After the long anticipation, Michelin, the French-born tire company whose city guides with the signature red cover have been worshipped among globetrotting foodies as trustworthy bibles, has finally launched its first Bangkok edition today (6 Dec) with 98 restaurants mentioned within the guide—17 of which are awarded stars.
With no three-stars giving out to any restaurants in the debut announcement, Gaggan, the hyped molecular Indian eatery by Chef Gaggan Anand; Le Normandie, Mandarin Oriental’s fine-dining restaurant praised for exceptional French cuisine and Mezzaluna, the sky-high European restaurant at Lebua Hotel, are crowned with the prestigious two stars award.
While the usual list mainly consists of Japanese and French restaurants, Michelin Guide Bangkok boasts the high congestion of Thai restaurants clustered with one-star awards, including Bo.lan, Chim by Siam Wisdom, Nahm, Paste, Saneh Jaan, and Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin. One of Bangkok’s most expensive street food joints Jae Fai where the owner Jae Fai works up seafood-studded comfort fare are also awarded a one-star.
Other restaurants like chef Thitid Tassanakajohn's casual eatery Baan; Baannai, a Thai restaurant in Samsen known for serving rare-found dishes; and Jay Oh, a local eatery serving gourmet instant noodle soups, are listed in Bib Gourmand which is granted to restaurants offering good-valued meal with low-priced tag. Some of Time Out favorites like 80/20, Somtam Der and Il Fumo are appeared in Michelin Plate which indicates "restaurants where the inspectors have discovered quality food".
Thailand is the 30th country in the world to have a self-titled Michelin Guide, one of the world’s most respected dining guides, known for star ratings given by “anonymous” inspectors following five criteria: (1) quality of ingredients (2) mastery of cooking methods and flavors (3) chef’s personality (4) value for money and (5) consistency. The first year puts a focus on Bangkok restaurants, with an expansion to other major cities later on.
Here is the complete list of the restaurants with stars.
Two stars: outstanding dishes that are worth a detour
One star: high-standard restaurant
Bo.lan
Chim by Siam Wisdom
Elements
Ginza Sushi Ichi
J’aime by Jean-Michel Lorain
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Nahm
Paste
Saneh Jaan
Savelberg
Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin
Sühring
Upstairs at Mikkeller
Jae Fai