In case anyone had forgotten that the original (and perhaps ultimate) purpose of the Michelin guide is to sell tyres to motorists driving to restaurants, this year’s unveiling of the new stars for Great Britain and Ireland was held at Silverstone racetrack. It didn’t feel quite like the victory lap for the first physical star presentation since before the pandemic, a fact alluded to when host Amanda Stretton — a champion racing driver herself — beckoned any standing guests to the empty chairs by the stage, like a train conductor announcing available seats in a quiet carriage.
It is easy to be cynical about an awards ceremony with its roots in encouraging car travel — perhaps the least appropriate theme for eco-obsessed 2023, but one nonetheless driven home by the constant references to journeys. “We are epicurean explorers” the opening voiceover solemnly intoned, establishing Michelin’s mission to celebrate travel, gastronomy and sustainability: “those are the journeys at the heart of the Michelin guide.”
One Michelin star is “an important milestone,” Stretton told an audience of chefs eager to know just how many stars they had clocked up. Makis Kazakis of Park Chinois, the Mayfair restaurant that is the winner of this year’s Cocktail Award, described his job as “trying to create an experience, a journey.” Legendary maître d’ Diego Masciaga, presenting the Service Award, said that “waiters are not just there to serve but to give a beautiful journey.”
And yet for all the corporate gloss, the ceremony’s opening spectacle of the chefs who won stars in the previous years of online-only events — 20 restaurants in 2021, 25 in 2022 — did provide the genuinely moving sight on stage of the deservedly proud faces behind the famous restaurant names, overjoyed to have reached the summit of their profession.
For Londoners, however, the Michelin journey might seem more remote than ever. Of the 23 new stars, only six are in the capital: four new one stars, two new two stars and, as in the rest of Great Britain and Ireland, no new three stars. With chefs Brett Graham and Alex Dilling having received two stars in the past, this year’s ceremony lacked the headline-making thrill of awarding Hélène Darroze and Clare Smyth three stars each in 2021.
One person unable to make the journey was the Michelin Guide’s international director, Gwendal Poullennec, who appeared on a live video from Paris. One couldn’t help but wonder whether he was trapped in a French roadblock. Vaut le détour, and all that.
New two star restaurants
Michelin defines two star restaurants as those with “excellent cooking, worth a detour.”
Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal Dilling was the executive chef of two-Michelin-starred The Greenhouse in Mayfair, a high-profile casualty of the pandemic. At his first self-titled restaurant, the chef proposes two tasting menus — one merely luxurious (£155), the other off-the-scale indulgent (£195) — touting the likes of kaluga caviar with a fine de claire oyster, served to 34 diners cocooned in sybaritic luxury. 68 Regent Street, W1B 4DY, alexdilling.com
The Ledbury The safest of bets from the Michelin inspectors, Brett Graham held two stars at the first incarnation of The Ledbury before shuttering the Notting Hill dining room during the pandemic. The new-look restaurant has been loosened-up according to the strictures of fine dining — more relaxed, but still formal — while the cooking remains as technically accomplished as ever, with luxury ingredients very much in evidence to justify the steep prices. 127 Ledbury Road, W11 2AQ, theledbury.com
New one star restaurants
Michelin defines one star restaurants as those offering “very good cooking in its category.”
Cycene Open less than six months, Theo Clench — former exec chef of Akoko — prepares a 10-course menu for 16 guests. It feels like the most deluxe dinner party imaginable. 9 Chance Street, E2 7JB, bluemountain.school
Luca An Italian spin-off from two Michelin-starred The Clove Club, Luca excels with handmade pasta made onsite. Parmesan fries, beautiful interiors and knockout Negronis in the bar are further reasons to visit. 88 St John Street, EC1M 4EH , luca.restaurant
Restaurant St Barts Few newcomers have arrived as ambitiously as St Barts, where the 15-course tasting menu focused on foraged British ingredients must be paid for in advance (£140). Fans aver that it’s worth every penny. 63 Bartholomew Close, EC1A 7BG, restaurant-stbarts.co.uk
Taku This new Mayfair chef’s counter made headlines in the year of a cost-of-living crisis serving a £280 omakase menu. With chef Takuya Watanabe crafting each course in front of diners, it is, at least, easy to see where one’s money is going, before tasting some supreme ingredients. 36 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JE, takumayfair.com
Bib Gourmands and Green stars
The “Bibs” are generally considered Michelin’s second-highest award, though the guide itself doesn’t make that distinction. Bib Gourmands are defined as “restaurants which offer good quality, good value cooking”. Generally, Bibs are the sort of places that one can afford to eat at regularly, and be assured there’ll always be a good meal. The new Bibs this year are: Evernight, Ham, The Pelican, Plaza Khao Gaeng.
The new Green stars are awarded to restaurants making particular efforts to be sustainable and minimise their environmental impact. Of the four new Green stars announced this year, only one comes from London: Apricity.
