Beijing Trumps Shanghai in Latest Miele Restaurant Guide

Take that Shanghai! I've long argued that Beijing's restaurants beat out Shanghai, and in the latest Miele Guide, only one Chinese restaurant makes it into the top 20 – surprise surprise, it's Beijing's Da Dong, which squeaks in at number 20 (down 8 spots from last year).

The 2010/11 Miele Guide was released in October, the third edition of a list based on an interesting and unique voting process comprising multiple rounds.

First restaurant critics from the various countries involved give input, then it goes to public voting. After the public has their say, a group of respected foodies and F&B professionals are brought in to cast their votes, and finally Miele's in-house team fans out across Asia to determine the top 20. Beyond the top 20, 430 top restaurants throughout Asia are included in each year’s Guide.

Shanghai failed to have a restaurant on the list this year, a drop from last year's high of two when both Laris and M on the Bund made the list (M was the lone mainland spot on the 2008 list). However, Hong Kong did okay, with two spots serving up Chinese food making the grade – Yung Kee and Bo Innovation – and four Western spots. French mega chef Joel Robuchon made it to the list three times, with his Hong Kong and Macau restaurants coming in almost neck and neck at two and three, while his Tokyo restaurant came in at nine.

The Miele Guide prides itself on reviews based on "Asian standards," but surprisingly few restaurants serving Asian cuisine show up on the list, and those that do tend to be relegated to the bottom. It also seems strange that the same week the Kansai region in Japan broke the Michelin record for three star restaurants in one area (12, one more than Tokyo), Miele only acknowledged one Japanese restaurant in the top 20 and included just one restaurant serving Japanese food (Nobu), though they choose the Hong Kong branch.

Everyone loves lists and with Michelin's expansion in the US and Asia in recent years, one has to expect a Michelin China will be out in the not so distant future. Bo Innovation, one spot ahead of Da Dong on the Miele list, earned two stars from Michelin, but two stars is probably too much for Da Dong. It's worthy of one star, but falls short in the two areas that are so often problematic when dining in Beijing – service and consistency.

Is there a Beijing spot worthy of three stars? Chengfu Courtyard provided one of the more amazing meals I've had in Beijing, but the wine list is lacking and even in Hong Kong, Michelin only gave one restaurant serving Chinese food three stars. Daniel Boulud's NYC restaurants, Daniel and Cafe Boulud, have three and one star respectively. Maison Boulud would be Beijing's strongest contender for three stars, but two is more likely.

Although Beijing, and China as a whole, still falls short when we're talking three stars, it’s amazing how fast the dining scene is advancing, so who knows what the near future holds. The city has a number of head chefs with star experience, and starred chefs have opened restaurants here and regularly come through the city. Fratelli Fresh recently hosted Igor Macchia, and Claudio Sadler will be here soon. On the dining front at least, things keep getting better here in Beijing.