What do Shanghai's Newly Minted Michelin Stars Mean for Beijing?

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Sep 22, 2016 10:05 am | 2 comments | 5313 reads

Following the launch of the Michelin Guide in Tokyo (2007), Hong Kong, and Macau (2008), and Singapore earlier this year, China-based foodies have been falling over themselves to speculate when the mainland would get its first guide. Well, on Wednesday they finally got their wish – or at least in Shanghai they did – with the release of the Michelin Guide Shanghai 2017.

The guide names 26 starred restaurants and 25 Bib Gourmand recommendations ('the full meal under RMB 200'). Of the stars, the only three-star spot went to swanky Cantonese-Shanghainese restaurant T'ang Court in the Langham Hotel (pictured below), while notable among the seven two-starred venues is Paul Pairet's Ultraviolet, also the only restaurant in China to be named on the annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.

From a Beijing perspective, the most interesting entry is Da Dong (specifically their iAPM and Park Place branch), which picked up one star. Da Dong is, of course, a homegrown Beijing brand and while we're glad to see Beijing represented, I can't help but feel there's probably much better duck to be had in Shanghai.

Da Dong aside, several of the venues that made the cut have branches in Beijing, including one-starred Lei Garden (originally from Hong Kong) and Xin Rong Ji, and Bib Gourmand recommended Din Tai Fung, Crystal Jade, and Gongdelin.

Of course, the question now remains: when will Beijing get its own guide? And, more importantly, do we care?

The Beijing dining scene has always been more laid back than Shanghai, lacking ritzy, star-bait restaurants like L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (both two stars). Nevertheless, it does seem like the Shanghai guide has at least tried to honor local flavours and more accessible restaurants, a clear pattern for the Guide in its Asia iterations – the Hong Kong guide famously included dim sum joint Tim Ho Wan and this year a food cart in Singapore was given a star, making it the "cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world." So if one day Beijing does get its own guide this could mean stars (or at the very least, Bib Gourmand recommendations) for places like Shaanxi specialist Real Love China or Hutong duck purveyors Liqun.

While I can't tell you when to expect a Beijing guide I can tell you one thing to expect: a slew of restaurant openings from "former Michelin-starred chefs." Translation: I once washed dishes at T'ang Court and I want to ride this cash cow all the way to the bank.

Which restaurants do you think would make it into a Beijing guide? Let us know in the comments.

More stories by this author here.

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Photo: Langham Hotels

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PatrickLi's picture PatrickLi Submitted by Guest on Thu, 09/22/2016 - 20:33

It's all over wrote:

From the look of the huge quality standards difference between the Shanghai Michelin Guide, compared to other international cities, I would say Blue Frog and Annie's have a good chance of one star, and Let's Burger in for 2 stars. What a joke, good marketing ploy from michelin though to get their brand awareness up in China.

I recently went to a great breakfast place and felt so embarrased when my friend told the owner that she found the place on yelp. I was like, "Come on. Can't you say something that sounds more like we came here as a result of a "scavenger hunt" style of action?" 

Forget about the scavenger hunt. I'd trust theBeijinger on issues such as Beijing food much more than a Michelin guide --- it just doens't make sense to have a group of people who have never lived in the city to come up with ideas about which restaurants are the best, or "most prestigious," especially in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, which has food scenes by no means resemble, and by large are so different from, the food scene of the European contitnent half century ago -- Beijing probably has more restaurants than an European country (or probably many European countries) in the 1930s. The food styles are much more diverse and concept of what it means by a "top quality food joint" has become more diverse --- What about street eats? Holes-in-the-wall? Provincial restaurants? Craft beer breweries? Places with state-of-the-art quality control and delivery (maybe Annie's? -- I assume if Annie's is to close tomorrow it will instantly become memorable and legendary within the expat community, and maybe10 years from today there will be old farts saying "come on it's just the delivery, diet coke and tobasco, the acutal food was like xxxx.")

And, even if the guide gives a reasonable result --- maybe a peking duck place that has been featured on TBJ as well as local magazines three four five times --- so what? My wechat moments have been shua bao le by my chinese friends about the Shanghai michelin guide and people are like "lets go to Shanghai to try these restaurants!" These restaurants are always there. Isn't it mystical that by appearing on a tire company guide a thing suddenly becomes something. 

Quote from a friend of mine,

Seriously Laura this is why I don't smoke cuz I'm afraid that every time I light a fire the ego in the city will just EXPLODE.   -- Heather Chen

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