Shooting
THE publication next month of the 1994 and 21st edition of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland will create both jubilation and disappointment in kitchens up and down the country. Yet, while the stars awarded by the little red book remain among the most sought-after accolades by chefs, there are rumblings throughout the industry that Michelin's views are increasingly out of touch with reality and are ignoring some of the best of the new breed of innovative and popular restaurants.
Alastair Little, chef-proprietor of the eponymous restaurant in Frith Street, London, who has never been awarded a star, recently commented that "it seems terribly, terribly hard to get a star and you have to follow strict criteria. You could run a small, relatively cheap restaurant with superb food and you would not get a star unless you go the whole ‘grande cuisine' route."
His sentiments will strike a chord with many chefs whose restaurants are generally considered to serve some of the country's finest food and whose trade reflects this, but who haven't been recognised as star material by Michelin. Establishments such as the Walnut Tree in Abergavenny and Kensington Place in London are just two such examples.
The critics berate the guide for being mean with its stars, and believe it is because Michelin is controlled by its sister publication in Paris and will only reward restaurants which serve classical French food in salubrious surroundings with yards of linen for serviettes, the finest glasses on the tables and an expensive wine list, dominated by French first-growths. Fripperies such as an extensive selection of canapés and petits fours are noted more than sound, tasty food on the plate, the critics argue.
Yet, despite these constant knockings, Michelin is the guide every chef wants to be recognised by. It is not necessarily because a star will bring in more custom - the closure of Christian Delteil's one-starred restaurant L'Arlequin in Battersea, London, last year, demonstrates this - but, rather it is the recognition that a standard has been achieved which is on a par with the best restaurants in France, traditionally the home of the world's greatest cuisine.
When David Pitchford, chef-proprietor of Read's restaurant in Faversham, Kent, was awarded one star in last year's guide, he received more than 100 letters and telephone calls of congratulations from chefs and other friends within the industry, compared to just one letter on his award of a star in the Egon Ronay guide several years ago.
"I think that goes to show the importance the trade still places on Michelin's judgement," says Pitchford. "Personally I was absolutely delighted - it was the crowning glory. After 17 years it came as a real shock. We made a conscious effort seven or eight years ago to upgrade the restaurant and that was the time that I perhaps expected some recognition. Why it came when it did, I don't know."
Despite the aura of secrecy surrounding Michelin's decision-making process, the guide's editor, Derek Brown, answers the criticisms willingly and openly. Brown joined Michelin in 1971 to prepare for the relaunch of the guide in 1974 (it had previously been published in the UK from 1911 to 1930). "There is most definitely no set formula to winning a star or achieving a certain hotel classification," he says.
"We are not concerned with grading a hotel according to whether the rooms achieve a set square meterage. What we do look out for are those things that any discerning person expects when paying to stay in a hotel or eat in a restaurant - a good welcome; a clean, well-maintained establishment; good-quality furnishings within its standard; well-prepared food; a kitchen that is capable of supporting the type of menu on offer; a comfortable bed; and value for money."
Only 10% of the 1,200 restaurants in the guide receive any kind of award - whether a star or a red M (given to restaurants serving less elaborate, but well-prepared meals). Yet Brown recognises that the largest amount of public and trade interest centres on the award winners. He suggests Michelin stars are revered because the guide has not "devalued the currency".
"Chefs only aspire to a star because they are worth having and we assure them that they are worth having by awarding them only to restaurants where the cooking is found to be consistently well above average. There are several restaurants which we regret we can't give a star to because, although we know they are capable of cooking star-quality food, they don't do it consistently for every dish, day in, day out."
Brown denies the British guide, which annually sells around 80,000 copies worldwide, is controlled by the French and that only restaurants which adhere to French classical cooking receive stars.
"There are in fact more Chinese restaurants in the guide than there are restaurants of any other ethnic background," he says. "And the restaurants that have stars owe just as much to modern British cooking, with influences from as far afield as Italy, the Middle East and Asia, as they do to France."
The argument that it is more difficult for a restaurant in Britain to achieve a star than in any of its European counterparts is also refuted by Brown. While he recognises that fewer British restaurants have stars than France, Italy, or even Germany, he suggests that this is because there are fewer restaurants in Britain than the other countries for the inspectors to visit. "On the Continent, there is some degree of restaurants being awarded a single star for serving good, classic, regional food; something which we can't do here as there is not much regional cooking going on," he says.
But restaurants serving high-quality food in simple surroundings are rewarded with stars, despite popular belief to the contrary. Brown points to Chez Nous in Plymouth as a prime example of such a restaurant, which he describes as "the archetypal French bistro in England, with wine posters on the wall and the menu chalked up on a blackboard, cooking extremely good food".
"We certainly don't just look at glitzy restaurants as potential star material - in fact, very few of our starred restaurants are even in the top level of comfort classi-fication," he says. The guide works very hard at judging each establishment on its own merits and does notexpect the same standard of finesse in the food servedin a brasserie and a five-star hotel, which willalmost always have more support, in terms ofstaff and finances, to create something extra special.
But, what about the charge that Michelin is out of touch? Brown, perhaps rather surprisingly, admits this is fair criticism. "We follow trends, but not necessarily what is trendy," he says.
"London is becoming more and more like New York, in the respect that certain restaurants are darlings of the media for six months and then they change their style. We are very wary of such places as we can never be sure of exactly what they are going to be offering tomorrow."
However, Brown points out that Michelin has recognised the way many restaurants have responded to the recession by putting together more cost-sensitive menus and replacing refined, complicated dishes with more robust, hearty offerings. "So long as such restaurants consistently produce cooking of a high standard, then we will reward them with stars - and we have done to establishments like the Castle in Taunton, where the food now is more robust than it's ever been; Plas Bodegroes in Pwllheli; and Old Beams in Waterhouses, Staffordshire."
But Brown admits that a restaurant previously serving a fish dish with a well-reduced velouté sauce would be unlikely to retain its star if it served the same type of fish, simply grilled and unadorned. "What we are looking for in starred restaurants is gastronomy," he says. "It is not a necessity for canapés and petits fours to be served, but if they are they have got to be fresh - as has the bread and butter, and the wine list should be as good as the menu."
All stars are up for grabs each year - it is just as hard to retain a star as it is to win one in the first place. The decision on exactly who wins what is made at the last possible moment before the guide goes to press at the end of November, for publication in late January.
Just which chefs and restaurateurs will be jubilant and which will be disappointed by the contents of the 21st guide? Brown will tantalisingly say no more other than that there will be "a lot of changes". o
