Michelin Guide Unveils Top Tokyo Restaurants

[Jack]

Jack, if we take your premise as true, do also you think that a Japanese foodie can't have a full appreciation of French or Italian food? If they can, then at what point do you think it does become possible for a Frenchman to appreciate Japanese food? Or, indeed, a Frenchman to appreciate Italian food?

In any case, Michelin shouldn't be held up as any kind of definitive guide to Tokyo dining because its terms of reference are unlikely to suit everyone. Even those who are guided by it would grow weary of eating in starred restaurants every day. We all value food that wouldn't warrant a Michelin rating whether it be a mother's cooking, a barbecue on the beach or a thermos of soup on a cold night.

I think it's the same for others but with a caveat. If you are rating restaurants in Italy for Italians then its best to have Italian judges. Restaurants in Paris for French people then you need French judges. But like I said before, most western people would be predisposed to different kinds of western food anyway so you don't lose too much by having French or Americans judge Italian food. The same cannot be said of westerners' familiarity with Japanese food.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think that criticism is justified in that westerners really cannot appreciate Japanese food as well as Japanese people can.

This may or may not be true, and I don't really care either way. Again, what I don't like is the "we" can't understand their food, but they can understand "ours".

[Mulboyne]

Michelin guide director Jean Luc Naret gave an interview with one of the Japanese weeklies where he addressed some of the criticism. On the question of why there weren't more chinese restaurants or any yakiniku restaurants, he said that for the first guide, they were mainly focused on Japanese and French cooking so more of those might appear in later editions. They did visit some but since all the places chosen for the guide were awarded one star, the bar was set high.

On whether 5 reviewers could really try out 1800 restaurants, Naret said that an experienced reviewer visits around 600 places for lunch and dinner each year while a less experienced one might visit around 400. He said you need a good stomach to do the job and it's also a good incentive to find the best cooking. He said that all reservations are made anonymously, they pay in cash and never put the name "Michelin" on a receipt so they are confident that no chef would know who they are. A problem they had on one occasion is that the booking was in the name "Tanaka" but two Europeans went along and were turned away. They went back another day with one Japanese reviewer along and the restaurant became one of their three star selections.

He said that they have added a female Japanese reviewer to their team and started on the 2009 research the day after they released the 2008 guide. The aim is to have a team made up completely of Japanese nationals. All Japanese members were given an induction course to ensure some degree of consistency. The three Europeans who were in the first team are all veterans so he dismissed the question of whether they could appreciate Japanese cooking. Naret said something to the effect that if there is any depth and profundity in the cooking and preparation then a good palate ought to be able to taste it.

[Jack]

Michelin guide director Jean Luc Naret gave an interview with one of the Japanese weeklies where he addressed some of the criticism. On the question of why there weren't more chinese restaurants or any yakiniku restaurants, he said that for the first guide, they were mainly focused on Japanese and French cooking so more of those might appear in later editions. They did visit some but since all the places chosen for the guide were awarded one star, the bar was set high.

On whether 5 reviewers could really try out 1800 restaurants, Naret said that an experienced reviewer visits around 600 places for lunch and dinner each year while a less experienced one might visit around 400. He said you need a good stomach to do the job and it's also a good incentive to find the best cooking. He said that all reservations are made anonymously, they pay in cash and never put the name "Michelin" on a receipt so they are confident that no chef would know who they are. A problem they had on one occasion is that the booking was in the name "Tanaka" but two Europeans went along and were turned away. They went back another day with one Japanese reviewer along and the restaurant became one of their three star selections.

He said that they have added a female Japanese reviewer to their team and started on the 2009 research the day after they released the 2008 guide. The aim is to have a team made up completely of Japanese nationals. All Japanese members were given an induction course to ensure some degree of consistency. The three Europeans who were in the first team are all veterans so he dismissed the question of whether they could appreciate Japanese cooking. Naret said something to the effect that if there is any depth and profundity in the cooking and preparation then a good palate ought to be able to taste it.

Looks like a good job if you can get it.

[Captain Japan]

The three Europeans who were in the first team are all veterans so he dismissed the question of whether they could appreciate Japanese cooking. Naret said something to the effect that if there is any depth and profundity in the cooking and preparation then a good palate ought to be able to taste it.

The other night I got into a rather heated debate with a Japanese lady about a foreigner's ability to evaluate Japanese food and the Michelin guide. She said that due to such things as wabi sabi it was just not impossible. So she thought the guide was very questionable.

I countered by saying that there were Japanese members within the Michelin team. I further added that I believe quite often Japanese people themselves are incapable of understanding the principles of wabi sabi. She wasn't impressed. I then provided a few examples of what I meant. She still wasn't impressed. All she could say was that foreigners don't understand.

I realize none of this is very interesting or unusual but in the end she felt like I was attacking Japanese culture (which certainly was not the case). So, since I am an American, she said, "What about George Bush?"

[GomiGirl]

So, since I am an American, she said, "What about George Bush?"

I think the George Bush question will soon fall under a new type of "Goodwins Law"as it is starting to be used in the same way.

[Mulboyne]

Sounds like that date didn't work out too well, Captain.

[amdg]

By arguing with her you are merely reinforcing her belief that her opinion matters. Whereas you and I both know that the only thing that matters is her ability to supress her gag reflex.

[Greji]

I think the George Bush question will soon fall under a new type of "Goodwins Law"as it is starting to be used in the same way.

How Rudd of you!

[Mulboyne]

By chance, I found myself drinking with the Japanese head chef from one of the Michelin one star restaurants tonight so I couldn't resist asking him a few questions.

On the "can foreigners appreciate your food" question, he said "of course they can". When I asked him about wabi sabi he said "that's not to do with the food, that's the ambience". To summarize his views, he felt that when Japanese say that a foreigner can't understand their restaurant they mean that they can't sense how much a place makes them feel welcome because the staff can't convey that in English. He thought that the Michelin guide only looked at the food, which he thought anyone could judge but that Japanese customers need a level of service which foreigners don't generally demand and so some great chefs in Japan may not run great restaurants by Japanese standards.

Interestingly, he them went on to complain about the level of service that Japanese customers demand and suggested that they are too fixated on feeling comfortable in a restaurant and cannot just enjoy the food. He thought that some of the recent food scandals indicated that people were not necessarily great judges of good product and many must judge restaurants by how much the staff make them feel one of the family.

[Mulboyne]

Yahoo: Zagat guide to Tokyo says barbecue is best

If you want to eat the best food in Tokyo, cook it yourself. That's the verdict of this year's Zagat guide to Tokyo, based on a survey which voted Jambo, a Japanese "yakiniku" restaurant where customers barbecue their own meat, as the best in the food category. "I don't think we're a restaurant that belongs here," said Norimitsu Nanbara, who runs the modest eatery opened by his grandmother, as he accepted a plaque from the guidebook's founders, Tim and Nina Zagat at a luxury hotel on Wednesday. "Perhaps there's some mistake?" The long-haired 30-year-old Nanbara was among a handful of restaurateurs honoured by the Zagats, who launched their food guide in New York in 1979, and are now celebrating 10 years of publication in Japan...more...

Jambo has a branch in Shirogane if Edogawa seems a bit far to go.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Japanese customers need a level of service which foreigners don't generally demand and so some great chefs in Japan may not run great restaurants by Japanese standards.

What a load of garbage. I'm very unimpressed by the level of service in your average restaurant in Japan. At the higher end places, it's as good as nice restaurant in the US, but still generally not as friendly.

[GuyJean]

Yahoo: Zagat guide to Tokyo says barbecue is best

.. best at what? ]Eating a Lot of Meats Linked to Number of Cancers[/B]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17122667

.. As expected, Cross found more cases of colon cancer among the big meat eaters. But she also found about the same increase in lung cancer with big meat eaters, as well as increases in cancers of the esophagus and liver. Among men, there was an increase in pancreatic cancer...

If people do choose to eat red meat, Curran says they should avoid high-temperature cooking like barbecuing and pan-frying, which cause cell-damaging compounds to form.

Grilling meat over a direct flame results in fat or meat juices dripping onto the hot fire. That creates flames that contain the harmful compounds, which can then adhere to the surface of the food. That process can happen with chicken and turkey as well as red meat.

"That's why we recommend if you're barbecuing, take particularly chicken, for example, you may want to microwave it halfway cooked, and then put it on barbecue," Curran said. "You don't want to cook it the whole duration, because that really increases the risk of these compounds forming, which are known carcinogens."...

".. Terrible lunch.. What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?" - Bill Murray from LIT

GJ

[ttjereth]

.. best at what? ]Eating a Lot of Meats Linked to Number of Cancers[/B]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17122667

".. Terrible lunch.. What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?" - Bill Murray from LIT

GJ

Cancer tastes good.

[Captain Japan]

[url=Michelin Tokyo takes Japan by storm
Guide sells out nationwide, but critics question rating system's validity]Michelin Tokyo takes Japan by storm[/url]
Guide sells out nationwide, but critics question rating system's validity
Japan Times

A new book released last month has created a sensation and is selling like hotcakes in Japan, with bookstores being picked clean of the initial stock of 120,000 copies in only three days.

Its publisher printed an additional 150,000 copies and put them on shelves on Dec. 12, but they also quickly disappeared from bookstores up and down the country.

The book in question is the Japanese version of Michelin Tokyo 2008, the first Asian edition of the prestigious gastronomic guidebook.

Kazumi Kawashima, an employee at Yaesu Book Center near Tokyo Station, said the only book she can remember selling like this was the "Harry Potter" series....more...

[Jack]

I got my copy yesterday but I had to go to four stores before I could find one. Many stores were sold out of both the Japanese and English version. I got the last English language copy in this store in Kichijoji. Very interesting reading.

[sublight]

NHK is doing a show on Ono and his sushi restaurant right now. One thing they keep playing up is how many foreign customers he gets now because of the guide.

Judging by the huge grin on his face, he seems to have changed his tune on Michelin.

[Taro Toporific]

[Behan]

Lovely ideas for pizza.

[Mulboyne]

[unkosando]

I think part of the problem is the Michelin rating itself.
They only give a restaurant 5 stars if the meal actually tastes like a tire.

[Mulboyne]

Michelin has awarded its first star to a Japanese restaurant in France. Aida, based in Paris is in the new inclusions list here.

[Jack]

NYT: Michelin Gives Stars, but Tokyo Turns Up Nose

I can appreciate the criticism some have of Michelin but overall Michelin has produced a nice restaurant guide. I enjoy reading it and using it as reference.

[Mulboyne]

Tangentially related:

Telegraph: Mystery as man vanishes on tour of Michelin restaurants

A gourmet attempting a world tour of the 68 restaurants with three Michelin stars has mysteriously vanished from El Bulli, regarded as the finest restaurant of all. Pascal Henry, 46, disappeared at the end of his meal and before settling his bill at the establishment on Spain's Costa Brava - number 40 on his list. On his table he left behind his hat, some photographs and notebook signed by some of the world's greatest chefs, listing the dishes he had eaten so far. Since he went missing on June 12 Mr Henry has not been heard from; he has failed to take up bookings at the remaining 28 restaurants and has not returned to work as a motorcycle courier in Switzerland. Interpol has launched a missing persons inquiry. The food lover had saved for years for the tour across nine countries, during which he intended visiting a restaurant a day on average. His gastronomic marathon began in May with dinner at the restaurant near Lyon of Paul Bocuse, a celebrated chef. After driving to other restaurants in France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands Mr Henry visited Spain and was due to complete his lone odyssey with a trip to America and Japan before signing off with a meal at Plaza Athénée, Paris...more...

[Mulboyne]

Alain Ducasse was the first chef to own restaurants carrying three Michelin Stars in three cities - New York, Monaco and Paris. He didn't manage the highest rating for Tokyo but his restaurant Benoit in Aoyama did receive one Michelin star as did his Beige. Benoit Tokyo won't be getting more any time soon, however: the restaurant has become a high profile casualty of the bankruptcy of real estate developer Urban Corporation. Benoit was serving customers on the 13th August and then found out they would not be allowed to open the following day. The building, La Porte Aoyama, seems now to be in the hands of the receivers.

[gomichild]

Tangentially related:

Telegraph: Mystery as man vanishes on tour of Michelin restaurants

Follow up!

A Swiss gourmand who mysteriously disappeared in Spain after eating in one of the world's finest restaurants has been spotted in Geneva, according to police.

[Buraku]

I think that criticism is justified in that westerners really cannot appreciate Japanese food as well as Japanese people can. Since in Japan, Japanese food is made for Japanese people, having foreigners judge the food is unfair.

Tokyo is suppose to be a modern, international, cosmopolitan city so I think service to the non-national should at least count for something.

I've had some great food while staying in Miyazaki, Fukuoka and Nagoya. I don't know what it is about Tokyo which usually rubs me the wrong way
I despise Tokyo, even a big paycheck can't change my mood about the city IMO its an overpriced unfriendly shithole

[Mulboyne]

Michelin will be releasing a guide to restaurants in Macau and Hong Kong as their first foray into China. Jean-Luc Naret also did an interview recently in Japan where he mentioned that the 2009 edition of the Tokyo guide will cover a wider area: the 2008 edition only included restaurants in nine central districts of the city. He said that the number of stars for Tokyo's restaurants would probably increase as a result and so its position as the gourmet capital of the world would undoubtedly continue next year. He contended that most people outside Japan who were surprised at the number of stars awarded for Tokyo had simply never been to the city and that most leading chefs were not surprised by the ratings.

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Tokyo Hilton restaurant misdescribed beef used

A French restaurant in the Tokyo Hilton hotel described a dish on its menu as using Maesawa-gyu, top-grade beef from Iwate Prefecture, when it actually used beef produced in Yamagata Prefecture, it has been learned. A manager of the Twenty One restaurant, which has two Michelin stars, reportedly told a Michelin representative that the description on the menu was made in error. The head chef at the restaurant reportedly switched the Maesawa-gyu beef it had been using to Yamagata Prefecture beef in May or earlier because he considered the two types of meat to be of the same quality. The Fair Trade Commission investigated the restaurant on Sept. 9 on suspicion that it violated a truth-in-advertising law for misrepresenting product quality. The restaurant has been voluntarily closed since Friday.

[GomiGirl]

Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary so as dedicated foodies we went posh and tried out Joel Robuchon in Ebisu. OMG - never spent over $1,000 on a meal for two* before but it was certainly an experience.

(* that is without me drinking due to my current "delicate" condition. Although hubbilicious managed to polish off a very fine bottle of red on his own. OK I did sneak in a glass as it was just too good not to.)

It was really very good. I wouldn't say spectactular or flashy in that nouvelle cuisine style as this isn't the Michelin way. But it was great food that was prepared flawlessly. The dishes were a very subtle combination of flavours that definitely needed appreciation. Everything on each plate was designed to work together harmoniously and nothing was out of place. Then each dish complemented the last to create an overall elegance. I guess this is the difference with starred restaurants.

The service was also flawless - not overbearing or stuffy but friendly and knowledgable. As hubbilious has worked in the fine dining industry for over 15 years, this is something that we are super conscious of.

Anyway - just thought I would update.