Top photo credit: The Shanghai Kid
The first mainland Michelin Guide arrived in Shanghai last Wednesday, dishing out 35 stars to 26 restaurants in total. While these are certainly small numbers considering that Shanghai is roughly seven times the size of Hong Kong, this is nonetheless a symbolic moment for the city and even the country’s dining scene as it marks its first step into the international spotlight.
But there’s still a long way to go it seems, both for the guide and for the dining industry in Shanghai. Among the 26 restaurants, only T’ang Court in The Langham, Shanghai attained the top accolade of three stars. The guide also appears to include only restaurants in the highest end of the price spectrum, with the single anomaly being Canton 8, which acquired two stars, now being called the world’s cheapest two-Michelin-starred restaurant for serving up dim sum costing as low as 45RMB (around HK$53) and lunch for as little as 48RMB (around HK$56).
It was also just announced that Taian Table, one of the 18 restaurants to have netted one coveted star, has closed just one day after being awarded. It was reported that the restaurant did not have the necessary licences, one of the reasons attributed to its location inside a residential building. The owner has since decided to relocate, while Michelin have responded by saying that the awards are based solely on food and not on operations.
A total of 26 restaurants is hardly representative of the rich and diverse culinary treasure that is mainland China. We hope to see a further reach and depth, but that is contingent upon the restaurant industry and relevant government departments in China making sure restaurants meet strict standards for public health protection (like having the most basic paperwork to operate as a restaurant to begin with).
The full list of the 2017 Michelin Guide Shanghai starred restaurants is as below:
Three stars
T’ang Court
Two stars
8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana
Canton 8
Imperial Treasure
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Ultraviolet
Yi Long Court
Yong Foo Elite
One star
Da Dong (IAPM)
Da Dong (Park Place)
Fu He Hui
Jade Mansion
Jin Xuan
Kanpai Classic
Lao Zheng Xing
Le Patio & La Famille
Lei Garden (IAPM)
Lei Garden (IFC)
Madam Goose (Xinzhuang)
Phénix
Seventh Son (Kerry Centre)
Shang-High
Sir Elly’s
Taian Table
Xin Rong Ji (Shanghai Plaza)
Yong Yi Ting
