Food and Drink
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Michelin loss for Ramsey
Thursday’s 2010 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland has been well leaked by now. Though I haven’t found anywhere with a proper conclusive list, the news that Paul Kitching, an Edinburgh-based chef received a copy of the guide from Amazon by mistake last week, only goes to highlight that names are out there.
I had previously read last week that some names had been leaked anyway. There are a few pieces of big news – the first is that we here in the North will continue to have a single Michelin star for Michael Deane’s restaurant (which is currently closed because of burst pipes). Whether or not the 2011 guide will contain a star for the North is something I think is open for debate.
The rumours are that Mr Deane may not be so concerned with gaining the star again. Instead Deane’s may go back to the its brasserie style rather than the split of ultra fine dining and all the rest. I’d imagine in these tough times, it would make more sense. When asked about this, he told us: “We are exploring a number of options for changing the style of food and the décor and giving Belfast something exciting and new for 2010″.
The other big news is that the man who has had botox on advice from Simon Cowell – that’s Gordon Ramsey to you and me – has lost the star that he had at the London hotel, Claridge’s (above). That’s big news for Gordo, whose empire has been rocked with lots of negative press in the last year.
He has, however, retained his three-star status in his Chelsea restaurant (one of only four restaurants to gain three stars).
I’m very interested in the North’s ability to gain stars. It’s disappointing that we currently have only one. Though whether we deserve another is up for debate. Now that Paul Rankin is back working his socks off in the Cayenne kitchen, maybe we’ll see them have a better chance next time around.
Is there anyone you think deserves a star in the North?
12 Responses to “Michelin loss for Ramsey”
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Anonymous said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 16:59
Interesting article, John. I honestly couldn’t say who deserves a star here, if any; because I haven’t tried enough of them to judge!
I dined at the Ivy and the Wolseley in London last week and, though there ought to be establishments here which could equal them in a culinary sense, the standards of service were probably on another level ( though you automatically pay 12.5% service charge, which I didn’t mind due to the very good service).
I think many very good establishments here lack the requisite ambition and assiduousness for one Star or more. We clearly have the best natural ingredients and potentially good staff, who could be trained appropriately in excellent customer service.
Why not?
2BiT said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:02
To be honest the whole ‘Star’ thing kinda turns me off a restaurant…it’s a wholly unnecessary level of falutin an fanciness that I find _detracts_ from the dining experience. The quality of the food seems to actually be a relatively small part of what it takes to get a star, with service and facilities disproportionately important.
Having eaten in Deanes I found the experience to be quite unsatisfactory. Not through any fault with the food (which was…y’know, nice…but not earth shatteringly good) but the whole atmosphere was over the top and actually intimidating…needlessly hovering waiting staff, wine bottle whisked from the table and only returned when the staff judged we were due for a top up…flat out _refusal_ to serve a coffee with dessert (customer is always right? not at Deanes it seems!) and a stereotypical snooty French maitre’d. It didn’t make for a comfortable or enjoyable meal and (IMO) certainly didn’t justify the price.
Now Mr Deane obviously knows the business (and I’ve enjoyed many great meals at his other establishments) and I wonder if he too is jaded with the ‘box ticking’ requirements that come along with the quest for a ’star’. Surely delivering a great experience for the diners is the most important consideration…and I think the Star can sometimes get in the way of this.
John Ferris said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:02
You’re right, it’s hard to think if anyone deserves a star. I’ve eaten in many places in Belfast and I’m not sure there’s anyone out there who does deserve one. I ate in Deane’s two years ago (I think), and Michael himself was in the kitchen upstairs for an event I was at. The service there was superb compared to most places in Belfast. Unfortunately, we have the produce and I think we have enough decent chefs, but I’m not sure our commitment to top quality service is there to warrant a Michelin star.
Tim said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:03
Sorry, John, that comment above is mine. Forgot to sign in!
John Ferris said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:08
Thought so Tim! 2BiT you seemed to write your comment at the exact same time as me! That’s an interesting point. I have just finished Jay Rayner’s book which he ends with a trip to France to eat for seven days on the trot in seven three-michelin starred restaurants. The results were very interesting. I think from memory he had two meals out of seven that he was happy with. Not great for a combination of 21 Michelin stars. I think there’s a place for the Michelin star system but I’ve a feeling the whole process needs an overhaul. Rayner suggests in his book that there are some restaurants that the Michelin Guide will always give stars to whatever they do because they’re institutions and they’d be frightened not to.
Tim said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:33
If there were a “heavyweight” restaurant critic here (not in the obese sense!), travelling the length and breadth of the land, they ought to be in a position to judge. There used to be someone who wrote articles for the Ulster Tatler; though I felt they weren’t critical enough – too nice. I sometimes wondered whether they got the odd free meal!
John Ferris said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:54
Ha ha, well if someone wants to fund it, I’ll take the job Tim. I’ve always said that’s the problem with the North – the only papers that do reviews do so on a basis, generally, of different people doing it, and a lot of times freebies are included. No one here has the budget to a) pay a wage to someone just to review restaurants and b) pay the bills for those dinners. Maybe, we, the media, need to take some responsibility – a ‘heavyweight’ critic as you say Tim on the beat here would certainly put a little oomph into the step of chefs…
2BiT said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 18:24
I guess the Michelin Guide is useful for a certain ‘type’ of restaurant or customer…but I would say that they only represent 1 or 2 % of the potential market (if even).
I know I’d never consult it if I were looking for somewhere to eat!
I also think that it’s purpose has changed over the years…from being a road trip guide to places you can get a decent meal to being a guide to ‘elite’ restaurants (with all the elitism that goes with them). Sure it’s useful to have some benchmark of restaurant quality but as you point out the current system is flawed (and perhaps not all that useful to the ‘average’ restaurant-goer…tho I guess their other guides fill that role).
This was an interesting article:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/11/23/091123fa_fact_colapinto?currentPage=1
John Ferris said on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 18:31
Elitism does spring to mind when the Michelin Guide is mentioned now. I guess that’s partly due to some 3-star places costing €400+ per person. I don’t like restaurants (whether with Michelin stars or without) where staff are hovering over your shoulder. Though I did read somewhere about the ratio of staff to customers being quite high to obtain stars. There are, I guess, some who do it better than others. I don’t think I’ve ever went to a restaurant simply because it had Michelin stars. I would like to experience a three-star simply to see whether I believe it’s worth the money or not.
303 said on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 13:12
would say that brights cafe in the town would deserve a mich star alright…! lovely grub!!!
John Ferris said on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 13:13
Ha ha 303, showing the true class of a Liverpool supporter
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