Is Michelin Losing Its Shine?
by Qian Leung
@ 22 Sep 2017
Since the Michelin Guide’s launch in Tokyo, Japan in 2008, Hong Kong and Macau in 2009, and Singapore in 2016, controversies have ensued. While some have voiced disbelief at putting dai pai dong (street hawkers) and fine dining restaurants side by side in a guide, others have raised concern over what appear to be favouritism, or even, mercenary conduct.
This week, French chef Sébastien Bras says he’d like to return his stars. “Like all chefs I sometimes find myself thinking of Bernard Loiseau,” says Bras. Loiseau committed suicide in 2003 after newspapers hinted that he might lose a Michelin star. “There’s a huge pressure as a result of our three-star status, which we’ve held since 1999. Today, we want to proceed with a free spirit and without stress.”
Karen Keyngaert, a female Michelin-starred chef from Flanders, Belgium, sought to return her star in 2013. “The star brings along a whole circus that's outdated. If there's even a crease in the menu card or a crease in the tablecloth, people soon end their sentence with: "I don't think that belongs to a star restaurant." You lose the freedom to do what you want as a cook when you do this.”
Marco Pierre White, the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars at the age of 33, returned his stars five years later. “Let’s be honest, you are being given awards by people who have less knowledge than you. So what’s it worth? In the old days, you had to work for your stars, so you felt that you’d earned something. Today, you might not go to your restaurant for three months and you’ve still got your stars. People should go to a three-star restaurant where the chef is behind the stove.”
In 2005, the late Alain Senderens from Paris, who had had three Michelin stars for 30 years, decided to relinquish them, doing away with table cloths and creating new dishes, such as a pigeon in soy sauce served with tea. "I feel like having fun. I can do beautiful cuisine without all the tra-la-la and chichi. Sometimes in the evenings here there are clients who are so self-conscious they don't even dare to talk to each other. Dining has become too intellectual."
Perhaps it is better to trust your own intuition. A restaurant may not have any stars, but you can use your own eyes, your own ears, your own tastebuds, and even your own heart, to decide if it is deserving of your voting dollar.
