Michelin Star Food

staker

Just following Professional Masterchef on BBC got me wondering what the general consensus on Michelin Star dining is?
Over-rated? Too expensive? Over-hyped?
I've never eaten in one but would like to at least once.

kylith

I've never eaten anywhere with a Michelin star but it seems to me to be overhyped. For one thing I've never understood the obsession with 'presentation', it seems to me that it's another word for 'not enough on the plate'.

Feckin' 'cuisine', give me a plate of 'food' anyday.

johnnycee66

I've eaten in a few, both here and in France, and the experience is worthwhile. Yes, it can be rarified and hideously expensive, but to see and experience that level of attention to and passion for food can be amazing. Given that we feast with a number of senses, the experience is a broad one. It can be full of pretention and status, but if you enjoy your food and cooking, and enjoy the visuals of well-presented cookbooks and articles on food, then you will enjoy the "real" experience of having that level of expertise translated to your plate (in my humble opinion lol!!!!!)

Eradicate

Are there any michelens in |Ireland??

duckworth

Eradicate wrote: »

Are there any michelens in |Ireland??

Patrick Guilbaud's is the only one with 2 stars.

Thorntons used to have two, but lost one a few years ago.

Chapter One, L'Ecrivain, Bon Appetite and the Cliff House Hotel all have 1 star.

There's a couple more up North too.

As to the original question - I'm a bit biased, in that I really love this kind of food. I know it's very expensive, but I think it's worth it for the skill and time put into the preparation of the food.

Abroad, it tends to be much cheaper. I ate in a restaurant in Spain with a star, and the 7 -course tasting menu was only €40 - that's about half of Chapter Ones and probably a quarter of Guilbaud's.

Sometimes you come across something that blows your mind, and you remember it for the rest of your life (at least I do anyway).

johnnycee66

Guilbauds, L'Ecrivain, Chapter One and Bon Appetit (not sure if it still has its star, presume so) in Dublin, Cliff house in Waterford, Deanes in Belfast are the ones I know. There may be others.

YIA

A few.
Chapter 1
Patrick Gibo's (not correct spelling)
one or two up north as well.

johnnysexsmith

I've eaten in all of the starred resturants in Ireland a couple in London and a few in the south of France

It is expensive but as the poster above said to experience the attention to detail and love of good ingredients is something special

Remember you don't have to spend a fortune on tasting menus or dinner. Lunch in Guilbaud's is less then €40 per person!

Shenshen

staker wrote: »

Just following Professional Masterchef on BBC got me wondering what the general consensus on Michelin Star dining is?
Over-rated? Too expensive? Over-hyped?
I've never eaten in one but would like to at least once.

Had it once.
It's more than just the food, it's a whole experience around it, with everything tweaked and pinched to absolute perfection. I think you have to be highly anal to want to cook it, and you have to be willing to splash out a fortune to eat it, so I do understand why to most people it's just over-the-top overpriced nonsense.

It's a bit like opera... if you like it, it's an incredible sensual experience. If you don't, it's ridiculous and annoying.

Curry Addict

ive eaten in a few and overall it is worth it for the experience in general. sometimes u will get food that doesnt work for your particular taste but
usually u will get something that blows u away either the starter or main
course.
as others have already said there are cheap ways to do it, especially in the current economic climate.
I had a particularly good experience in Benares Indian resturant in london, as an indian food lover, it blew me away as its a few levels better than the best here, an an experience of a lifetime.

staker

Shenshen wrote: »

Had it once.

It's a bit like opera... if you like it, it's an incredible sensual experience. If you don't, it's ridiculous and annoying.

That's a good way of putting it.

duckworth wrote: »

Abroad, it tends to be much cheaper. I ate in a restaurant in Spain with a star, and the 7 -course tasting menu was only €40 - that's about half of Chapter Ones and probably a quarter of Guilbaud's.

Where in Spain? Just I was thinking of going to Madrid in January...

kylith wrote: »

I've never eaten anywhere with a Michelin star but it seems to me to be overhyped. For one thing I've never understood the obsession with 'presentation', it seems to me that it's another word for 'not enough on the plate'.

Feckin' 'cuisine', give me a plate of 'food' anyday.

I'm of that train of thought usually too, but the way Michael Roux whips up those dishes and Greg's desert groans just make me want to taste it once:)

duckworth

staker wrote: »

Where in Spain? Just I was thinking of going to Madrid in January...

It was down the south of Spain, in Andalucia - it's nowhere near Madrid unfortunately. However, Spain is the probably the real cutting edge of the food world at the moment - up north is particularly good, but if you're going to Madrid I'd imagine you'd find plenty of reasonable Michelin-starred places. Egullet forums are a good place to check for the food scene in any place.

Just a note - they eat weird and wonderful things in Spain - it might not be to everyones taste. On the three times I've been in the restaurant I mentioned above I was served - Strawberry Gazpacho, Cuttlefish with the ink still in it, Raw Sardines, Raw Oysters, garlic soup with grapes in it, and even chicken breast cooked rare(Although judging by other diners' reactions this was unusual even for the south of Spain)

It's a foodie's dream, but I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like it.

event

Ate in Chapter One, was the best place ive eaten in in Ireland.

Ate in Gary Danko's in San Francisco, it was bloody amazing, maybe the best place ive eaten. Experience alone was incredible

catho_monster

Lunch in Thornton's is 25quid, for that price its surely worth a try? I have tried it and I do love it.
Early bird in Chapter One is likewise cheap for what you get, and there is no fear of not being fed enough there. It is total comfort food.

Seaneh

In Ireland they are over priced, but everything in this country is over priced when compared to other European countries.

I've eaten in 4 of the 5 restaurants in the republic with stars and tbh it's bloody good food but about 50% more expensive than the same level in London.

Tasting menu in Thorntons is €125 + wine (cheapest wine is €41 per bottle so thats €145.50 per person).

Tasting menu is Lindsay House (now closed) was £104 including wine (our wine was priced on the menu at £38).


So Thorntons rougly £23 more per person than Lindsey house was. And Lindsey house was one of the pricier starred restaurants in the Soho/Covent Garden area.



If you can afford it, it's worth it, but if you're struggling to be able to afford to eat out more than once in a while at normal rates, I don't think it's worth the sacrifice you'd have to make.



Before anyone points out that the tasting menu in RPG is somehting like €80 per head, thats a 4 course menu, both Thorntons and Lindsay house had 8 courses.

southsiderosie

+1 big time for Spain. However, I'd bypass Madrid; get thee to the Basque Country. And I'm saying this as a former resident of Madrid and a current resident of Bilbao (nom nom nom). :P

Caros

My partner and I had our first Michelin star experience this past week in Sorrento, Italy and I can honestly say the €250 we paid for 2 tasting menus and 2 bottles of wine and 2 espressos was worth every cent. The service, the presentation, the food was sublime.

unkel

Haven't been to any of the newly Michelin starred restaurants, I'm afraid. Of the older ones Thorntons is my one and only favourite. Some restaurants like GB are run to perfection, better than a superbly designed V8 engine. The best food in Ireland is served in Thorntons though imho.

And did I mention that the 3 course lunch menu has been €25 for about a year now? The best food in Ireland for an incredibly low price.

congress3

Seaneh wrote: »

In Ireland they are over priced, but everything in this country is over priced when compared to other European countries.

I've eaten in 4 of the 5 restaurants in the republic with stars and tbh it's bloody good food but about 50% more expensive than the same level in London.

Tasting menu in Thorntons is €125 + wine (cheapest wine is €41 per bottle so thats €145.50 per person).

Tasting menu is Lindsay House (now closed) was £104 including wine (our wine was priced on the menu at £38).


So Thorntons rougly £23 more per person than Lindsey house was. And Lindsey house was one of the pricier starred restaurants in the Soho/Covent Garden area.



If you can afford it, it's worth it, but if you're struggling to be able to afford to eat out more than once in a while at normal rates, I don't think it's worth the sacrifice you'd have to make.



Before anyone points out that the tasting menu in RPG is somehting like €80 per head, thats a 4 course menu, both Thorntons and Lindsay house had 8 courses.

But the Lindsey house price's were in sterling which overall probably worked out the same or even more expensive than Thornton's

staker

southsiderosie wrote: »

+1 big time for Spain.

Just looking at the S Pellegrino top 100 resteraunts in the world,3 out of the top 5 are spanish,9 in top 100 overall.
The Cliff House Hotel, which would be nearest to me,looks priced ok in that 3 courses with wines costs about €100.With that we'd have to stay the night, which is where it gets too dear for my pockets.
I wouldn't mind but I've holidayed 4 times in Spain in the last 3 years and never thought of this, darn BBC has a lot to answer for!!!

Eviledna

I was lucky enough to be taken to a 3 Michelin Star restaurant, the famous Daniel in NYC. It was, by far, the most exquisite, amazing and memorable meal of my life.

It was Valentine's day 2007 and the OH had booked it months in advance. The meal was set, suggested for Him and for her. A tasting menu of 8 courses, it was just so gorgeous, each meal was like eating art, the flavours, colours. I tried oysters, lobster, carpachio, habachi, caviar, gold leaf, truffle and rare filet mignon all for the first time, all in one meal. It was unbelievable. I'll never forget the madelines, freshly baked and orange-blossom scented. There was no fuss, no liquid nitrogen, just brilliant food, presented in an awe-inspiring way. We had a waiter each, and they synchronised their serving.

It was, without a doubt, the most amazing restaurant I have ever been, or probably ever will be in.

They even gave you a sumptious lemon cake to go home with. I remember the snow on the ground outside and the feeling of being rich for a day at the young age of 24. It was the most romantic night of my life.

The must have been the most expensive poos of my life the next day also!

Seaneh

congress3 wrote: »

But the Lindsey house price's were in sterling which overall probably worked out the same or even more expensive than Thornton's

I factored in the currency difference.
The difference in € would be about €26 per person.

Total cost for 2 people for 8 course tasting menu (including wine) in Lindsay hosue would be about €235.
Total cost for 2 people for 8 course tasting menu (including wine) in thorntons would be about €290.

Mellor

Seaneh wrote: »

I factored in the currency difference.
The difference in € would be about €26 per person.

Total cost for 2 people for 8 course tasting menu (including wine) in Lindsay hosue would be about €235.
Total cost for 2 people for 8 course tasting menu (including wine) in thorntons would be about €290.

There is a place in hong Kong, that has a star.
it was opened by the chef from one of the top class hotels nearby, it was slow at the hotel so he wanted his own place I think.

Anyway, described as the best value food in the world. The prices range from about 1-5 euro for various noodle, pork bun, dim sim type dishes

Beruthiel

staker wrote: »

Just following Professional Masterchef on BBC got me wondering what the general consensus on Michelin Star dining is?
Over-rated? Too expensive? Over-hyped?
I've never eaten in one but would like to at least once.

I will never forget my first dining experience in a Michelin Star restaurant many years ago.
The Arzak restaurant in San Sebastian, the Basque region of Spain.
Until then, I never knew that food could taste like that!
Juan Mari Arzak is a god. A rock star. A genius!
His talent when combining flavours brings your taste buds to a whole new level.
It's thanks to him that I now have great expectations when going to a restaurant. I plan my holidays around a michelin star restaurant. I have found that some are better than others and that it really is all down to that one man in the kitchen.

I went to Patrick Guilbaud once and found him over rated for the price he charges.
My three top restaurants in Ireland are:
Chapter One.
L'Ecrivain.
The Cliff House Hotel (in Waterford)

Shenshen

This thread had got me thinking about treating myself to a Michelin Start meal again...

And then I had a look at their sample menus, and as usual there are no vegetarian options at all (apart from two starters)

the beer revolu

Shenshen wrote: »

This thread had got me thinking about treating myself to a Michelin Start meal again...

And then I had a look at their sample menus, and as usual there are no vegetarian options at all (apart from two starters)

Contact the restaurant you're interested in - they might do a set vegie menu for you

Shenshen

the beer revolu wrote: »

Contact the restaurant you're interested in - they might do a set vegie menu for you

I'm afraid I don't trust them enough for that...
I know it sounds silly, they would probably do all right, but on the few occasions when I had to do that with other restaurants in the past, the result was incredibly poor indeed... and on more than one occasion more expensive than anything on the regular menu.

Ah well... I'll have to stick with Cafe Paradiso, or go abroad I guess

Sparks

I've eaten in Guilbauds, but to be honest, the food on the tasting menu in Jacob's Ladder was more interesting. The food in Guilbauds was definitely absolutely top level, but it was a dinner, rather than a tasting menu, if you know what I mean. The level of service was very high, though to be honest, it was a bit too high for me personally. Having two waiters assigned to your table while you eat (and having eight or nine descend on the table to lay out the meal at serving time) was just a bit... creepy.

I've avoided L'Ecrivain after my father had to send back a meal as inedible there once (yes, around christmas time, but it's L'Ecrivain for flip's sake). Chapter One is still on the list and I missed out on Mint.

Still though - that tasting menu in Jacobs Ladder was better food than I've ever eaten anywhere in Ireland, ever; and I've eaten in non-michelin star restaurants in Vienna (Novelli) and Geneva (Perle du lac) and other places which had better food than in Guilbauds. So the Michelin star - while it means you're definitely going to have a wonderful meal - doesn't mean you're going to have the greatest meal of your life, ever...


(and hell, every so often I *need* to go somewhere like acapulco's and the michelin star can feic off Good meals aren't always about technical proficiency, sometimes it's just what you want to eat and who you want to eat with...)

nompere

Shenshen wrote: »

Ah well... I'll have to stick with Cafe Paradiso, or go abroad I guess

I'm a committed omnivore, with a liking for plenty of blood oozing out of my meat, and I'm firmly of the view that Cafe Paradiso is just about my favourite restaurant in Ireland.

In France I've tried a couple of starred restaurants close to the Loire, and been amazed by the food on the tasting menus. I've also been appalled by the mark-ups applied to wine. That took a lot of the good out of the food experience.

Too many times in and around Saumur I've seen wines on restaurant lists at around 5 times the retail price in the local supermarket. It makes some of our local restaurants look quite philanthropic in their pricing of wine!

P. Breathnach

nompere wrote: »

I'm a committed omnivore, with a liking for plenty of blood oozing out of my meat, and I'm firmly of the view that Cafe Paradiso is just about my favourite restaurant in Ireland.

It's remarkable that a vegetarian restaurant appeals to so many carnivores. I'm another who regards it as a must whenever I am in Cork.

In France I've tried a couple of starred restaurants close to the Loire, and been amazed by the food on the tasting menus. I've also been appalled by the mark-ups applied to wine. That took a lot of the good out of the food experience.

Too many times in and around Saumur I've seen wines on restaurant lists at around 5 times the retail price in the local supermarket. It makes some of our local restaurants look quite philanthropic in their pricing of wine!

Measure the markup in absolute rather than relative terms. The local supermarket at Saumur will sell you quite decent wine at about €8, of a quality for which you would pay about €15-20 here.

I'm not completely sold on Michelin. There are things that their inspectors seem to value for which I have little regard, particularly an approach to presentation that I think OTT. For me "cheffiness" is a term of disdain (except when applied to food I cook and serve, when it is a joke).

nompere

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Measure the markup in absolute rather than relative terms. The local supermarket at Saumur will sell you quite decent wine at about €8, of a quality for which you would pay about €15-20 here.

A bottle (a perfectly good one) of Saumur Champigny, that Intermarche had for €3.00 was being sold for €15.00 in the town. That wasn't a starred establishment. Twice, in consecutive years, a good, but not remarkable Sancerre (not completely local) in different starred establishments cost €50.

Of course it's possible to eat and drink in French restaurants at reasonable prices, but I have often felt that they were taking the piss with wine prices.