That sudden gust of air you felt around November 17th was the result of the entire nation of France collectively gasping for air. On that day the press broke the news that Tokyo had topped Paris in the number of the coveted 3-star restaurants. Should we care? Will this have bigger results?
Granted Tokyo just barely edged out Paris in the top category. With 11 three-star restaurants to Paris’ 10 it’s not a wide margin of victory… but the total numbers – 11 three-star, 42 two-star and 144 one-star restaurants is three times the total number of awards that Paris has. Paris has 10 3-star restaurants., 42 two-star and 144 one-star restaurants.
If I were more cynical I might point out that at 160,000 restaurants in the city, Tokyo has 4 times the total number of restaurants than Paris. I also might point out that when the guide was launched in Tokyo in 2007 a vast majority of chefs and other culinary figures in the country were offended at the notion of French folks reviewing their food. Skip ahead to the 2010 guide and all the reviewers are Japanese and suddenly everyone’s happy… and the guide finally shakes off it’s image of overly touting French restaurants and takes a solid step onto the modern world stage.
But I like to think of this as a solid win for the Japanese. Their attention to detail and obsession with food is apparent from your first meal in the country… their fast food chains have style and refinement not found in most American “sit down” restaurants. Our time in Japan was astounding. I could live the rest of my life in the country exploring it’s food, cities, and country side and still not fully appreciate all it has to offer. My meal of live Abalone and Tuna jaw will stay with me the rest of my life…
Congratulations to the restaurants of Japan for finally getting the recognition they deserve on the world stage. Japanese cuisine is so much more than sushi and Benihana and it’s about time the world stood up and took note.
Paul
No related posts.
Follow on Twitter
In your RSS reader
Or get posts in your inbox!
2 comments
Fipile says:
Dec 5, 2009
Nice tribute to Japan culinary scene.
Having lived in Paris (I am partially French), Tokyo and now living in Singapore, I can only add that the quality of the produce one can get in Tokyo/Japan is just amazing and contributes immensely to the richness of Japanese cuisine. That usually comes at a price, but the average teishoku in Japan is a bang for the money compared with what you can get elsewhere for the same range.
Japanese people are what you can really call foodies, travelling across Japan to sample each region specialties or famous restaurants in a way I have never seen anywhere else.
To me, Tokyo is the world capital of gastronomy, without doubt.
Teyandei Izakaya – Tokyo, Japan says:
Sep 5, 2011
[...] down, favourite restaurant in Tokyo. Bear in mind, this is no small remark considering all the Michelin-starred dining experiences available in Tokyo. We went with a local who also knew Teyandei well and speaks [...]