First Chinese chef/restaurant awarded Michelin 3 stars

[von Rothbart]

Too little and too late but better than never:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/03/wo...r=1&ref=dining

 

[whoopee]

Never in the many times I've been there have I thought it to be a three star restaurant.

 

[Dragon]

Originally Posted by whoopee

Never in the many times I've been there have I thought it to be a three star restaurant.

+1

 

[July]

Never been. I might line it up on the docket for my HK trip in February. If not 3-star worthy, is it still worth going (sans expense account)?

 

[apropos]

Any article that mentions 'chinese food' and 'clarity' or 'subtlety' or 'small portions' or 'foie gras' in the same breath sends my BS meter into overdrive. This bit in particular made me laugh:

But there has been some sniping, perhaps inevitable, that Michelin granted its first three stars not to one of the city’s lively family restaurants, but to one in a hotel with ingredients that would appeal to foreigners, and maybe especially the French. The restaurant has fought that impression since the stars were awarded, saying that most of its customers are Chinese and the ingredients a sign of creativity, not culinary pandering.

What the restaurant also fails to mention is that Chinese people would eat its food if it had a Ralph Lauren, LV, or Lacoste logo emblazoned on it. As the article hinted, the Chinese do not always dine for their own pleasure - a large part of it is 'impressing guests'. I will be opening a taco stand soon. And it will have foie gras in it. Watch for the first 3 Michelin star Mexican food stand.

 

[rsgould]

Originally Posted by apropos

What the restaurant also fails to mention is that Chinese people would eat its food if it had a Ralph Lauren, LV, or Lacoste logo emblazoned on it. Watch for the first 3 Michelin star Mexican food stand.[/I]

Gross generalization. Perhaps more true in Hong Kong than in, say, Guizhou.

But anyway, I would agree in the broad sense that much of the high-end Cantonese cuisine that can be found in HK tends to be underwhelming at best.

 

[whoopee]

Originally Posted by July

Never been. I might line it up on the docket for my HK trip in February. If not 3-star worthy, is it still worth going (sans expense account)?

It's worth going to and not very expensive, but don't expect to be blown away as you would expect at a 3 star restaurant. The dim sum and food in general is very well-done, as they are at most of HK's 5 star hotels' restaurants. This one gets more creative than the other but isn't all that wild. Fine service and presentation, which I believe partly accounts for Lung King Heen's 3 stars. Michelin probably thought they needed to give out one "3 star" designation to avoid being lynched, and personally I can't think of any obvious choices.

FWIW, I find the most satisfying Cantonese meals in HK are to be had in more traditional restaurants. The service and presentation are quite different.

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by rsgould

Gross generalization. Perhaps more true in Hong Kong than in, say, Guizhou.
My bad - you are 100% correct.

IME, Hongkongers are by far the most egregious offenders I have come across in the 'conspicuous consumption' department.

 

[rsgould]

Originally Posted by apropos

IME, Hongkongers are by far the most egregious offenders I have come across in the 'conspicuous consumption' department.

True. Although slowly but surely, Shanghainese are starting to give HKers a run for their money in this regard. I was at one of the upscale malls in TST a month or two ago and was trying to ask a saleswoman a few questions, but she spoke no English (and I don't speak Cantonese). But we ended up chatting in Mandarin, and she said all the salespeople in TST are learning Mandarin to accommodate the Mainlanders who come to shop at the big name designer boutiques. She even said I could pay in RMB instead of HKD.

Sure enough, walk around certain boutiques and more and more Mainlanders are there, dropping huge sums of money (in cash, naturally), buying--shall we say--less than tasteful items.

Originally Posted by whoopee

FWIW, I find the most satisfying Cantonese meals in HK are to be had in more traditional restaurants. The service and presentation are quite different.

Agreed. I find Guangzhou-style Cantonese a bit more down-to-earth and homely than HK-style, even at the top restaurants in GZ. That being said, Cantonese street food (noodles, siu mei, etc) tends to be much better in HK, mostly because there are actual health standards in HK.


Anyway....anyone have a (Chinese) restaurant choice in Greater China worthy or 3 Michelin Stars? I'm going to give it some thought but nothing comes to mind.

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by rsgould

Sure enough, walk around certain boutiques and more and more Mainlanders are there, dropping huge sums of money (in cash, naturally), buying--shall we say--less than tasteful items.
Understatement of the century.

I place the blame squarely on them (and the Russians) for the following example of 'progress' - the evolution of the Polo Ralph Lauren polo shirt:

small monochrome polo player -> small multicolor polo player -> big number, small monochrome polo plater -> big number, big monochrome polo player -> big number, big multicolour polo player -> big number, big monochrome polo players -> -> big number, big multicolour polo players

I predict for A/W 2009, a line of 10 multicolour polo players across the front of the shirt, complete with flashing LEDs and electronic whinnying.

 

[rsgould]

There are a number of brands introducing product lines solely for the Chinese market. Vuitton, Gucci, Boss, and Zegna come to mind. Wouldn't be shocked at all if RL does the same thing in coming seasons--or maybe they already do.

So far, the aforementioned product lines have a few things in common: 1) they are ugly, 2) they feature incredibly garish logos or trademarked patterns (right up there with giant polo players), 3) workmanship is lower but prices are the same as products for Euro/US market, 4) pairings of navy and black.*


*If a light blue shirt with a navy tie is the "Italian background", than certainly a navy jacket over black pants is the Mainland equivalent--and Boss is putting this in the windows in boutiques across China)

 

[HitMan009]

I thought this thread was supposed to be about Cantonese cuisine which I believe truly is the best of the different styles of chinese cooking.