Twenty, Twenty-Five

Berlin for the hip gastro June 2007

2007-06-13T10:42:00.000+01:00

Away from the michelin accolades, i discovered a new breed of "boutique and hip" restaurants hidden within Berlin. Their counterpart hotels are already making an impact and blending into mainstream travel guides and it wont be too long before this notion of boutique restaurant makes the headlines..

Shiro y Shiro tops my list with its unusual decor of a Japanese White Castle. Make no mistakes, this is no interior design gimmick to lure customers. This Japanese seafood fusion restaurant provides some of the best and distinct seafood selections ive tasted this year, on par with the heavyweights of Nobu and co, but away from the standard list of high end chain restaurants.

Bungaluu perhaps doesnt quite make the cut. Think BED in NYC meets Sketch in London and you'll have a good vibe of the surrounding and the atmosphere it attempts to recreate. The decor (together with the 10 course meal intermission dancers and back massages) and its late nite club quite possible draws the attention away from the food, but then again, it is mainly a club which houses a restaurant, not vice versa. Worth a visit on a fri/sat for those with good post dinner clubbing intent.

The following was dragged from my travel blog www.dkwaikiki.blogspot.com :

J2’s penchant for seafood and mine for interior décor and ambience took us onto a gastronomical journey that surpassed all expectations. Shiroishiro provided the setting of a blue and white Japanese castle housed in the quirky Lux 11 hotel (think Marie Antoinette meets modern Oriental minimalism), with head chef Eduard Dimant (Gault Millau Chef’s hat, Top Ten Feinshchmecker) manning the knives and carving out melt-in-your mouth lobster sashimi and scallops. (www.shiroishiro.com)

Saturday night was club night so we opted for Bungaluu’s private dinner tables, each separated by sheer white curtains with softly chandelier-lit walls. We popped downstairs to the dinnerclub afterwards for a chillout drink on the large white bed cushions with pink lit lights before joining the legions of clubbers in the awesome club downstairs.
(www.bungaluu.com)

My final recommendation would be Susuru, a Japanese tapas and noodle bar for lunch in the Rosa Luxembourg district. The gyoza and the Knusper shrimps were so incredible we were both stunned to a jaw-on-floor silence, which occured shortly again after we exchanged tastes. (www.susuru.de)

2006-06-18T14:53:00.000+01:00

`Mr. Chicken Rice' Stirs Singapore Over National Dish (Update1)
2006-04-26 23:29 (New York) (Adds film company in fifth paragraph. Review. Yoolim Leeis a reporter for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed hereare her own.)
By Yoolim Lee
April 27 (Bloomberg) -- One of the most anticipated neweateries in Singapore this year was a food stall in a shoppingmall. It serves a single dish, based on an old Chinese recipe,available in at least 290 other places on the island. The owner is Steven Loh, who helped create the MandarinHotel's award-winning Hainanese chicken rice for 31 years, untila new investor took over in November and the 51-year-old cheflost his job. Loh and chicken rice, the nation's unofficialnational dish, became the talk of the town. Singapore's signature chicken dish, brought by immigrantsfrom the island of Hainan in southern China, transcends theboundaries of race, religion and social class in the city-state,where dining out has been described as the national pastime. Andchicken is king. Singaporeans swallow about 35 kilograms (77 pounds) ofpoultry meat a year each, making them the sixth-biggest chicken-eaters in the world, based on government figures and statisticscompiled by the Food Market Exchange. Only Hong Kong, the U.S.,Kuwait, U.A.E. and Canada eat more per capita. Chicken rice is so popular in Singapore that it was chosenas the theme of the first financing project for a localproduction by the Singapore Film Commission: The romantic comedy``Chicken Rice War'' made in 2000 by Raintree Pictures. So news of the departure of Loh, known as ``Mr. ChickenRice,'' instantly reignited one of the island's longest-runningculinary debates: Where can you get the best chicken rice? Everybody has an opinion. Kwek Leng Beng, Singapore's second-richest man, said hisfavorite chicken is the S$3 ($1.50) takeout from Sun Kee, anopen-air ``hawker stall'' on Margaret Drive. Seek Ngee Huat,president of GIC Real Estate Pte., which manages about $10billion of foreign reserves, prefers the dish from a coffee shopamong the high-rise government housing of Toa Payoh suburb. Few visitors to the island escape without a taste, even LasVegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson, the 14th-richestperson in the world, according to Forbes magazine. In a recent interview in Singapore, Adelson, 72, said afriend of his once told a job applicant: ``You can't take thisjob unless you like chicken in 100 different ways, becausethat's what Sheldon Adelson eats.'' On a recent visit to Singapore to present Las Vegas Sands'$3.6 billion proposal for the city's first casino-resort,Adelson heard about the dish and immediately responded byordering a takeout for the journey back to Malibu, California,on his private jet. ``I'm going to try Hainanese chicken rice,'' he said. But where to place the order? To put the matter to rest, I spent weeks gathering recommendations from friends, colleaguesand contacts before setting off into Singapore's heartlands tosample the dishes. I visited 13 chicken rice stalls in two weeksand gained 4 pounds (1.8 kilos). A chicken-rice set meal includes chicken meat poached inboiling water and laid atop rice cooked in the oil and broth ofthe bird, served with clear soup, chili sauce, black soy sauceand pounded ginger. Price ranges between S$2 ($1.20) and S$22.60in settings from roadside food stalls to five-star hotels. The traditional Hainanese method boils the entire chickenin a large pot and reuses the broth for cooking rice. Afterboiling, the chicken is immediately dunked into cool water toprevent overcooking and firm up the meat. The name Hainanesecomes from the ethnic group that came to Singapore from Hainan,a subtropical island of China. Spice and Price Each venue was graded on five key attributes -- chili sauce,rice, meat, price and ambiance. (I'm an impartial South Korean,brought up on spicy kimchi, so this was really an excuse tosample a lot of great chili and garlic sauce.) And the winner? Tian Tian, stall No. 10 at Maxwell FoodCentre in Chinatown. It had a perfect array of chicken meat withthe best sesame oil-light soy sauce. The meat was thoroughlycooked, yet tender and moist. The fragrant rice was neither toooily nor too dry. It also had the longest queue. Boon Tong Kee on Balestier Road came in second, followed byLoh's ``Mr. Chicken Rice,'' which opened last month in theDowntown East mall. Next was Loh's former place of employment,Chatterbox at the Mandarin, which has undergone a S$1 millionrenovation. For the chili sauce, Loh's stall and Chatterbox topped thelist. It was clear that they share the same recipe, mixing theright proportions of chili, ginger, lime juice and otheringredients. Undercooked A couple of restaurants came short of my expectations.Despite its long history and reputation, Hainanese Chicken Ricein Far East Plaza in the Orchard shopping area undercooked thechicken, resulting in pink juices flowing from the meat. Not agood result in these bird-flu embattled times. As for Mr. Chicken Rice? The publicity has made him evenmore famous. He said he is selling 100 chickens a day andearning almost S$7,000 a month, double his previous salary. ``I was devastated when I lost my job,'' Loh said. ``But itturned out to be a blessing in disguise.''
*The Results:
1. Tian Tian (Maxwell Food Center) 74
2. Boon Tong Kee (Balestier Rd.) 73
3. Mr. Chicken Rice (Pasir Ris) 71
4. Chin Chin (Purvis St.) 68
5. Big Bird (Balmoral Plaza) 66
6. Chatterbox (Meritus Mandarin Hotel) 63
7. Wee Nam Kee (Thomson Rd.) 61
8. Clifford Pier stall 59
9. Five Star (River Valley Rd.) 57
10. Boon Tong Kee (River Valley Rd.) 56
11. Straits Kitchen (Grand Hyatt Hotel) 48
12. Hainanese Chicken Rice (Far East Plaza) 45
13. China Square Food Court stall 40*

T --Reinie Booysen and Patricia Chua in Singapore contributed tothis story. Editors: Majendie (rev/jmr/smw/mlm).

m o t o | c u i s i n e

2006-03-26T06:16:00.000+01:00

m o t o c u i s i n e

Dear friends, check out this cool restaurant in Chicago - Moto. Reminiscent of El Bulli and The Fat Duck.

香港食家私房菜大全

2006-03-12T12:14:00.000Z

香港食家私房菜大全

DK Dining in Milano: Boccondivino.

2006-01-23T13:06:00.000Z

Boccondivino or "Divine mouthful" in Italian is featured in the Hedonist's guide to Milan, and for good reasons too. For those like myself, not a food or wine connoisseur but more of an entry level culinary tourist seeking to try the different tastes of the World, Boccondivino is a perfectly suited restaurant that takes you through the various regions of Italy, introducing you to each specialty food with the appropriate regional wine selection.

There is no menu to choose from but instead, an 8 course meal selection of Italy's finest, starting with a standard pinzinomio, followed by a dozen different regional salami's and an equally delightful selection of cold pork meats. The waiters carefully time the courses and the wine selection varies from table to table, depending on our individual tastes. All their wines (900 labels in their winery), needless to say, come from Italy.

At this point, belts were loosened and it became aparent that this meal was no easy feat. "Dont eat all of it then!" was rightly countered by " im so so full, but this tastes so so good... must eat.."

Next came the traditional Risotto a la Milanese with meat pasta, scented with saffron and bone marrow, a simple, yet devastatingly delicious dish.

Then came the long awaited personal highlight: the cheese. First came a selection of 3 different mozerella's (burrate, ricotte and mozzarelle) ranging from the hard and tasty to the butter soft, melt in your mouth mozzerella. This was followed by a selection of over 40 different types of regional cheeses. That's right. F O R T Y.

For Dolci, we closed out with another traditional Italian dessert, the panettino, otherwise known as the Italian Christmas Cake, dipped in a sweet dessert wine. And, of course, a nice cafe to wrap up the evening.

Just remember to tighten those belts up before leaving the table.

DK

www.boccondivino.com

Other restaurants of note in Milan

13 Giugno: Also featured in the Hedonist's Top 5, we were taken to this Sicilian Seafood restaurant by a Sicilian lady, where we mingled with the owner and listened to him sing to the accompaniement of the pianist.

http://www.acena.it/13giugno/

Michelin Selects Best Restaurants and Hotels in New York City (November 2005)

2005-11-01T16:00:00.000Z

Premier edition of the Michelin Guide in North America features 39 star-rated establishments

NEW YORK, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin announced today the contents ofits first restaurant and hotel guide in North America, the Michelin Guide NewYork City 2006, which arrives in stores Friday, Nov. 4. Over the last eightmonths, suspense has been building over which restaurants and hotels wouldgarner listings in the guide, which has existed for more than a centurythroughout Europe. Today, Michelin produces 13 (hotel and restaurant) guidesannually, covering 21 countries; 15 Must See Guides (designed to highlight thebest of a destination for a quick trip in North America), 60 Green Guides(geared toward longer trips around the world, outlining the history, culture,art and architecture of a location), and one wine guide, "The Wine Regions ofFrance."
"Travelers from across the globe have long considered New York to be oneof the world's most exciting travel and culinary destinations," said JimMicali, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc. "The arrival ofthe Michelin Guide will enable visitors, as well as New Yorkers, to enjoy thiswonderful city to the fullest."
According to Jean-Luc Naret, director of publications for the MichelinGuide, Michelin decided to publish its first North American guide in New Yorkbecause of the city's reputation as one of the world's leading fine-dining andlodging centers, on par with international destinations such as London, Madridor Paris.
"New York City's cultural diversity makes it one of the most interestingcities in the world, and restaurateurs have shown great determination and hardwork in developing high standards of gastronomy and service," commented Naret."They also have to sustain creativity and progressive thinking in a marketthat is so abundant, so fast-changing and therefore unique. We felt it wasimportant to expand the Michelin Guide beyond Europe to acknowledge theachievements and the talent of these people who are making New York City anundisputed leader in fine restaurants and hotels."
Four restaurants, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Alain Ducasse, and Jean-Georges,received a three-star rating for providing "an exceptional cuisine, worth aspecial journey." Four restaurants received a two-star rating providing"excellent cooking, worth a detour," 31 received a one-star rating for being"a very good restaurant in its category" and 468 additional restaurants wereselected in the guide as they provide a quality experience that Michelinrecommends trying. All five boroughs were considered for the guide:25 establishments were ultimately included in Brooklyn (2 of these Brooklynrestaurants received stars), 13 establishments were selected in Queens, 4 inStaten Island, 2 in the Bronx, and 463 in Manhattan (37 of these Manhattanrestaurants have received stars).
The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 offers a selection of507 restaurants and 50 hotels in every category of cuisine and comfort atprices to suit all budgets. One, two or three Michelin stars identifyrestaurants that deserve recognition for the particularly fine quality oftheir cuisine. Just being included among the 507 selected restaurants (out ofthe 23,000 in New York City's five boroughs) is, however, a distinction initself. To evaluate the culinary and service aspect of each restaurant andhotel, highly trained Michelin inspectors anonymously visited eachestablishment and provided objective evaluations. Stars are awarded by theMichelin inspectors to restaurants offering the finest cooking, regardless ofthe style of cuisine and the level of comfort. Stars are awarded according tofive criteria, the quality of products, the mastering of flavors and cooking,the "personality" of the cuisine, the value for money and the consistency.

Cuisine categories offered in the Michelin Guide New York City 2006 are:
* American * Asian * Austrian * Belgian * Brazilian * Chinese * Contemporary * Contemporary Asian * Contemporary French * Contemporary Japanese * Contemporary Mexican * Contemporary Thai * Cuban * Deli * Egyptian * European * French * Fusion * Gastro Pub * Greek * Hawaiian * Indian * Italian * Japanese * Korean * Latin American * Malaysian * Mediterranean * Mexican * Middle Eastern * Moroccan * Persian * Russian * Scandinavian * Seafood * Southern * Southwestern * Spanish * Steakhouse * Thai * Turkish * Vegetarian * Venezuelan * Vietnamese

The star ratings are as follows:
* A general listing in the guide indicates "a quality restaurant that stands out from others" in the same category of comfort, definitely worth trying.
* One star indicates "a very good restaurant in its category," a place offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard.
* Two stars denote "excellent cuisine, worth a detour," skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality.
* Three stars reward "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey." One always eats extremely well here, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients.

The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 features a reader-friendly format,created specifically for a North American audience. All starred restaurants(whether one, two or three) will feature a two-page spread in the guide withimages of the establishment, a comprehensive description, and a recipe. Hotels that garner a pavilion rating will receive a full-page entry in the guide witha photo and ample description. This new format will be a model for futureMichelin guides.
Restaurants and hotels selected for inclusion in the Michelin Guide NewYork City 2006 will be listed by borough and also cross-referenced in thefront of the guide by cuisine type. Each New York City borough will beincluded in the guide, with Manhattan further divided into neighborhoods. Eachrestaurant listed will have the following information: address, category ofcuisine, comfort category, star-rating, subway station(s), phone, fax, e-mail,website address, price range, and hours of operation.
The Michelin Guide New York City 2006 offers a broad selection of morethan 500 restaurants and 50 hotels in each price and comfort category,reflecting the unique aspects of the city as well as international standards.This rating is unique, consistent across the 21 countries covered by theMichelin Guide and is using criteria such as amenities, type of services,general upkeep of the establishment, comfort, cuisine, atmosphere, price andvalue for money.
The rating is expressed in two ways:
* A comfort rating: levels of comfort are rated using one to five forks and spoons for restaurants and one to five pavilions for hotels. Those symbols judge the comfort of the establishment. They take into consideration: the furnishings of the establishment, the service, the cleanliness and upkeep of the surroundings.
* Special distinctions for certain establishments: these symbols include stars for the best restaurants, red forks and spoons or red pavilions for especially pleasant establishments. The star symbols judge only "what's on the plate," meaning the quality of products, the mastering of flavors, the mastering of cooking, the "personality" of the cuisine, the value for money and the consistency of what it offers to its customers both throughout the menu and the year.
The decision to award a star is a collective one, based on the consensusof all inspectors who have visited a particular establishment. A writtendescription of each establishment and a variety of other symbols will givereaders further insight into an establishment's ambience, cuisine type,specialties and wine lists. These descriptions are customized to Americantastes and needs.
Michelin is the worldwide leader in the tire industry. The Michelin Groupmanufactures, sells and promotes products and services dedicated to mobility,such as tires for airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farmequipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles, the space shuttle, maps, travelguides, atlases and digital services (ViaMichelin.com). Headquartered inFrance (Clermont-Ferrand), Michelin is present in 170 countries, employs127,000 and operates 74 production sites in 19 different countries(www.michelin.com).

The MICHELIN Guide New York City 2006
MICHELIN STARS
Listed One star Two stars Three stars
507 31 4 4

DINING: 507 Restaurants
58 Establishments offering a simple menu at less than $25

HOTELS SELECTED: 50 HOTELS
ESTABLISHMENTS
7 Luxury in the Traditional Style
11 Top Class Comfort
15 Very Comfortable
14 Quite Comfortable
3 Simple Comfort
12 Particularly pleasant establishments

MICHELIN RESTAURANT RATINGS
ONE STAR
ESTABLISHMENT/BOROUGH/NEIGHBORHOOD
Annisa Manhattan West Village
Aureole Manhattan Upper East Side
Babbo Manhattan Greenwich Village
BLT Fish Manhattan Union Square
Cafe Boulud Manhattan Upper East Side
Cafe Gray Manhattan Midtown West
Craft Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Cru Manhattan Greenwich
Etats-Unis Manhattan Upper East Side
Fiamma Osteria Manhattan SoHo
Fleur de Sel Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Gotham Bar and Grill Manhattan Greenwich Village
Gramercy Tavern Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
JoJo Manhattan Upper East Side
Jewel Bako Manhattan East Village
La Goulue Manhattan Upper East Side
Lever House Manhattan Midtown East
Lo Scalco Manhattan TriBeCa
March Manhattan Midtown East
Nobu Manhattan TriBeCa
Oceana Manhattan Midtown East
Peter Luger Brooklyn
Picholine Manhattan Upper West Side
Saul Brooklyn
Scalini Fedeli Manhattan TriBeCa
Spotted Pig Manhattan Greenwich Village
The Modern Manhattan Midtown West
Veritas Manhattan Gramercy-Flatiron
Vong Manhattan Midtown East
Wallse Manhattan West Village
WD-50 Manhattan Lower East Side

TWO STARS
ESTABLISHMENT/BOROUGH/NEIGHBORHOOD
Bouley Manhattan TriBeCa
Daniel Manhattan Upper East Side
Danube Manhattan TriBeCa
Masa Manhattan Midtown West

THREE STARS
ESTABLISHMENT/BOROUGH/NEIGHBORHOOD
Alain Ducasse Manhattan Midtown West
Jean-Georges Manhattan Upper West Side
Le Bernardin Manhattan Midtown West
Per Se Manhattan Midtown West

SOURCE , COURTESY OF: Michelin North America, Inc.
CONTACT:In North America, Lynn Mann of Michelin North America, +1-864-449-1864, or Gita Sweeney of Susan Magrino Agency, +1-212-957-3005; or Outside of North America, Michelin Media Relations Department, 00-33-1-45-66-22-22-0- Nov/01/2005 15:28 GMT

Shanghai Restaurant Group Synopsis (September 2005)

2005-09-06T12:27:00.000+01:00

Since the trip to Shanghai, my plans have evolved and i think as a result has become more focused and stronger. I also have a clear sense of the direction I want to take. Here's a synopsis of what we were originally thinking. Pardon me but this is in Chinese as the people I dealt with in China spoke Mandarin and Shanghainese.

上海餐饮集团
本计划书包含由Lawrence Chu独家拥有的具板权及机密资料

目录

公司简介 3

行业分析 5

BAOHOUSE：产品及相关服务 6

目标市场 8

竞争 9

市场推广计划及销售策略 10

营运 11

管理层及公司结构 12

长期发展及引退机制 13

财务数据及展望 14

公司简介

以伦敦为基地的上海餐饮集团正计划开设一系列售卖上海菜的餐厅。餐厅将包括三个档次，分别为大众化﹝人均消费五至二十英镑﹞、美食﹝人均消费三十五至五十英镑﹞及精致美食﹝价钱待定﹞。首间餐厅将设于英国伦敦。

公司使命

我们希望达至多方面的成功，首要任务当然是替公司赚钱。赚钱之余，我们更有以下五项目标：

一、维持我们对食物的热诚；
二、秉持质素、创意及服务；
三、传扬中国文化；
四、照顾食客的健康；以及
五、发展员工和伙伴关系。

以上目标为我们的生意添上金钱以外的使命和意义。

现况和发展

公司创办人为Lawrence Chu﹝主席﹞和Claire Chan﹝营运总裁﹞，正在筹备注册登记。公司将发行一万股普通股份，Lawrence及Claire各持有三千二百五十股，余下股份将保留在公司内，供日后分派之用。与此同时，Lawrence及Claire各自贷款一万英镑予公司，款项用作研调及公司成立费用。

公司仔细分析食客消费模式，认为可以将业务分成三个档次。公司并锁定大众化市场为切入点。餐厅定名BAOHOUSE，以售卖沪式点心，例如上海著名的「南翔小笼包」为主。美食档次的餐厅暂名「外滩」，将传统上海菜式与时尚装修融为一体。最高档次的精致美食旗舰餐厅矢志在国际美食坛上占一席位，成为上海菜，以至中国菜的代表餐厅。

我们正为首间BAOHOUSE选址和洽谈租约，考虑的地点包括金丝雀码头、利物浦街地铁站﹝市中心﹞或苏豪/Bloomsbury区。以上地点均聚集了大量目标顾客。我们希望可以洽谈到六个月免租期，我们将用该段时间装修店铺及筹集资金。

另一可行方法是以特许经营的方式在英国和欧洲引入举世知名的中国大陆或台湾餐厅。

未来计划

如果首间BAOHOUSE可在开业后九个月内达至营运目标，我们会开始为第二和第三间BAOHOUSE选址，订定下一阶段的业务计划。我们的五年目标是在欧美经营二十间BAOHOUSE，全年营业额介乎二千万至二千五百万英镑，营运溢利介乎四百至六百万英镑之间。
BAOHOUSE业务上轨道后，公司会在全球各大城市找寻最适合开设首间「外滩」的地方，并在未来十年再开不多于五间「外滩」。至于公司的旗舰餐厅和研调中心则会设在亚洲。

行业分析

纵使餐饮业竞争激烈，生活模式的改变仍令到此行业平稳增长。愈来愈多人没有时间或精力自己煮食，或甚至不懂得煮食。餐饮业亦讲究潮流。BAOHOUSE迎合现代人追求轻怡、健康的心态；价钱相宜的地道中国食品更是潮流之选。

今天的餐饮业

餐饮业是全英最大行业之一，年销售额超过五百亿英镑。餐厅占总销售额的百分之二十五，一百二十亿英镑的零售收入还未计入每年从海外旅客而来，约五十亿英镑的收益。二零零四年，每名英国人平均花费三百一十二英镑于出外用餐上，这金额还会继续上升。根据市场研调，伦敦人，尤其是我们的目标容户群，花于出外用餐上的金额远较全国平均高。过去五年，餐饮业增长亦超出国民生产总值增长。二零零四年出版的Key Note Report列举了四大理由解释此现象：

工作繁重导致生活模式转变；
出外用餐被视为正常的休闲活动；
口味转变，接受异国食品和烹调方式；和
整体经济环境。

由一九九九至二零零三年，英国餐厅﹝包括快餐店﹞的数目上升百分之八点二，至四万八千八百四十间。扣除快餐店数目后，正规餐厅的数字约为二万三千间。根据伦敦官方网站www.visitlondon.com公布，全伦敦有超过六千间餐厅和三千间咖啡店或酒吧。

未来趋势及商机

不论短期或长期，预料餐饮业将继续增长。Key Note指出，现代生活制造更多需求，人们将愈来愈多在外边用膳。根据英国国家统计局，一个家庭每周平均花费二十九英镑于出外用餐上。二零零五年一月出版的Datamonitor预测，二零零八年，全英全年出外用餐的数目将较二零零三年多出三十亿餐。未来五年，周中出外用餐的次数会上升百分之三十。Euromonitor预测独立餐厅，尤其是售卖地方性食品的，年增长率可达百分之五。

有关餐饮业，各方还有以下预测：

l 出外用餐占饮食总消费的比例将提高。Datamonitor认为到二零零八年，每名英国人每年将花费三百五十六英镑于出外用膳上。
l 独立商人和营运者将成为新餐厅概念的主要来源。
l 营养将变成所有餐饮业务的首要考虑条件，食物味道亦非常重要。
l 异国口味将愈来愈受欢迎。
BAOHOUSE
「包浩斯的发展不是线性的。今天的生活到处可见到由此运动引发的种种影响。」

「包」是除了饭和面之外中国人另一种主要粮食，最著名的有小笼包。与此同时，面包亦是西方人的主要食粮。中西方饮食文化在这方面不乏共通之处。我们希望将中国包点变成全球主要食粮之一。

BAOHOUSE就是包之家，让顾客能在家一样的舒适环境中吃到溢满家庭温暖的食物。在BAOHOUSE跟亲朋好友晋餐，跟在家中款待亲友一样高兴。

BAOHOUSE的产品及相关服务

BAOHOUSE提供多款具独特风格的食品和饮品。顾客除了可亲身莅临用膳外，亦可买外卖带走。到了晚上，我们更可提供办公室送餐服务。

食品选择

有别于一般唐人街中国餐馆，BAOHOUSE不会供应上百种菜式。相反，我们的餐牌会以精致和价钱相宜作卖点，提供以小笼包为首的一系列上海地道美食。所有食品均能在短时间内烹调完成，即叫即蒸，让每位顾客享受到健康美味，一新口感的上海菜。
招牌菜当然是竹笼蒸小笼包。除了传统的猪肉馅外，顾客亦可选择其它肉类或素菜小笼包，较精致的又有蟹粉小笼包。小笼包的主要材料包括免治猪肉、豉油、麻油、葱、姜、水、富含胶质的上汤和面粉等。BAOHOUSE的小笼包汤汁丰盈，味道鲜美。餐牌上其它食品包括白饭、面和蔬菜等。

生产

每间BAOHOUSE均自设厨房，确保食物新鲜。我们特别注重使用原材料，例如新鲜蔬菜、肉和面粉等，尽量避免使用半制成品。所有厨师和员工均需严格遵守BAOHOUSE对卫生、质素和食物卖相的最高要求。

服务

每间BAOHOUSE大约可坐一百人。顾客入座后，侍应会替他们落单，并在短时间内奉上食物。餐厅一隅辟作外卖专柜，让外卖顾客可舒适地等候食物，又不会影响在餐厅内用餐的顾客。BAOHOUSE在某些特定时段亦会为在餐厅附近居住或工作的顾客提供外卖送餐服务。

未来商机

我们相信市场上有不少人会喜欢我们的食品。大型超级市场提供许多需经微波炉翻热的即食品，大受单身人士和小家庭欢迎。下一步，我们会积极研发这方面的产品，但首要条件是维持产品质素，顾客在家里吃到的微波炉小笼包跟在BAOHOUSE吃到的不会有什么分别。如实验成功，这将是极具潜力，利润丰厚的收入来源。
目标市场

BAOHOUSE产品的市场以人口密集地区为主，涵盖不同人士。餐厅设在人流极旺的市中心，交通方便，在附近工作﹝主要为金融、零售和传媒行业﹞或居住的人以及游客都是我们的目标顾客。

选址与顾客类别

金丝雀码头、利物浦街地铁站或苏豪/Bloomsbury区均为伦敦市内理想的商业和购物区。伦敦是全英国最佳的零售市场，亦是欧洲以至国际最大的城市之一，每平方呎月租约四十英镑。

顾客主要来自以下四类：

l 在市中心金融区工作的白领阶层
l 其它上班族﹝零售或传媒行业﹞
l 本地人
l 游客

BAOHOUSE的概念和产品会特别吸引以下三类人：

l 上班族─上班族工作繁忙，无暇煮食，出外用膳已成了习惯。教育程度和收入较高的伦敦上班族更不惜腰间钱，只求吃得美味和健康。
l 注重健康的人─因不同理由坚持健康饮食的人。
l 好奇，贪新鲜的人─他们相信「凡事试过就会喜欢」。他们会被宣传和口碑吸引，周围找寻好吃的食物；并相信营养丰富的食物也可以美味、有趣、方便且价钱合理。

市场趋势与未来发展

过去十二年，伦敦人口不断上升。游客人数亦不断上升。往来欧洲各地的机票价格竞争激烈，加上伦敦已夺得二零一二年奥运主办权，展望未来，到伦敦观光的游客数字将有增无减。

过去七年，愈来愈多人意识到健康饮食是健康生活的基石。政府不惜工本研究和修订健康饮食指引，许多人对均衡饮食已有了新的概念。这种新的饮食概念不只是一股潮流，它有科学和医学实证，得到政府、传媒和大型食品生产商的认同，是一次真正的革命。

另一方面，人们又愈来愈没有时间自己煮食。我们的策略是提供家门以外最健康的饮食方式，令他
们接受出外用膳也可以吃得健康。

竞争

全伦敦共有超过六千间餐厅。竞争激烈，但同时表示市场潜力巨大。新竞争对手均以创新为卖点。BAOHOUSE以具竞争力的价钱提供新颖的食品。兼做外卖和送餐服务亦令我们可以在类似竞争对手出现前尽量扩大市场占有率。

谁是我们的竞争对手？

主要可分为三类：

l 价钱接近的餐厅
l 高档连锁食店
l 提供美食的酒馆

第一类包括eCapital、Yauatcha、Hakkasan、Shanghai Blues、Busabaeatthai、Thai Square、Satsuma和唐人街的餐馆。以上只有两间提供上海菜，而且质素非常一般。

大型连锁食店包括Wagamama、Yo! Sushi、Pret a Manger、Nandos、Pizza Express、Pontis和K-10。它们全都很出名，而且很赚钱，可以投放很多资源在市场推广和宣传上。

竞争策略
相比我们的竞争对手，我们拥有以下的优势：

l 产品特色、质素和新鲜感
l 工作投入的员工和良好的服务态度
l 创新积极的营商方式

BAOHOUSE代表的是一种生活态度。环顾我们的竞争对手，我们是唯一提供健康小笼包的食肆。我们将成为高质素健康上海快餐的代表。

市场推广和销售策略

市场渗透

进入市场不是一个问题。我们会选择人流极旺的地区开店。伦敦人喜欢尝试新餐厅，游客亦然。我们已预留了十万英镑作开业宣传推广之用。

市场策略

主要经以下五个渠道：

公关
印刷媒体─报纸、杂志和学生刊物
广播媒体─各类电视和电台节目
酒店推广小册子
其它─直接邮递、黄页和网上宣传等

我们计划聘请公关公司统筹上述事宜。

营运

餐厅和办公室

每间餐厅占地约三千五百至四千平方呎，开放式厨房，约可坐一百人。我们希望可以找到前身是餐厅的地点，减省装修费用。

营业时间

每周七天，早上十一点至晚上十一点。圣诞新年休息。

员工培训

所有员工均会接受全面的培训，包括服务守则、处理食物卫生常识、健康饮食和简易普通话等。

生产

大部分食物即点即蒸，确保新鲜，尽量减少用半制成品。

管理层及公司结构

Lawrence Chu，主席。Lawrence现为全球最大独立唱片公司EMI Music主席办公室的策略行政主任，之前在UBS Warburg任Corporate Financier。Lawrence到过世界上很多地方，到不同国家的美食尤其有研究。详情请浏览http://michelinstars.blogspot.com。Lawrence负责公司的策略发展和对外关系。

Claire Chan，营运总裁。Claire在全球最大地产服务公司Jones Lang LaSalle企业财务部工作，之前在UBS Warburg任Corporate Financier。Claire其中一项专长是煮食。Claire负责公司的日常营运。

长期发展及引退机制

上海餐饮集团的目标不只是经营一家或多家餐厅，我们的长远目标是建立一个品牌，一个能在全球代表健康上海美食的品牌。理想进度是在十年内拥有至少二十间BAOHOUSE餐厅，届时我们会考虑上市或被并购，以进一步壮大业务及套取利润。

风险评估

我们估计一年内，市面上会有仿效我们经营模式的餐厅出现，但不会是连锁式的竞争对手。

财务数据及展望

l 融资及借贷
l 资金分配
l 餐牌及平均账单﹝午餐﹞
l 餐牌及平均账单﹝晚餐﹞
l 总销售预算
l 薪金预算
l 收入账﹝包括行业平均支出﹞
l 收入账﹝从顾客而来﹞
l 收入账﹝五年﹞
l 十二个月现金流
l 仔细开支表
l 收支平衡分析
l 摊销及折旧
l 资产负债表
l 贷款摊销﹝五年﹞
l 收入账比较

Shanghai Restaurant Group (September 2005)

2005-09-06T12:22:00.000+01:00

Claire and I have been putting some thoughts together on opening a restaurant. I have generated a broader mandate of putting together a "Lifestyle" company.

Anyway, more details to come, but here's a summary of my trip to Nan Xiang, Ding Tai Fung and Jia Jia in Shanghai.

18th August 2005
Nan Xiang (General Manager – Ms. Xu)
85 Yu Yuan Road, Old Town God's Temple86-21- 6355 4206

Met with the General Manager (Ms. Xu) and the General Manager of Shanghai Old Chenghuang Temple Drinking Co. (Mr. Wan Guo He). Nan Xiang is part of Shanghai Old Chenghuang Temple the publicly listed company.

We spent 3 hours discussing the business, as well as the opportunities. I also had the pleasure to taste a variety of their key products (Xiao Long Bao and Shanghai Dim Sum).

Under the directive of the board of the listed company, Nan Xiang, both as a symbol of Shanghai and as a successful restaurant business, has been asked to expand internationally.

Currently, Nan Xiang has franchised branches in Tokyo and Seoul. Phase 2 of the expansion will see franchises in Singapore (Sep 2005), Jakarta (Sep 2005) and Hong Kong (October 2005).

Mr. Wan then went in to the details of their terms:
1) 1-store only; assume 200 covers or 3,000-4,000 square feet
2) 150k RMB one-off franchise fee
3) 3.5% of Turnover
4) 25k RMB per month for Executive Chef (incl. Management Fee)
20k RMB x 3 per month for Sous Chef (incl. Management Fee)
5) Housing for Executive Chefs and Sous Chefs
10 days annual holiday
6 days working, 1 day off
6) Must use same branding as Nan Xiang

Mr. Wan will be travelling to Birmingham in the Sep 2005. I will follow-up with him then.

This is an interesting deal, but a bit too rich to buy in to an expertise. We would prefer to create and profit from our own brand equity rather than build theirs. The risk is that if the 1st store succeeds, they may partner with someone with more capital to expand.

(see pamphlets for more information on food and history of Nan Xiang organisation)

19th August 2005
Ding Tai Feng (General Manager – Mr. Kelvin Yuan)
No. 18 Shuicheng Rd., Peace Square, Rm. 109 (near Hongqiao Rd.)86-21-6208 4188

I went to meet the General Manager of the main shop. Kelvin is a young gentleman, but has been in the business in excess of 8 years. He started his training in the F&B department of an international hotel chain in Shanghai. His initial comment to the F&B business in Shanghai was that it is highly competitive.

As I waited to meet with Kelvin, the entire Ding Tai Fung team was having a special meeting. I overheard that the Hongqiao store experienced a 25% drop in turnover since the opening of the Xin Tian Di store.

When we started our meeting, I asked him some standard questions regarding the F&B business:
1) Name of restaurant/length of services/number of outlets
2) Specialty/other items on menu
3) Food costs/margins
4) Chefs/time of service/sous chefs/training time
5) Food costs/suppliers/major ingredients/kitchen costs
6) Marketing/methods/use of brand
7) Goals/expansion plans
8) If you had to do it again – what would you avoid? Change? Do?

In brief, we had quite a thorough meeting about numbers. The Hongqiao store is roughly 5,000 square foot, and was built at a relatively high spec with an estimated investment of RMB 3 million in 2001. This location has around 20 management/senior waitstaff and chefs. In addition there is another 12 junior waitstaff, 8 sous chefs/line chefs and 2 cleaners. There are 22 tables for 4, 4 tables for 6, and 4 tables for 12, so an estimated 160 covers. The restaurant can afford such “inefficiencies”, e.g. low covers/sq ft and high employees/cover, due to the fact that rent and employee wages are relatively low. Moreover, comparable restaurants charges RMB 10 per order of Xiao Long Bao, while Ding Tai Fung charges RMB 38 to RMB 58 (500%) more.

Ding Tai Fung’s main clientele were the local Taiwanese, but now has shifted to Japanese living in nearby Gu Bei, Shanghai. Recently, 1 shop opened in Xin Tian Di (the major Tourist area), as well as one in Su Zhou (another town that is a tourist area).

In terms of co-operating. Mr. Yuan advised me to speak directly to Ding Tai Fung’s head office in Taiwan about franchising. Ding Tai Fung has been expanding internationally for quite sometime, although they do not have any presence in Europe and UK. Their US store is mainly targeted towards the local Asian (Taiwan immigrant) population rather than the general population. Their brand equity has thus been limited to Asia, particularly due to their success in Japan. The Japanese partnership has been structured slightly differently. After the success of the initial store in Japan, Mr. Yuan thinks that Ding Tai Fung signed a JV with the Japanese partner, and that the Japanese partner has the ability to franchise the stores in Japan; hence, the rapid expansion of 10 stores in Japan over the last few years.

Co-operating with Ding Tai Fung is interesting, particularly with the example of the Japanese JV. However, it is limiting in the same sense as a partnership with Nan Xiang. Moreover, the branding, like Nan Xiang, may not work for the general populus in North America, UK and Europe. The initial deal for the 1st store may be expensive, and the risk is that they could partner with someone else later.

19th August 2005
Jiajia Tangbao (General Manager – Mr. Zhou, Owner – Ms. Shun)
Henan South Rd., No. 638 (near Wenmiao Rd.)86-21-6366 3570
86-138165616139

I met Mr. Zhou and Ms. Shun, as well as Grandma Shun – the original owner of Jiajia. Mr. Zhou is the husband of Ms. Shun, and Ms. Shun inherited the 25 year-old business from her parents. The original Henan South Rd. shop I visited is really a ‘hole in the wall’. In short, there are 3 tables enough for 12 covers, and no proper kitchen. There is a small table which 3 people ‘hand-make’ a variety Xiao Long Bao, as well as 1 freezer and 1 fridge. All of this fit in a 200 square foot space. Grandma Shun and her husband started this business many years ago, and actually lived with Ms. Shun upstairs. It is situated on the end of a row of around eight 2-story buildings, each of the ground floor of the building is either a scooter mechanical shop or some sort of electric/mechanic accessories.

They were still quite busy when I arrived at 4:30pm. Mr. Zhou kindly offered me a seat. I sat for 30 mins watching 3 young girls, as well as Ms. Shun, prepare the mixture, knead the dough, wrap the thin Xiao Long Bao and steam on-order. The shop had 5 people in total working non-stop. Part of the business involved sit down customers, but a majority of the business was actually take-out of steamed, un-steamed and frozen products.

By 5:00pm the shop closed and the couple sat down with me to discuss partnership details. The shop is generally open from 6am to 8pm, but usually sells out between 4:00pm and 4:30pm. Other than this shop, they have another small branch close by. The Henan South Rd. shop is very close to Shanghai Old Chenghuang Temple – a very popular tourist destination. However, their business mainly serves a local clientele, with few tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong coming to taste their products. They informed me that the most popular times for Xiao Long Bao amongst the locals are in the morning (breakfast) and supper (early evenings). They are busy throughout the day, but they tend to sell most of their product and attract lines during these periods.

I discussed my plan to introduce the Xiao Long Bao concept to the UK. The couple were quite excited about my enthusiasm and appreciated my passion and sincerity. However, they were keen to expand but initially in Shanghai, and possibly Asia before discussing further international goals. On a personal level, other than travelling to Guangzhou, the couple have never travelled abroad. Their next step is to establish a 1,000 square foot restaurant. They also claim that they have been approached with ideas before.

This ‘hole in the wall’ shop definitely has its own unique characteristic and charm. They have a loyal following, but most importantly a range of top notch Xiao Long Bao products. I thoroughly enjoyed my food and my experience! Their key selling points are:
1) Product – tasty, good variety and wafer thin skins
2) Environment – small, busy, ‘unique’
3) Local – loyal following
4) Others – make and steam on-demand

If any partnership needs to be done, Jiajia is my preferred partner of choice.

Shanghai (August 2005)

2005-08-22T22:52:00.000+01:00

For me one delicacy that defines the Eastern Chinese sea board is - Xiao Long Bao - "The Little Dragon Soup Dumpling". I've opted for this because the "Hairy Crab" is not really a dish, nor is it available all year around. This recent trip to Shanghai was a 4-day whirlwind journey from London. The main reason was to visit: 1)Nan Xiang 2) Ding Tai Fung and 3) Jia Jia Tong Bao. I will explain further...

At the moment, please check out this blog for more detailed comparison and descriptions of this delicacy and these restaurants:

http://www.liaoyusheng.com
/archives/food_drink
/20050504_the_spring_2005_shanghai_xiao_long_bao_survey.php

The Twenty, Twenty-Five Catalogue (August 2005)

2005-08-13T00:28:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since the last update. Other than being busy at work with EMI's Global Managing Director's Conference in Munich, I've also put together a business plan for a restaurant in London. My holiday was spent celebrating my grandma's 80th birthday in Vancouver and Las Vegas; naturally, we've continued to wine and dine all over the place. As promised, attached is a list of places I've been in the last 5 years. This is by no means exhaustive, particularly in Asia where there are so many good places to go to that I should probably dedicate an entire blog to describing my experiences there. Through casual "collecting" and some memory jogging this is what i've come up with so far...

297 memorable, individual establishments

86 Michelin-Stars (for those eateries based in Europe)

20 establishments I've so far categorised as a "Must" visit

47 other restaurants that have also moved my taste buds and brought good memories

...and currently in alphabetical order sorted by the name of the restaurant...

(PAGE 1) * Recommended/** Highly Recommended
Abeno - London, UK
Adam Street - London, UK
Agata e Romeo - Rome, Italy
Al Grottino - Capri, Italy
Alastair Little - London, UK
Al-Dar - London, UK
Alloro - London, UK
Andre's - Las Vegas, USA
Angels - Florence, Italy
Aqua - Hong Kong, China
Aquavit* - New York, USA
Arang - London, UK
Arpege* - Paris, France
Asia de Cuba* - London, UK
Assagi* - London, UK
Au Petit Creux* - L'Alpe D'Huez, France
Aubergine** - London, UK
Aura - London, UK
Aureole - Las Vegas, USA
Aux Armes De Bruxelles - Brussels, Belgium
Balthazar - New York, USA
Banquette - London, UK
Bar Marmont - Los Angeles, USA
Bar Vivoli - Florence, Italy
Barceloneta - Barcelona, Spain
Bearfoot Bistro - London, UK
Belgo - London, UK
Belvedere - Mykonos, Greece
Belvedere - London, UK
Benares - London, UK
Benihana - New York, USA and London, UK
Bertorelli - London, UK
Bishops** - Vancouver, Canada
Bistrotheque - London, UK
Blackbird* - Chicago, USA
Bleeding Heart - London, UK
Blue Print Café - London, UK
Blue Ribbon* - New York, USA
Boinnoseki* - Hong Kong, China
Botin* - Madrid, Spain
Café Boulud - New York, USA
Bow Hon Restaurant - San Francisco, USA
Brasserie restaurant d'Hotel-de-ville - Geneva, Switzerland
Brasserie St. Quentin - London, UK
Brunello - London, UK
Buddha-bar - Paris, France
Bugis Street Brasserie - London, UK
Busaba Eathai - London, UK

I guess the next step is really for me to write my Top 25...and for YOU to send in your thoughts and your dining memories...

The Catalogue Continued - Page 2 (August 2005)

2005-08-13T00:27:00.000+01:00

(PAGE 2) * Recommended/** Highly Recommended
Can Simon - Tossa del Mar, Spain
Capitol Grille - Nashville, USA
Casa d'a Troya - Madrid, Spain
Cecconi's - London, UK
Celadon* - Bangkok, Thailand
Charlie Trotter's** - Chicago, USA
Chez Bruce - London, UK
Chutney Mary - London, UK
Cicada - London, UK
Cinecitta - Hong Kong, China
Cipriani - Venice, Italy and London, UK
Club Gascon - London, UK
Comme chez Soi - Brussels, Belgium
Craft* - New York, USA
Da Ping Huo - Hong Kong, China
Daphne's - London, UK
defune - London, UK
Din Tai Fung** - Taipei, Taiwan and Shanghai, China
Don Alfonso** - S'Agata, Italy
Don Zoko - London, UK
Drones - London, UK
d'VijffVlieghen - Amsterdam, Holland
E&O - London, UK
East@West - London, UK
ECapital - London, UK
El Bulli** - Montjoi, Roses, Spain
El Far - Girona, Spain
Enoteca Pinchiorri* - Florence, Italy
Fai Seafood Hot Pot** - Hong Kong, China
Fakhreldine - London, UK
Farallon - San Francisco, USA
Farm House** - Hong Kong, China
Felix - Hong Kong, China
Fernando's* - Macau, China
Fino* - London, UK
Flaherty's - Monterey, USA
Flocons de Sel** - Megeve, France
Foliage - London, UK
Fook Lam Moon - Hong Kong, China
Four Seasons - London, UK
Gaddis - Hong Kong, China
Gibsons* - Chicago, USA
Gordon Ramsay** - London, UK
Gough 40* - Hong Kong, China
Grammercy Tavern - New York, USA
Green Cottage - Hong Kong, China
Guy Savoy - Paris, France
Hakkasan* - London, UK
Han Kang - London, UK
Hei Kee - Hong Kong, China
HKDiner - London, UK
Honeymoon Dessert - Hong Kong, China
Hotel De Crillon - Paris, France
Hotel Duran - Figueres, Spain
Hu Tong - Hong Kong, China
Hunan - London, UK
Hush - London, UK
I Tre Merli - New York, USA
Il Convivio - London, UK
Il Francescano - Florence, Italy
Il Latini* - Florence, Italy
Il San Pietro - Positano, Italy
Imasa -Hong Kong, China
Inagiku* - Hong Kong, China
Inn the Park - London, UK
Isola - London, UK
Ivy at the Shore* - Los Angeles, USA
J.Sheekey - London, UK
Jade Garden - London, UK
Jean Georges - New York, USA
Jewel Bako - New York, USA
Jia Jia Tong Bao* - Shanghai, China
Joe's - London, UK
John Ash & Co* - Santa Rosa, Napa Valley, USA
Kaetsu - Hong Kong, China
Kantjil & de Tijger - Amsterdam, Holland
Kiku - London, UK
Koon Bo* - Vancouver, Canada

I guess the next step is really for me to write my Top 25...and for YOU to send in your thoughts and your dining memories...

The Catalogue Continued - Page 3 (August 2005)

2005-08-13T00:26:00.000+01:00

(PAGE 3) * Recommended/** Highly Recommended
La Butte Chaillot - Paris, USA
La Caravella - Amalfi, Italy
La Caravelle - New York, USA
La Chaumiere, now Cheyne Walk Brasserie - London, UK
La Famiglia - London, UK
La Ferme de mon Pere - Veyrat** - Megeve, France
La Fromagerie - Courchevel, France
La Maison Carrier -Chamonix, France
La Poule Au Pot - London, UK
La Taverne du Mont d'Arbois* - Megeve, France
Langans Brasserie - London, UK
Lawry's Prime Rib* - Chicago, USA
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon* - Paris, France
Le Cercle - London, UK
Le Chabichou - Courchevel, France
Le Cigalon - Thonex, Switzerland
Le Cinq - Paris, France
Le Cintra - Geneva, Switzerland
Le Cirque - New York, USA
Le Colonial - Chicago, USA
le deuxieme - London, UK
Le Gavroche - London, UK
Le Hameau Albert - Chamonix, France
Le Palais du Jardin - London, UK
Le Pont de la Tour - London, UK
Le Suquet - London, UK
Les Trois Garcons - London, UK
L'Escargot - London, UK
Levant - London, UK
Lever House Restaurant* - New York, USA
Lindsay House - London, UK
Locanda Locatelli* - London, UK
Loch Fyne - London, UK
Lotus Garden - Hong Kong, China
M on the Bund - Shanghai, China
Mala - London, UK
Mango - Chicago, USA
Manicomio - London, UK
Mastro's Steakhouse* - Los Angeles, USA
Matsuhisa - Los Angeles, USA
Matsuri - New York, USA
Matsuri - London, UK
Menu @ The Connaught - London, UK
Mes Anges - London, UK
Michel Rostang** - Paris, France
Milk & Honey - London, UK
Miyama - London, UK
Momo - London, UK
Morton's - Chicago, USA and Hong Kong, China
Nam Long - Le Shaker - London, UK
Nammos* - Mykonos, Greece
Nan Xiang* - Shanghai, China
Nathalie - London, UK
Nicole's - London, UK
Nobu* - London, UK
Olives - New York, USA
Olivo** - London, UK
Orizontes - Athens, Greece
Osteria "da Fiore"** - Venice, Italy
Ottolenghi - London, UK
OXO - London, UK
Paper Moon - Milan, Italy
Patara - London, UK
Pengelley's - London, UK
Petrus - London, UK
Petrus - Hong Kong, China
Pied a Terre - London, UK
Pizza Express - London, UK
Plateau - London, UK
Plaza Athenee - Paris, France
prospect Grill - London, UK

I guess the next step is really for me to write my Top 25...and for YOU to send in your thoughts and your dining memories...

The Catalogue Continued - Page 4 (August 2005)

2005-08-13T00:25:00.000+01:00

(PAGE 4) * Recommended/** Highly Recommended
Raco Can Fabes** - Sant Celoni, Spain
Ranoush Juice - London, UK
Rasoi Vineet Bhatia* - London, UK
Rhapsody - Chicago, USA
Ristorante Romano - Via Reggio, Italy
Roka - London, UK
Rover's* - Seattle, USA
Royal China - London, UK
Rules - London, UK
Rutherford Grill - Rutherford, Napa Valley, USA
Sant Celoni* - Madrid, Spain
Sarastro - London, UK
Satsuma - London, UK
Scalini - London, UK
Sea Satin Caprice - Mykonos, Greece
Shanghai Blues - London, UK
Shen Jia Yu Tou Wang - Shanghai, China
Shijo - Vancouver, Canada
Signor Sassi - London, UK
Simply Italian - Hastings, UK
Sketch - London, UK
Sona - Los Angeles, USA
Song Que Café - London, UK
Songcmg - Tai Ching, Taiwan
Spago - Los Angeles, USA
Spoon - London, UK and Hong Kong, China
St.John - London, UK
Sumosan - London, UK
Supperclub - Amsterdam, Holland
Sushi** - Tsuki-ji, Tokyo, Japan
Sushi of Gari* - New York, USA
SW* - Las Vegas, USA
Table 8 - Los Angeles, USA
Taillevent - Paris, France
Tamasaka* - Tokyo, Japan
Taverne du Passage - Brussels, Belgium
Teca - London, UK
Teca - Hong Kong, China
Tentazioni - London, UK
Terminus - London, UK
Thackeray's - Tunbridge Wells, UK
The Capital** - London, UK
The Chesire Rectory - Winchester, UK
The Cinnamon Club - London, UK
The Clerkenwell - London, UK
The Cow* - London, UK
The Don - London, UK
The Ebury - London, UK
The Fat Duck** - Bray, UK
The Glasshouse - Kew, UK
The Greenhouse - London, UK
The Ivy - London, UK
The Ledbury - London, UK
The Moody Goose - Bath, UK
The Old Spaghetti Factory - Whistler, Canada
The Rib Room & Oyster Bar - London, UK
The Rock and Sole Plaice - London, UK
The Square - London, UK
The Stockpot - London, UK
The Vineyard - Newbury, UK
The Wolseley* - London, UK
Timo - London, UK
Tom Aikens* - London, UK
Toto's* - London, UK
Trafalgars - Vancouver, Canada
Tramp - London, UK
Trattoria 4 Leoni - Florence, Italy
Tugga - London, UK
Tung Kee* - Hong Kong, China
Umu* - London, UK
Union Square Café - New York, USA
Vasco & Piero's Pavillion - London, UK
Very Good Seafood - Taipei, Taiwan
Viet Hoa Café - London, UK
Viktor - London, UK
Village Yokocho - New York, USA
Villandry - London, UK
VVG Bistro - Taipei, Taiwan
Wagamama - London, UK
Water Margin - Hong Kong, China
Westbourne* - London, UK
Wing Lai Yuen - Hong Kong, China
W'Sens - London, UK
Xiaonanguo** - Hong Kong, China and Shanghai, China
Xin Guang** - Shanghai, China
Xin Ji Shi - Shanghai, China
Yauatcha - London, UK
Ye Shanghai - Hong Kong, China
Yoshis Café - Chicago, USA
Yung Kee* - Hong Kong, China
Zafferano* - London, UK
Zaika - London, UK
Zanotti* - Bangkok, Thailand
Zuma - London, UK

I guess the next step is really for me to write my Top 25...and for YOU to send in your thoughts and your dining memories...

Still Pondering Which Ones to Write (June 2005)

2005-06-05T18:30:00.000+01:00

Post my El Bulli experience and start of this new blog, I've been thinking about how to write up my visits to other restaurants. The first thing I did was try to catalogue ones I've been to in the last 5 years. I could probably write in chronological order, but should i write going reverse chronology or start writing about experiences since 2000? Which great meals should I write about? If anyone has suggestions please email me.

Marc Veyrat's La Ferme de mon Pere (February 2004)

2005-06-05T09:54:00.000+01:00

A friend recently asked me which restaurant I think is best? Was it El Bulli?

I think restaurants and meals are all personal experiences. It is quite ridiculous to rank them. For me, one of my best ever experiences, was a meal I had on my 24th birthday while snowboarding in Megeve, France. The name of the restaurant is La Ferme de mon Pere, and the chef is Marc Veyrat.

2005-06-05T03:10:00.000+01:00

We finally found it! El Bulli, Cala Montjoi, Spain

2005-06-05T03:04:00.000+01:00

In El Bulli's kitchen. Behind us is Chef Ferran Adria.

2005-06-05T03:03:00.000+01:00

Having an aperitif outdoors, while being delightfully suprised by the "amuse bouche"

2005-06-05T02:59:00.000+01:00

One of the twenty five courses...

2005-06-05T02:58:00.000+01:00

Dessert - "fresh" ice cream created on a freezing nitrogen plate topped with a mixture of passion fruit seeds and beluga caviar

2005-06-05T02:50:00.000+01:00

El Bulli reminds us of Tyson. Tyson is an"El Bulli".

2005-06-05T02:49:00.000+01:00

Outside the restaurant, just as we're leaving...

El Bulli - "The Experience" (May 2005)

2005-06-05T02:46:00.000+01:00

As I am writing, I have a conundrum. I am eager to write about every detail of my dining experience, but then again I don't want to ruin each suprise that every restaurant has for the diner.

So I've decided not to go in to the details of the meal. However, I can say it is a worthwhile experience. Other chefs have tried to emulate Adria's approach to food science; notables include Blumenthal and his Fat Duck. I think diners need to know why they are at El Bulli; if you are looking for a classic European meal, such as a French, Italian, or even Spanish meal then El Bulli is not going to offer you this type of food.

One thing I can write about is what the experience has done for me. El Bulli has definitely inspired me to continue with my passion in food. I really hope one day that my friends and I can have our own little hotel in Hong Kong, with a boutique restaurant that attracts people from all over the world. What's also important is the need for someone to bring Asian and Chinese cuisine to the world stage; it's disappointing and hilarious that world's greatest restaurant lists have no such institutions. Should the editors of those magazines be shot? Or should chefs from Asia or Latin America feel ashamed?

2005-06-05T02:45:00.000+01:00

Our El Bulli menu

2005-06-05T02:44:00.000+01:00

Hotel Duran, Figueres

2005-06-05T02:43:00.000+01:00

El Far, Platja de Llafranc

2005-06-05T02:42:00.000+01:00

Can Simon, Tossa de Mar

2005-06-05T02:21:00.000+01:00

The scenic Costa Brava coastline as we were driving from Tossa de Mar to S'Agaro, just like the Amalfi shoreline

2005-06-05T02:19:00.000+01:00

The sun setting as we dined at El Far near Platja de Llafranc

2005-06-05T02:15:00.000+01:00

Restaurant in Hotel Duran in Figueres

2005-06-05T02:11:00.000+01:00

Can Simon in Tossa de Mar

2005-06-05T02:04:00.000+01:00

One of houses overlooking the Mediterranean on the Cami de Ronde

2005-06-05T02:02:00.000+01:00

Taking a walk on the Cami de Ronde from S'Agaro's La Gavina to Cala Sa Conca beach

El Bulli - "The Trip" (May 2005)

2005-05-27T12:38:00.000+01:00

It took a while to figure out how to get to El Bulli, which is located near Cala Montjoi on the North-East coast of Spain. The preference was a nice comfortable ride driven by a local who actually knew the directions and spoke fluent Spanish. Natalie and I had the luxury of taking this option in Tuscany (April 2005) and Sant Celoni (March 2004). This would probably be the only option if I were to take such a journey with my parents. However, the "pilgrimage" wouldn't have been the same without some frustration, hard work, and misleading directions*.

When I first booked the trip, it was purely for El Bulli. Basically, I wanted to quickly go from London to Barcelona to Roses to Barcelona and then back to London. Thanks to Natalie's insightful research, and her willingness to explore, we ended up going on a vacation to Costa Brava. We landed in Barcelona's airport, but never actually went to the city. We drove from the airport to S'Agaro via Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar. We made a stop for lunch at Tossa de Mar. It is a sleepy village on the South end of Costa Brava. There's a walled enceinte called Vila Vella from the 12th century to check out. Strangely, there were a couple of restaurants and homes still in this stone fortress. A man was having a barbeque, as we were busy snapping pictures of the sea, the beach, the building and his BBQ. Back to lunch, we had a choice of a traditional wood-fired rotisserie serving succulent chickens or the only michelin star restaurant in the vicinity. Restaurant Can Simon served "Cuina Mediterrania", it was good, but not great. It's one of those restaurants that's marginally gained 1 floret with quality food and service, but gladly charged a comfortable 1 floret price - much more than the rotisserie chicken I wanted. You probably know who made the choice of the restaurant (not me!).

Our first proper stop was S'Agaro, a small town perched on the North hilltop of Sant Feliu de Guixols. In fact, S'Agaro is more like a small, private golf community, like having a house in Wentworth or Pebble Beach, than a town. The area is absolutely stunning. We stayed at Hostel de La Gavina, which apparently was a favourite haunt of legendary Hollywood stars (of the past - Frank Sinatra, Charlie Chaplin, Ava Gardner, you get who I am referring to...). The hotel acts as a club house for those living in the S'Agaro community. The most intriguing part of this stop was taking a walk on the Cami de Ronda footpath from the hotel to Cala Sa Conca, and then napping on the beach until I got burnt. The Cami de Ronda is a footpath that stretches the entire coast line, so technically speaking we could have walked 100km from Tossa de Mar all the way up to Cap de Creus. The S'Agaro section of this footpath is stunning. It is not a trek, but a beautfully landscaped, promenade-type path. The walls of the path are part of huge homes in the S'Agaro community that overlooks the Mediterranean.

In the evening, we drove from S'Agaro to Palamos. Our concierge advised we eat at Latina, a "local" restaurant with a menu in 8 different languages. It did turn out to be quite local, and very typical of restaurants in this region. It is a large building in the middle of no where, where people would delibrately drive to eat. It's on the way from Palamos to Palafrugell. We stopped by to take a peek, as it wasn't opened at 7pm, while on our way to Platja de Llafranc. The concierge also advised us to go to a "lighthouse". We ended up having a light dinner at the El Far Hotel Restaurant. The restaurant and the lighthouse were the same place. It's worth visiting, as it is on top of a cliff over looking a beautiful blue Mediterranean sea. The waiter "taught" us how to eat bread. He showed us how to rub the juice and seeds of a chilled tomato on to a loaf, drizzle some olive oil and salt. I was most impressed with the sweet grilled cockles. A very simple dish, but it was really fresh and tasty. We planned to eat dinner again at Latina, but had a bit too much at El Far.

The next day we drove from S'Agaro to Roses and its nearby areas. When driving around Roses, the place reminded me of the SS163 from Naples to Positano on the Amalfi coast. We decided to stop by Figueres to see the Salvador Dali Museum. The town was quiet, quite boring actually, but the Dali Museum did bring life to a place that seemed to be lifeless. The highlight of the quick trip was a hearty lunch at Hotel Duran. Reluctant at first, due to Natalie's poor choice of restaurant on the first date (Can Simon), this ended up being a traditional meal that was delicious. The environment was also perfect for the occasion. It was a warm sunny Sunday, so we were accompanied by many other families. It reminded me of an excellent brunch in Balthazar, New York, and The Wolesley, London. The place was refined and comfortable. Natalie naturally ordered her jamon iberico de bellota reserva. We also had a nice appetiser which was a sausage, which had a soft filling that tasted and felt like a mixture of chicken and fish, that went well with the local loaf. I ordered a rollitos de col con butifarra negra y langostinos, which is basically a farclettes with black truffle, a type of black sausage, and langoustine. We completed the meal with a seafood paella. I am not a big fan of paella, or any type of western rice dish, apart from Italian risotto once in a while, simply because Asian rice dishes are so hard to beat. This paella was okay.

After lunch, we drove to Roses, which is the closest town to El Bulli. After unpacking at Le Terraza Hotel, we took a quick stroll on the beach. Natalie informed me that this part of the Spanish coast is known for its high winds and rough seas; this was due to the fact that Cap de Creus was the North-Eastern most point in Spain, and that winds and waves heading west from the Mediterranean would crash in to this part of the coast with full force. Realising that El Bulli would be a difficult place to find, we tried to drive there in the afternoon ahead of our evening dinner, but we couldn't find it. We ended up driving back and forth to Canyelles, which is a beach town that reminds me of other small beach towns that have a back drop of hills and mountains along the French or Italian rivieras. When we finally got back on track, we took a quick journey to Port Ligat and Cap de Creus. The scenic drive was stunning, and it took a while for us to arrive at our sleepy destinations. Port Ligat is where Dali lived, this is one of the three points to visit in the Dali triangle. Cap de Creus, which is another 25 minutes away from Port Ligat, is a lighthouse on top of a cliff over looking the Mediterranean and the Costa Brava. There's a small coffee and shop and restaurant on top of this cliff. It is miles from anywhere, and the land around it is rocky and barren. However, spending sometime there was quite liberating. A breath of fresh air was just what we needed before our big dinner at El Bulli!

2005-05-27T12:35:00.000+01:00

El Bulli - "The Trip - El Bulli 1" (May 2005)

El Bulli (May 2005)

2005-05-27T12:30:00.000+01:00

An official start to my "eating out" stories begins with the visit to El Bulli.

Before starting, I want to clarify why this writing about food. These stories catalogue adventures and personal experiences; importantly it acts as a journal about me and my friends. As I now enter my 25th year of existence, there's so much more I want to do, but it seems like there's simply not enough time. When people talk about a "mid-life" crisis, I think I am currently going through my "quarter-life" crisis. Nevertheless, one thing that comforts me is a warm meal with an interesting group of people. Nothing has been more memorable than sharing a meal with friends, family and strangers in the last 5 years between 20-25. Eating is not just about alleviating hunger, but a social event to share conversations, dreams, stories and knowledge. Being able to identify and share my passion help me deal with insecurities; it helps me focus and continue to live life to its fullest.

I haven't finalised a format for this journal, so I will probably change and improve as I write. I am not a food critique, but I'll try and give some advice to friends and family on restaurants while reading this. To make life easier for myself, I will probably write in chronologic order. I'll try and write as much as I can remember, but I probably won't be able to cover every single place I've been in the last 5 years. The heavy drinking has not done well for my memory, but if I do miss out any memorably meal, please do not take offense, and don't hesitate to remind me!

The El Bulli experience was a trip, because it certainly took great efforts to reach this mecca of gastronomy. Some people have even compared a journey to El Bulli as a pilgramage for the worlds greatest chefs. As I recall, the whole fuss about visiting El Bulli started 2 or 3 years ago. The press claimed that they were the best, and not only were they the best, it was damn difficult to get a reservation. So we immediately tried, and, of course, we failed. The recording on El Bulli's reservation line probably says the same thing to thousands of people (appoximately 400,000) for 364 days every year. Rumour has it that the day the reservation line is open in January, the restaurant's 8,000 covers are booked for the year, which is only opened on Wednesday to Sunday evenings from March to September. Late in 2004, we tried again with American Express concierge, who kindly advised that we would be looking to go sometime in 2006, if we were lucky. So I decided to write an email to El Bulli*, and in November 2004, I received an email from a manager, Luis Garcia, granting me a table at the establishment on 29th May 2005.

Two tips: 1) If you are flexible, try calling them direct each Monday, as the restaurant reconfirms reservations every week, and you may get a table that was cancelled last minute. 2) It's nice to know the names of some big selling, local Spanish pop stars

* see below the email exchange:

Sent: November 23, 2004 12:37:45 PM
Apreciado Señor,

I am sorry to delay so much in putting me in contact with you. Due to the demand that have received we are surpassed and without options to find a solution for the most of requests. We are moving the situation to solve the possible maximum of cases and we have found an option to please your petition.

With pleasure, I confirm your dinner reservation on
Sunday May 29th of 2005 for 2 people at 8.00 p.m. under the name:

LAWRENCE CHU

I ask you to confirm your visit a week before.

Ferran Adrià will prepare for you a personalized tasting menu. It is important to prepare it to know before if there is some important problem to take care of it, like allergies or products that we can not introduce in your menu.

I also must explain you that we do not have any hotel here in Cala Montjoi. I send you the address of our hotel next to Sevilla (South of Spain) and also a file with information about hotels in our area.

ElBullihotel - HACIENDA BENAZUZASanlucar la Mayor - 41800 (Sevilla)Tel. 00.34.955.703 344Fax. 00.34.955.703 410

Atentamente,

Luis García

-----------------------------------------------------------

De: Chu, Lawrence [mailto:Lawrence.Chu@emimusic.com] Enviado el: jueves, 04 de noviembre de 2004 11:32Para: 'bulli@elbulli.com'Asunto: Reservation for 2005

Dear Mr. Luis Garcia,

I would like to request a reservation at the El Bulli Restaurant next year for 2 people.

I understand that the restaurant is constantly full; does it make a difference if we also stay at the hotel?

One of the reasons why I would like to eat and stay at the hotel is for me to experience the culinary delights of Chef Ferran Adria, but also to recommend to our clients, namely artists on our roster, and particularly from Spain acts such as: Amaral, Bebe and Jose Merce.

We are quite flexible with dates, but have a slight preference for:
April 30th, May 1st, May 2nd, May 28th, May 29th, May 30th, or the entire 1st week of September.

Thank you for your kind attention and assistance!

Yours truly,

Lawrence Chu

Chairman's Office
27 Wrights Lane
London, UK
W8 5SW

2005-05-17T22:23:00.000+01:00

Trial Post: Pengelley's, London, UK (March 2005)

Trial Post: At Pengelley's with Par Petterson (March 2005)

2005-05-17T21:33:00.000+01:00

A quick get together with an old colleague, Par, at UBS Warburg before he moves on to better things back in Stockholm. We had a chat about his plans at 3i and how he planned to work between Stockholm and London, which is an experience he also previously enjoyed at UBS.

We ate at Pengelley's on 164 Sloane Street, London, recently opened in Feburary 2005. Backed by Gordon Ramsay, Ian Pengelley, who previously ran E&O and Eight Over Eight, tries to bring out the best of traditional South East Asian cuisine in a semi-formal European setting. The "spicy" menu includes Japanese Sushi, Malaysian Rendang, and a "Chinese" caramelised pork hock. It just doesn't work for me. I seriously think cooking techniques should be inspired by local ingredients and culture. For example, he attempts to steam a thick piece of Sea Bass, probably part of a huge 20 lbs fish. Traditionally, using the same ingredients the Chinese would steam a fresh fish, around 2lbs, using that same technique. One thing I did like was the Chilli Salt Squid and the chic decor.

For the same price in London, or rather a less expensive price, I would recommend Hakkasan.

City Eating's Top 30 Restaurants in the World

2005-05-04T13:00:00.000+01:00

This the list generated by www.city-eating.com. I believe it is on a rolling basis and is voted by the readers. Here's a snap shot taken on the 04th May 2005.

1. Michel Rostang Paris
2. Gary Danko San Francisco
3. Tetsuya Sydney
4. French Laundry San Francisco
5. Gordon Ramsay London
6. Guy Savoy Paris
7. Al Mahara Dubai
8. De Karmeliet Bruges
9. Schwarzwaldstube Baiersbronn
10. Balthazar New York
11. Le Gavroche London
12. La Tupina Bordeaux
13. Chez L'Ami Louis Paris
14. Inn at Little Washington Washington DC
15. Taillevent Paris
16. The Waterside Inn Bray
17. Le Bernardin New York
18. Nobu London
19. Terre a Terre Brighton
20. The Lone Star Barbados
21. Arzak San Sebastian
22. St. John London
23. The Cliff Barbados
24. The Square London
25. Felix Hong Kong
26. Daniel New York
27. Gramercy Tavern New York
28. El Bulli Montjoi
29. Hakkasan London
30. The Witchery Edinburgh

Restaurant Magazine's 2005 pick for world's best eateries

2005-04-25T01:45:00.000+01:00

Originally posted Wednesday, 20 April 2005

The 50 Best Restaurants in the World 2005

We were young, ambitious, and some thought foolish, when we first published this list in 2002. Now in its fourth year, The World's 50 Best Restaurants has grown into a hungrily anticipated, internationally influential event.
We've made a real effort to ensure that our panel is even more international than ever polling over 600 restaurateurs, critics, chefs and industry experts from around the world. That said, we know there will still be some who feel this year's list is too London-centric, with 26 per cent of the list given over to restaurants in and around the English capital. But then, with the US-based Gourmet magazine recently declaring London "The best place to eat on the planet", maybe it's a fair reflection of its place in world-restaurant ranking.
More importantly, beyond what will no doubt be seen in some quarters as British domination, one of the most interesting issues to emerge from the list is an apparent disappearance of the well-established belief that a chef or a restaurateur can only run one truly world-class restaurant at a time. This year there are five different operators (four chefs and one restaurateur) who, with the right talent and infrastructure behind them, have each managed to find their way on to the list twice.
This might seem doubly hard on the many fine restaurants that have just missed out, but this year, as always, there can be only 50; and here they are…

Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck receives the award for ‘The Penfolds Worlds Best Restaurant 2005’ from Paul Bocuse who picked up the American Express Lifetime Achievement Award and Jeffrey Wilkinson of Penfolds.

Position Restaurant/(Award)
1 Fat Duck, Bray (Best in World/Best in Europe)
2 El Bulli, Spain (Chef's Choice)
3 French Laundry, Yountville (Best in America)
4 Tetsuya's, Sydney (Best in Australasia)
5 Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road, London
6 Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
7 Per Se, New York (Highest New Entrant)
8 Tom Aikens, London
9 Jean Georges, New York
10 St John, London
11 Michel Bras, Laguiole, France
12 Louis XV, Monaco
13 Chez Panisse, California (Highest Climber)
14 Charlie Trotter, Chicago
15 Gramercy Tavern, New York
16 Guy Savoy, Paris
17 Alain Ducasse, Paris
18 Sketch (Gallery) London
19 The Waterside Inn, Bray
20 Nobu, London
21 Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
22 El Raco de can Fabes, Spain
23 Checcino dal 1887, Rome Italy
24 Le Meurice, Paris
25 L'Hotel de Ville, Crissier, Switzerland
26 Arpege, Paris
27 The Connaught, London
28 Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxford
29 Le Cinq, Paris
30 Hakkasan, London
31 Cal Pep, Barcelona (Outstanding Value)
32 Masa, New York
33 Flower Drum, Melbourne
34 WD50, New York
35 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (Best in Africa/Mid East)
36 Spice Market, New York
37 Auberge d'Ill, Illhauseern-Alsace
38 Manresa, California, USA
39 Dieter Muller, Germany
40 Trois Gros, Roanne, France
41 The Wolseley, London
42 Rockpool, Sydney
43 Yauatcha, London
44 The Ivy, London
45 Gambero Rosso, Italy
46 The Cliff, Barbados
47 Le Gavroche, London
48 Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence, Italy (Editors Choice)
49 Felix, Hong Kong (Best in Asia)
50 La Tupina, Bordeaux

The American Express Lifetime Achievement Award 2005 was presented to our guest of honour Paul Bocuse.

Restaurant Magazine

NY restaurants to get Michelin stars

2005-04-25T01:30:00.000+01:00

Originally Posted Thursday, 03 March 2005

Long reserved for Europe's top chefs, the legendary Michelin restaurant guide is to award its much-coveted stars to New York's finest restaurateurs.
To be released in November, the so-called "red guide", will for the first time catalogue and rate 500 restaurants in New York City, the company announced last week.
The publication of a Michelin guide in the US "is a grand event which recognises the quality and the variety of New York restaurants," said Florence Fabricant, food critic for The New York Times.
Since 1923 Michelin's restaurant guides have been the bible for gourmets searching for the best meals in Europe. Its system of awarding and denying one to three stars has equally made or broken the reputations of restaurants.
The guides are published by a subsidiary of the French Michelin tires group.
Five reviewers working in secret
According to the company, for five months Michelin has quietly deployed five European reviewers to assess New York restaurants and decide which will receive its highly desired stars.
Working in secret with a strict set of criteria, the reviewers plan to visit a total of 1 200 restaurants to pare down a final list of 500 to be mentioned in the guide. The 500 will be visited anonymously at least once more for dining, after which an inspector will follow up asking to see the kitchen and other operations.
Most eyes will be on who, if anyone, among New York's intensely competitive chefs — many of them French in origin — receives Michelin's highest three-star rating. In its 2004 guide to Paris, only ten of 399 establishments earned three stars, and another 67 took one or two.
"At least one restaurant should receive three stars," said Fabricant. "It is important as an encouragement. There will also be disappointments."
Michelin's arrival is a hot subject on the lips of the city's top chefs.
"When I arrived twenty years ago, nobody paid attention to the United States," said French-born Daniel Boulud, head chef at Daniel.
"Today we are the equal of our European colleagues. And the arrival of Michelin rewards our efforts," he said.
Restaurants "dream of a mention"
The guide is extremely powerful, he said. "Even a small restaurant dreams of a mention. If we are in it, it is as if something special arrives at the table."
Boulud confided his own private excitement. "I have never been able to judge myself, to say 'I am a Michelin three-star' or 'one or two star'. I try to be one of the best restaurants in the United States, but I am in New York, far from the French critics."
"It is an additional pressure," he said, smiling.
Eric Ripert, of the respected seafood restaurant Le Bernardin, said he "is not stressed" by Michelin's arrival.
"I am confident in our product, and I hope Michelin appreciates it. Between the newspapers and the guides, we are always being assessed."
Michelin must adapt
But New York's chefs think Michelin has to adapt its ways to the United States.
"We are not in Europe. Every country must be judged by the possibilities to excel," said Boulud.
"We are a very different culture, and we are many cultures, and many of our cultures are not nearly defined as the regions of France," said restaurant consultant Clark Wolf.
"The other challenge is there is less availability of really good ingredients," Wolf added. "We don't grow things here, it has to come from some place else."
Speaking in New York, Edouard Michelin, chairman of the Michelin group, tried to reassure the chefs.
"Recognition, stimulation and encouragement"
"We want (the guide) to be a recognition, a little stimulation and an encouragement, because running a restaurant is an incredibly hard task, day after day," he said.
The guide's criteria will maintain the same basic criteria: the cooking, flavour, freshness, and creativity of the food. The guide will also include a category for steakhouses, something not listed in Europe.
And in a bow to a special interest of New York diners, Michelin will judge the quality of service in restaurants in addition to the food

AFP

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2005-04-24T22:15:00.000+01:00

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