The MICHELIN Star Revelation 2023 Kuala Lumpur and Penang took place in December 2022.
The MICHELIN Guide has made its debut in Malaysia in December 2022 for Kuala Lumpur and Penang and many people are curious; what is this about and why is the tyre brand giving stars to restaurants? So, in case you didn’t know, the MICHELIN Guide recommends restaurants and awards up to three MICHELIN Stars to excellent establishments.
Keep on reading to find out the myth-debunking facts of the MICHELIN Guide.
Myth #1: The MICHELIN Guide only lists fine dining restaurants.
The MICHELIN Guide does not only list fine dining restaurants, this is in fact a myth! MICHELIN Stars have actually been awarded to a range of establishments from street vendors to full-service restaurants!
Jay Fai, a one MICHELIN Star street food establishment in Bangkok. Photo by Time Out Bangkok.
Myth #2: The MICHELIN Guide’s inspectors work anonymously.
The identities of the MICHELIN Guide’s inspectors are confidential to ensure that their assessment visits are carried out anonymously. They work anonymously and independently: they behave like regular guests when evaluating a restaurant and they always pay for their meals.
With that being said, the Guide’s inspectors are never sponsored by the restaurants. Restaurants do not - and cannot - pay to be listed in the MICHELIN Guide. Hence, very often restaurants are pressured to always maintain their culinary quality 365 days, making the Guide trustworthy.
Photo from MICHELIN Guide official website.
Myth #3: The MICHELIN Guide only rates food quality, and does not evaluate the service standards or decor of restaurants.
Correct! The MICHELIN Guide’s inspectors do not look at the interior decor, table setting, or service quality but focus purely on the quality of the food they assess based on 5 universal and objective criteria:
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The quality of the products;
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The mastery of cooking techniques;
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The harmony of flavours;
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The personality of the chef represented in the cuisine;
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The consistency both over time and across the entire menu.
Myth #4: The MICHELIN Guide’s inspectors are all ‘angmohs’ and don’t understand Malaysian food.
This is most definitely wrong! To assure the expertise of the MICHELIN Guide, the inspectors are all former professionals from the restaurant industry including former sommeliers, pastry chefs, or chefs.
Myth #5: The Guide is biased towards French cooking.
Michelin is from France, surely they are biased toward French cooking? This is not true. The MICHELIN Guide has a range of inspectors who come from different parts of the world and have an open mind towards cuisines from every culture.
Photo by Dewakan, a restaurant that serves modern Malaysian cuisine using local ingredients, recognized with a one MICHELIN Star by the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023.
Myth #6: A restaurant will be inspected only 1 time a year.
Repeated visits per establishment are required as one of the criteria is that there must be consistency over time. This means just one inspector cannot make the decision to award a restaurant; there needs to be a minimum of two inspectors in agreement. And in order to make the recommendations as objective as possible, inspectors never go to the same place twice.
Myth #7: A restaurant can get 5 or 7 MICHELIN Stars.
This is a complete myth. Restaurants can be recognized with up to three MICHELIN Stars. The restaurants offering the most outstanding gastronomic experiences are awarded MICHELIN Stars, from one to three, while the most interesting value-for-money places are highlighted with another distinction: the Bib Gourmand.
Photo by the MICHELIN Guide via official website
Myth #8: A MICHELIN Star restaurant may lose its star.
Correct, a star is not for life. The MICHELIN Guide is updated annually. Restaurants can lose their stars in the next edition if they close during the year of assessment or do not maintain their culinary quality. So yes, a MICHELIN Star restaurant may lose its star.
Myth #9: MICHELIN Stars are transferrable.
It is also worth noting that the MICHELIN Star is not transferable. If a chef leaves a restaurant, they are not entitled to take any allocated stars with them. Rather the stars are considered the result of a collective team effort and remain attached to the restaurant where they were obtained. There is no such thing as a MICHELIN starred chef - the accolade is awarded to the restaurant, not an individual.
Photo by Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery, a restaurant serving Peranakan cuisine in Penang, recognized with a 1 MICHELIN Star by the MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023.
Myth #10: There are MICHELIN Star restaurants in Malaysia.
As a matter of fact, there are! The MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023 has 97 restaurants in total: 4 restaurants are recognised with one MICHELIN Star for their high-quality cooking, 32 establishments received a Bib Gourmand for offering good food at a moderate price, and 61 establishments received MICHELIN Selected recognition.
The 4 one MICHELIN Star restaurants are Dewakan, DC. by Darren Chin, au Jardin and Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery, with the former 2 being in Kuala Lumpur and the latter 2 located in Penang, respectively.
