Stars to Neighborhood Joints
As with last year's guide, a heavy emphasis was placed on finding the best restaurants that offer excellent value for the money. This year, there are a total of 59 simple shop restaurants (52 in Hong Kong and 7 in Macau) which are included -- four more than in 2011.
These include basic and local food stalls that serve beloved staples like dim sum, noodles, and congee. They are noodle shops, Vietnamese food stalls and some have been awarded stars, making them the most affordable starred restaurants in the world. Last year, nearly 15% of the guide was dedicated to these establishments, while 2012 sees them included as 20% of the guide.
2012 Hong Kong and Macau Michelin Guide Selections
This year, the overall number of Michelin 3 stars in Hong Kong and Macau is five versus last year's count of four. Caprice, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Lung King Heen, and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo-Bombana are the four Hong Kong restaurants to have a three-star rating. Joel Robuchon's Robuchon a Galera is still the only three-star restaurant on the list in Macau.
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo were the two that saw upgrades in their star levels this year. Many were wondering when these two would earn an additional star, especially when lesser quality restaurants like Sun Tung Lok had earned three stars last year.
Overall, the 2012 guide includes 281 establishments in Hong Kong (237 restaurants and 44 hotels) and 51 establishments in Macau (35 restaurants and 16 hotels). There are 59 new restaurants (57 in Hong Kong and 2 in Macau) and 10 new hotels (7 in Hong Kong and 3 in Macau).
In total, Hong Kong and Macau now have 5 three-star restaurants, 13 with two-stars and 51 one-star establishments.
To understand the Michelin Guide ratings, one-star is a "very good restaurant in its category", two-stars is "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars means "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".
The Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2012 will be available in Hong Kong starting on December 2nd (HK $188), December 5th in Macau and on the 12th in Southeast Asia.
Erin De Santiago - Erin is a freelance travel, food/wine, & Disney writer in Taipei, Taiwan, who has traveled within 40+ different countries to date.
