Scepticism greets Michelin’s Tokyo praise
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Tokyo has been praised to high heaven by the venerable Michelin Guide when it came out with its first Tokyo edition. But an Associated Press report, quoting other reviewers, wondered if Tokyo restaurants were really that good?
“Tokyo is a shining star in the world of cuisine,” Jean-Luc Naret, the Guide’s Director, said shortly after its Tokyo edition came out last November.
“We found the city’s restaurants to be excellent, featuring the best ingredients, culinary talents and a tradition passed on from generation to generation and refined by today’s chefs.”
AP said the Tokyo guide gave an unprecedented 191 stars to 150 restaurants in Tokyo, the most number of stars awarded in any city. Previously, Paris had the most stars, at 65. Eight restaurants in Tokyo – three French, two sushi bars and three traditional Japanese – received Michelin’s highest three-star rating.
But the Michelin hype has met with a great deal of scepticism – especially from other reviewers.
According to the report, one controversial pick was a sushi bar that, though good on quality, is located in a basement, is cramped even by Tokyo standards and shares its restroom with other tenants.
Some of Michelin’s competitors were quoted saying that there were bigger problems with Michelin’s whole premise. Why, for example, are so many French restaurants at the top of the Tokyo list? Why no Chinese, no Italian, no palaces of tofu?
Tim Zagat, founder of the Zagat Guides, told The Associated Press that while “Tokyo has the best Japanese food in the world… it is nowhere near as diverse as other cities.”
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