The first Michelin guide was published in 1900 by the Michelin Tyre Company. Its humble beginnings had nothing to do with fine dining at all. It was a clever marketing strategy dreamt up by the founders and owners Andre and Edouard Michelin.
They thought that the less than three thousand French drivers would be encouraged to use their cars for holiday trips if there was a free guide to provide useful information such as maps, locations of tyre repair and replacement, local mechanics, petrol stations, and hotels where they could stay during their journey. The guide though free to receive, was a clever plan for the brothers to increase their tyre sales and further their financial success.
The Belgian guide soon followed in 1904, between 1907 and 1914, there were further guides for other countries in Europe and even in North Africa. The publication was stopped during the first world war. After the war, André Michelin reportedly saw old copies of the guide being used to prop up a workbench in a mechanics garage. He decided in 1920 that people would appreciate the guide more if they had to pay for it. The further addition of restaurants was very popular amongst the travellers and different categories were added. A team of restaurant “inspectors” was recruited to anonymously visit different establishments to rate and review them. In 1926, outstanding restaurants were awarded a “Michelin star”. This grew to three stars in 1931 and a further quality rating system in 1936.
One star - Exceptional cuisine
Two stars - Exceptional cuisine and service
Three stars - Exceptional cuisine, service and setting (everything is basically perfect).
In 1997, Bib Gourmand was created for restaurants with exceptional food at moderate prices. In 2020, a green star award for restaurants that clearly demonstrate their sustainability was implemented. The chef is given a space in the guide to share their vision of cooking sustainably and its benefits. This star can be awarded on its own or in addition to any other stars that the restaurant has received.
The “experience” starts from the initial contact at the time of the booking. Rest assured that the only way that you will gain access to the restaurant is through a booking, “walk-ins” are either not accepted or are accepted in exceptional circumstances (A regular customer for example). Staff are trained to exceed the expectations of each client, including any special requirements. The staffing hierarchy at a Michelin restaurant is very rigid. Only senior staff are permitted to interact with the clients ensuring that the highest levels of service are maintained. There is no room for even the slightest error.
As a rule, staffing at Michelin starred restaurants is twice or three times the amount as opposed to a non-starred restaurant. Each team member has received training at some of the finest hospitality schools where they learn the intricacies of fine dining, a prerequisite before they can be considered as a potential staff member. Immaculate presentation of every aspect of the experience from the first aperitif to the final farewell is carefully orchestrated to ensure that the visit is perfect. Staff members are immaculately dressed, and in the evening service it is not unusual to see the Maître d’hôtel wearing a tuxedo complete with a bow-tie.
A meal in a Michelin starred restaurant is a lengthy process, if you are in a rush then you had better choose your local fast food establishment to avoid being late for your next appointment. Fine dining is a commitment, and you must be ready to consecrate at least two or more hours out of your day or evening to enjoy the experience to its fullest. Though the service is efficient, it is not rushed. The ordering process can take up to half an hour as there are various visits from the Maître d’Hôtel to give menu advice and take the order as well as the presentation of the wine list from the Sommelier to ensure that there is a perfect complement between the food and wines. Do prepare yourself for lengthy explanations and quirky and sometimes very long and boring stories about how the truffles were sourced using the finest smartest pigs, or how the winemaker spent hours staring at the moon before they decided that the grapes were ready for picking.
A word of advice, even if your mind has wandered off somewhere else, remember to act interested. These staff members take great pride in sharing their knowledge with you.
Though many Michelin starred restaurants offer à la carte menus, the tendency is that they showcase the talents of the chef with a degustation menu (usually a minimum of seven courses). This menu will change throughout the year to reflect the products that are in harmony with the season. The portions are very small, usually two or three small bites, but rest assured that you will be full by the end of the meal. During the meal there is a lot of changing of cutlery (always silently - god forbid that the slightest sound should ever be made in the almost deathlike silence of the dining room!) for each course and also the removal of any bread crumbs at the end of the main meal before the arrival of dessert. If a napkin is dropped on the floor, it will immediately be replaced with a fresh one with such dexterity that you will not even know that the accident has happened. If something is spilled by a client, a member of staff will discreetly cover it so that the diner does not have to look at the offending stain for the remainder of the meal. These guys are professionals, they are like little robots, perfectly programmed to offer the perfect dining experience with a smile plastered on their face from the arrival of the first client to the departure of the final one.
I celebrated my birthday at non-michelin starred Amandus (degustation menu) followed by lunch the next day (degustation menu) at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught - it was the perfect way to compare a great non-starred restaurant with a three starred michelin restaurant. Was the dining experience the same? No. But was there a massive difference between the two? Also no. Both were great but there was not a big difference between them. The main difference would be the service aspect of the experience. Amandus had a good service level, but the Michelin restaurant definitely gives you the feeling of being a “King”. The waiters in the Michelin restaurant have a level of attentiveness and politeness that is incomparable with any other restaurant that I have ever visited. (every waiter was saying thank you for anything… also when I go to the restroom). Did I need that level of attention? No, I would have been just fine without it. I am just glad that no one followed me into the restroom to try to offer me assistance, that would have been a bit awkward. Maybe the main difference was that they were presenting more interesting constructed dishes than usual (great restaurant) and also the price. Would I go to the same three Michelin star restaurant more than once a year once or go several times to Amandus, a fabulous non starred restaurant? I would go to Amandus, but I would love to spoil myself once a year or so with the michelin experience, to try something new and of course the royal treatment is very enjoyable.
Hide in the UK, a one Michelin star had the best breakfast ever. Period. I never thought that Michelin restaurants would serve breakfast. This was an amazing experience and I can safely say that I have never eaten a breakfast this year or any other year that would even come close to what I had that morning. The meal began with a selection of special coffees, (I do not drink coffee but I had to give it a try). French toast to die for, and scrambled eggs that are so airy that I thought that they would fly off of my plate and float like a cloud up into the air. This is the type of breakfast that I would like to repeat many times. So, if I say Michelin breakfast or great restaurant breakfast, I would say Hide Michelin breakfast (in London).
Lithuania has a great range of restaurants. There are many non-starred restaurants that deserve at least one or even two stars. I am happy that our Baltic neighbour Estonia now has two restaurants with Michelin stars.
Noma, another three starred restaurant in Copenhagen, offers meat but it is only predominant during the period of September to December when game season is on. However the main focus is on vegetarian and vegan dishes. When I visited the restaurant, it was vegetable season. So basically I had to try everything that is vegetarian. It was a blast and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If every vegetable dish tasted as it did there, I would become a vegetarian without any hesitation. Sadly, Noma is going to close it regular service at the end of 2024 and become a full time food laboratory, the idea is to recreate the experience with various pop-up restaurants but will be called Noma Projects. If you want to experience some of the worlds finest vegetarian dishes in the original restaurant, you had better book soon.
One of the most unique Michelin restaurants that I have ever visited is the two starred Alchemist Restaurant in Copenhagen. The service is more of a theatrical production with food as the main character. It was something unique and also was one of the longest dining experiences that I have encountered. The average meal takes four to six hours to complete. The food was nothing that I have ever had before and the dishes were all accompanied by thoughts and hidden messages that referenced food, pollution, the impact of environmental issues, and labour. That being said, Alchemist won the best Hospitality (in the world) award in 2023, so apparently that must mean something. If your interest has been piqued, I would say that Alchemist is in a category of its own and cannot be compared to any other restaurant that I have ever been to. There are other restaurants that create experiences through fusion food and use of different chemical elements (all non-harmful) and special effects but I do not think that there is another restaurant that can be compared to the experience that I had at Alchemist. It is truly in its own universe.
In Lithuania there are many non Michelin starred restaurants (that definitely deserved a star or two) that I visited that offer a combination of excellent food and an outstanding dining experience: Amandus, Gastronomika, Pachamama, Narushi, Monai, Lagom Bistro, Toli Nuo Klasikos, Fisheria.
When a star is gained it can just as easily be lost. This often happens if there is a change of chef, for example, the business has been sold or passed from a parent to a child etc. The stress of running a Michelin starred restaurant is obvious, there is always the worry that an inspector is anonymously poking around and the fear of losing stars has led to some scandals in the restaurant business over the years. The environment for the staff is very stressful as they are always wary of a single person booking a table as it could be the dreaded “inspector”.
Though many of these restaurants merit one or more stars, there is often a decision taken to not enter into the Michelin system. It requires a big amount of expenditure so that everything from the furniture, cutlery, china, glasses, wine list, and staffing requirements have made many talented chef’s decide that they would rather just concentrate on making great food that is accessible to more people than the Michelin system would allow. These restaurants create their own ambience and style that makes them unique and is often more attractive to diners. Many of these restaurants though not Michelin starred have their own unique cult following and there is no need for them to become part of the Michelin system. They are already victims of their own success.These restaurants offer food that is often equivalent to the food that is served in Michelin starred restaurants but without the additional constraints. It is possible to show up without a booking and dine.
These restaurants also offer the flexibility of choosing from a set menu or ordering à la carte. The environment is much more relaxed which can contribute to a very enjoyable dining experience.
Just because a restaurant does not have a michelin star does not mean that the food is inferior to its michelin counterparts. Restaurants that do not have Michelin stars often offer more flexibility to diners. For example if you want to only have a main course or a dessert, these establishments are often willing to accommodate your needs. It is a good idea to investigate great restaurants without Michelin stars and why they might be equally worthy of a visit.
If you do not appreciate fine food and its nuances, then going to a Michelin starred restaurant may not be the right choice for you. There are many individuals in society that dine in Michelin restaurants because it is a status symbol and they like the feeling of prestige and satisfaction that comes with taking their friends and colleagues to the most expensive restaurant that is available. Sadly, it is not a sign of their culinary awareness, but an expression of the human ego that has an intrinsic desire to display their fame and wealth to everyone around them. For these individuals the experience is lost on them as they do not go to restaurants with the same expectations that a “foodie” would have.
If you are celebrating a special event and really want to treat yourself and your guests to an extraordinary dining experience then a Michelin starred restaurant is the perfect environment to do this. The staff are delighted to ensure that the special event is celebrated to its fullest and a birthday candle on the dessert of the birthday person is standard procedure. Unlike in non Michelin starred restaurants, there will not be loud singing as the candle arrives at the table but there will be a discreet mention of the occasion at the table.
If you are out for a business lunch or a casual meal then a Michelin starred restaurant may not be the right place for you to be. Michelin starred restaurants are all about the service and if you are trying to conduct business with a client then the continual intrusion of the attentive staff could prove to be an annoyance. Likewise if you are just out for a fun lunch or dinner than a non Michelin starred restaurant that offers comparable food but at a lower price is probably a better option.
Dietary and personal culinary preferences can also play an important role in the decision of choosing either a michelin or non michelin starred restaurant. However, it should be noted that as long as you alert the restaurant to any dietary restrictions that a guest may have, Michelin starred restaurants have stepped up to the challenge and will do everything that they can to accommodate these needs. However if you are just looking for a good steak for example, then a Michelin starred restaurant again is not the right choice.
The price of a Michelin starred meal is not for the faint hearted. You should budget for around 215 euros per person for a two starred and 304 euros for a three starred Michelin restaurant (this does not include any beverages). If you still want the Michelin experience but cannot see the validity of investing so much money then another option is to try a lunch menu which can cost considerably less, however check if your chosen restaurant offers this option as it is not always available.
If you are in a hurry then dining in a Michelin starred restaurant is not the right option for you.Often a non starred restaurant can offer you a faster dining experience while you still have the opportunity to eat excellent food.
What is the value of a Michelin starred restaurant as opposed to a non starred restaurant? A Michelin starred restaurant is all about the experience, not just great food but also the decor and professionalism of the staff. Great non Michelin starred restaurants offer good food but they may not offer the same “experience”. Also if you are looking for a more casual dining experience, (most Michelin restaurants still require gentlemen to wear jackets) and fancy showing up in your favourite T shirt and shorts then do not expect to be allowed into the establishment.
If you want to get just great food with a decent portion then a reputable non Michelin restaurant is a great choice. Most Michelin starred restaurants work either from a shorter set menu of a starter, main course and dessert or a longer tasting menu (degustation menu) that can seven or more courses or more depending on which restaurant that you are visiting. These long degustation menus will have many small dishes that are may two or three bites each with a large main course but not that much bigger.
In conclusion, is it worth going to a Michelin starred restaurant despite its high price tag? If you enjoy food and being pampered then without a doubt, I would say yes. If you love food in its finest form but have never been to a fine dining establishment and want to be treated like royalty then you should have the “experience” at least once in your life. The good news is that there are thousands of Michelin starred restaurants around the world with a vast choice of different styles of cuisine from classic European to exotic Asian or even vegetarian or vegan, you are spoiled for choice. In addition, Michelin chefs like so many other players in the dining industry have embraced the need to cater to different dietary requirements so that food allergies can be accommodated.
So unless you live in a remote area such as Antarctica or the centre of the Sahara desert, there should be a Michelin starred restaurant within a reasonable distance of your home. If you are looking for inspiration of where to go - “Le Guide Michelin '' is still being published 123 years later. You can obtain it either in soft copy or online. Happy hunting and “bon appétit bien sûr”! Remember to avoid disappointment, booking is essential! One last word of advice, lunch is fantastic but if you want the best of the best (and that bit more expensive), then go for dinner.
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