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People who pay attention to the Michelin Guide’s restaurant recommendations and wait eagerly for the new edition can be divided, roughly, into two categories. One is the 'Star Fuckers', who pant after the new list because they want to know who’s one star up, one star down, newly three-starred, or newly de-starred (shame!). They start making their dining-out plans as soon as the list comes out.
The other is the 'Bib Believers', people who look for places that have been awarded a Bib Gourmand (formerly known as a Red M). The Bib Gourmand is given to places officially considered to offer ‘good food at reasonable prices.’
I don’t know about you, but I like the sound of that. Food: good. Prices: reasonable. I’ve been to a few Michelin-starred places where it was more like Food: okay. Prices: disgraceful. I know which combination I prefer. In France, I never look for stars. I always look for Bibs.
The 2016 Guide is launched soon, but Michelin has been dribbling out the Bibs over the last couple of days on Twitter. Of the new ones that they’ve announced, we have praise and sometimes high praise for Blixen and Taberna do Mercado in Spitalfields, and Shikumen in Shepherd’s Bush.
Sure, we pay attention to the stars. And we’ll be updating our listing when they’re announced. But when we’re deciding where to eat, Bibs do the business better.
The new stars have also just been announced a day early! Find them out now by following @MichelinGuideUK.
Feeling fancy? Find a Michelin star restaurant in London.