So Michelin went to Asia...

[Louis VI the Fat]

Tokyo 'top city for good eating'

The home of haute cuisine just got taken down a peg with an authoritative judgement that Paris is not the world's top city for good eating. That distinction now goes to Tokyo, according to the bible for foodies everywhere, the Michelin guide.

In its first ever edition devoted to an Asian city, it awarded restaurants in Tokyo a total of 191 stars. That was nearly twice as many as Paris can boast, and more than three times New York's total.

Tokyo is becoming the global city with the finest cuisine, the city in the world with the most stars. Eight of Tokyo's restaurants won the maximum three stars - only two fewer than Paris itself. Another 25 got two stars and 117 one star.

To add to Paris's embarrassment, three of the top eight restaurants in Tokyo serve French food. Three more offer traditional Japanese fine dining, and the other two are sushi houses.

"Tokyo is becoming the global city with the finest cuisine, the city in the world with the most stars," said Michelin guide director Jean-Luc Naret.

Michelin's plans to assess Tokyo restaurants had caused controversy in Japan, where some commentators had doubted whether it would be up to the job.

As an aside, Lyon is France's culinary capital, not Paris like this BBC article implies. Not that that changes anything.

Booming economies, better cars, computers, public transport, fine. But now all is lost. Asia has won and we are the new Third World.

[Fragony]

"To add to Paris's embarrassment, three of the top eight restaurants in Tokyo serve French food."

You could consider that a compliment for your cuisine. The only restaurant having one in my town lost his

[KukriKhan]

Perhaps Michelin's Anonymous Inspectors were impressed with Tokyo's deployment of

Le Ketchup

I'll get my coat.

[Ironside]

Isn't Tokyo something like 3 times larger than Paris?

And I agree with Fragony about the stars for French food.

[lars573]

If you go by metro area (35,327,000 to 9,854,000) it's 3.6:1
If you go by the cities proper (8,483,050 to 2,110,400) it's 4.02:1

[Vladimir]

Tokyo, much bigger, not a fair comparison. I do love Japanese food though.

[Husar]

If you go by metro area (35,327,000 to 9,854,000) it's 3.6:1
If you go by the cities proper (8,483,050 to 2,110,400) it's 4.02:1

And yet Paris has more with three stars it says.
But then this is just a good thing anyway because it means that french people going to Tokyo do not need to eat inferior food.

[DemonArchangel]

For a company (Michelin) that is biased in favor towards French food, getting that many 3 star restaurants in one city is nothing short of amazing. Good for Tokyo.

[Papewaio]

Well what would the stars mean if they only gave it to French based restaurants... there is a potential (note I said potential) bias in that they still marked 37.5% of their 3 star (or is that hat?) restaurants from French cusine ones... that is either a bias based on tastes or just the plain reality of French cultural imperialism

BTW can restaurants call themselves French cuisine outside of France anymore then a winery name their sparkling wine Champagne out side of that province?

[Vladimir]

BTW can restaurants call themselves French cuisine outside of France anymore then a winery name their sparkling wine Champagne out side of that province?

Why not? If I can get "American" food in Mexico I think you can. What makes it American, ground beef between two slices of bread? Everyone already has French fries (yes, you can call them French) but just call them different names.

[HoreTore]

I thought it was only legal to call them "Freedom Fries" nowadays...

Btw Pape, such protection is only available for alcohol.

[Papewaio]

Seems strange that IP is dependent on chemical signature...

[Byzantine Mercenary]

Well its not realy IP, Champagne was invented in England (in London to be precise)...

I think there probably is a bias for and against different cuisines it all depends on what your criteria are, I am also slightly irritated that British cuisine is often overlooked including by the British to the point where many great British dishes are almost forgotten...

[Sasaki Kojiro]

But do they have cracker barrel? I think not...

It's mind boggling that people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a meal or for a bottle of wine.

[English assassin]

It's mind boggling that people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a meal or for a bottle of wine.

Purely for calories, of course it is. But a meal in a first class restaurant is art, and high art at that. Compared to the likes of Tracey Emin, Gordon Ramsey* is giving it away.


(*I mean back when he was a chef, and not a brand)

[Vladimir]

Well its not realy IP, Champagne was invented in England (in London to be precise)...

I think there probably is a bias for and against different cuisines it all depends on what your criteria are, I am also slightly irritated that British cuisine is often overlooked including by the British to the point where many great British dishes are almost forgotten...

Ros bif?

But do they have cracker barrel? I think not...

It's mind boggling that people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a meal or for a bottle of wine.

[Kralizec]

So...this topic is not about car tires?

[Papewaio]

It is about spare tires around ones gut.

[Vladimir]

So...this topic is not about car tires?

Well, not in less the calamari was bad.