In 1900 the Michelin Tyre Company published a guide book which listed restaurants and accommodation for the entirety of France, apart from Paris. It proved to be very popular and in 1920 the Michelin Company established a division of food inspectors whose task it was to rate relevant restaurants on a 3-star scale, including a no star rating. The guide accepted Paris into the fold in 1933, and the stringent reviews of the inspectors quickly made the “Michelin Star” synonymous with fine dining.
The Star ratings are accompanied by a brief description of the rating:
3 stars – “Exceptional Cuisine, worth a special journey
2 stars – “Excellent Cooking, worth a detour
1 star – “A very good restaurant in its category”
To achieve even a single star is considered an honour and chefs vie for the coveted 3-star rating, which is held by only 81 restaurants across the world. Inspectors remain anonymous and visit establishments randomly. It is said that they are so secretive about their posts that they do not even tell their family or friends about their positions.
Some of the top 3-star establishments include:
El Bulli
The restaurant of restaurants, this establishment has been placed five times in the spot number one by Restaurant Magazine’s Top fifty world restaurants.
The restaurant employed a lottery system to determine which customers would be able to book a spot at this sought-after location. It used to open for only several months a year; the other months were dedicated to developing recipes and for experimentation. Head chef Ferran Adria created masterpieces for his diners, including a rose of beef with Mandarin and Almond Sherbet, Tapioca of Iberian Ham and couscous of cauli flower with solid aromatic salsa. Running at a loss for years, El Bulli was eventually closed at the end of the 2011 season.
The Fat Duck
Virtuoso chef Heston Blumenthal crafts dishes both peculiar and delicious in his flagship restaurant in the small town of Bray, England.
Highly experimental, his gamut of recipes includes bacon and egg ice cream, chocolate water, edible wallpaper and a shed-sized gingerbread house. The restaurant has garnered the prize of Best Restaurant in the world on one occasion and was a frequent runner-up against El Bulli for the position of No 1.
It is currently recognized as the best restaurant in Britain.
Per Se
Ranked number ten in the world in 2011, Per Se is the premium restaurant of the premium city in North America.
New York bubbles with activity and excitement, and year round this restaurant produces exciting tasting menus for the cities’ glitterati. Chef Eli Kaimeh expertly blends French and New American cuisines to produce a startling array of dishes, including creamed pearl onions and sweet potato mille-feuille with grated truffles.
