Critics dispute Michelin regard for Tokyo food

Tuesday 26th August, 07:47 AM JST

By Eric Talmadge

TOKYO —

Paris might still be good if you’ve got a big wad of cash and want the best of the best. But Tokyo is really where it’s at food-wise, at least according to the French people who keep track of these things.

When the venerable Michelin guide came out with its first Tokyo edition, it was so full of praise that it almost read like a press release for the Japan Restaurant Association. Its conclusion — Tokyo is the culinary capital of the world.

But is it, really?

Here’s a Michelin morsel:

“Tokyo is a shining star in the world of cuisine,” Michelin Guides Director Jean-Luc Naret said shortly after its Tokyo edition came out last November. “We found the city’s restaurants to be excellent, featuring the best ingredients, culinary talents and a tradition passed on from generation to generation and refined by today’s chefs.”

Michelin’s Tokyo guide awarded a whopping 191 stars to 150 restaurants in the Japanese capital, the most number of stars awarded in any city. Previously, Paris had the most stars, at 65. Eight restaurants in Tokyo — three French, two sushi bars and three traditional Japanese — received Michelin’s highest three-star rating.

Paris can still claim to have the most top-rated restaurants — with 10. New York has just three.

The announcement was a godsend for Japan, which has been trying for years to put a shine on a tourist industry muted by the country’s notoriously high prices and a powerful lineup of rival attractions just beyond its shores — such as the fabled shopping districts of Hong Kong, the beaches of Thailand, and the rapid rise of Shanghai as one of Asia’s most interesting cityscapes.

Treated as front-page news and trumpeted on TV broadcasts, Michelin’s glowing review was also seen as confirmation of the value of something that the Japanese have long seen as a source of national pride — their mastery of sushi, raw fish and all the other famously subtle elements of Japan’s indigenous cuisine.

The guide sold 120,000 copies in just three days.

It was a hard-won honor for Tokyo.

A team of three undercover European and two Japanese inspectors spent a year and a half visiting 1,500 of Tokyo’s estimated 160,000 restaurants to decide on the ratings, according to Michelin. The guidebook series rates restaurants on excellence in cooking, service, decor and upkeep.

But the Michelin hype has met with a great deal of skepticism — especially from other reviewers.

One particularly controversial pick was a sushi bar that — though on just about everybody’s list for quality — is located in a basement, is cramped even by Tokyo standards and shares its restroom with other tenants. Ambiance, it would seem, is pretty subjective.

Some of Michelin’s competitors say there are bigger problems with Michelin’s whole premise. Why, for example, are so many French restaurants at the top of the Tokyo list? Why no Chinese, no Italian, no palaces of tofu?

“There are a lot of great cities in the world,” Tim Zagat, founder of the Zagat guides, told The Associated Press. “Tokyo is an exciting place to eat. But Paris is an exciting place to eat. So is Rome.”

The question, he says, is whether Tokyo is better.

“I don’t think it is helpful to make that kind of statement,” Zagat said. “Tokyo has the best Japanese food in the world. But it is nowhere near as diverse as other cities.”

There is no doubt Tokyo — the land of the Iron Chef — has an exceptionally well-developed restaurant scene.

Zagat said the reasons are many — not least of which being the fact that the Japanese like good food, they have money to spend on it and their native cuisine is highly refined and places a very strong emphasis on tradition, freshness and the natural balance of ingredients.

Another reason, however, is that dining in is often not an option, especially for business-related meals. Homes continue to be relatively small and cramped, and getting there often involves a long commute for all. Thus, restaurants have thrived, from the neighborhood bar to the whole areas of town that are built around after-hours entertaining.

Yasuo Terui, the editor of “Tokyo Ii Mise, Umai Mise (Tokyo Good Restaurant, Delicious Restaurant)” whose first edition went on sale in 1967, was also critical of Michelin, saying that it only scratched the surface of what there is to be had in Tokyo.

“I don’t think Michelin knows anything about Japan,” he said.

But he basically agreed with the rating of Tokyo as the world’s best place to eat.

“I think we can call it the culinary capital of the world,” he said. “If you try any cuisine, it’s hard to go wrong in Tokyo.”

Terui said part of the secret of Tokyo’s success is that many of emerging Japanese chefs have studied Italian, French, Chinese and other international cuisines all over the world, and are trying to be creative by adding to them a fusion of Japanese tradition.

He added, however, that guides have limitations — some good places are bound to be overlooked.

“You can find many places that are not publicized at all but are still good, especially when you are traveling rural Europe,” he said. “I’m sure it’s similar in Japan, too.”

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AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

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If You Go…

According to the Michelin Guides, Tokyo is the world’s capital of good food. Of course, not everybody agrees. But when the lists come out, there are a few places that just seem to please everybody. Here are three that got Michelin’s highest ranking, three stars, and also tend to get the nod in other lists as well. Dinner prices can range from $180-$280.

L’OSIER: 7-5-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, phone 011-81-3-3571-6050, http://www.shiseido.co.jp/e/losier/htmlver/index.htm. French food in Tokyo’s swanky Ginza shopping and nightlife area under French chef Bruno Menard. Claims to be “More French than France.” Ambiance is a mix of Japonism, art deco and 20th century French painters.

HAMADAYA: 3-13-5 Ningyo-cho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, phone 011-81-3-3661-5940, http://www.hamadaya.info/pc/english. Very Japanese. Meals may or may not include the services of geisha, depending on what kind of a dining experience the customer is looking for. Food is elegant classical Japanese cuisine, with a strong emphasis on seasonal elements, the finest ingredients and service on beautiful dishes. Location is an old geisha establishment by the Nihon Bridge, an older Tokyo neighborhood.

SUKIYABASHI JIRO: 4-2-15 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo, near JR Yurakucho Station/Ginza Station, phone 011-81-3-3535-3600. Located near a subway exit in the basement of an office building, this place is the stuff of sushi legend. Chef Jiro Ono is a national treasure. The restaurant is tiny, seating only about 20 people at its counter and tables. Chefs make their way each day to the huge Tsukiji fish market, a short walk away, to find the best and freshest.

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Latest 15 of 49 Total Comments Show All

Youdontknow at 11:47 PM JST - 26th August

The Michelin Guide is a joke!

Tokyo is a joke too as far as good food goes! Try Yamaguchi or Hiroshima - much better cuisine in both of those places than anything Tokyo has to offer!
Nessie at 12:10 AM JST - 27th August

Michelin is biased against Japanese food, because it tends not to make you inflate to the size of several tires.
Pump24 at 02:21 AM JST - 27th August

The best meal I've had in Japan was a bowl of ramen, in Fukuoka, from a street vender at midnight. It cost 500 yen. No doubt Michelin intended to go there but got busy elsewhere...
studebaker at 03:53 AM JST - 27th August

I thought Osaka was the place to go in Japan for food: 1 restaurant per 81 people was it?
zaichik at 06:03 AM JST - 27th August

Japan is generally a good place to eat out - quite a good variety of food and not overpriced. I've come to appreciate it even more since moving to Auckland, where I haven't yet been able to find a decent Italian restaurant.

When I lived in Niigata, I'd occasionally go to a rather wonderful Thai restaurant down in Kashiwazaki - totally authentic, and the shop below it used to sell things like fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, which it just wasn't possible to find in other shops in the prefecture.

There was also a superb Korean restaurant in Kashiwazaki. I think the presence of a number of large factories in the city, employing cheap labour from overseas, has led to the development of some really good ethnic cuisine restaurants there.
Bilderberg666 at 06:14 AM JST - 27th August

I dont know about Tokyo, except ive heard it is over priced.

I am yet to find what i would call a quality resaurant. However i refuse to pay ridiculous prices, to eat in a trendy or recommended place.

I suppose anywhere in the world , you can find little local places with decent food at reasonable prices.

Found a really authentic Indian near Umeda, where you could order things off menu. Problem was small prices and high prices.
TheNewZen at 07:56 AM JST - 27th August

I found Tokyo food to be good, very diversified and quiet affordable. And I have traveled the globe quiet a bit and touched many, many countries.

Will I eat a place from the Michelin guide most likely not unless I got a high-end client to entertain, and that I think is their target audience. Not us the average Joe.

As for food-places I found that many of the smaller places serve food more to my liking/tastes may it be chinese, american, indian, mexican, spanish, swedish, brazillian, german, russina, greek, you name it.

I also found that a lot of the places retain their traditional flavour as many are run by immigrants or certified by overseas chefs/countries.

Just looking at Italian food I can get Pizzerias(more like fast food places) or Italian Restaurants(serving lots of meat dishes). As for flavour I can American-Italian(NY or Chicago Style), Japanese-Italian or Italian-Italian(my prefered).

Tapas is also quiet god here and many places specialize in it.

Indian I got a few restaurants close by(chain owned by an indian family), their lunch-specials are well worth it and the food is very tasty and authentic. Plus they also offer Briyani, Roti, Tandoor, Samoosa, etc.

If I want Volume I usually visit restaurants that cater for students, for less than 1000Yen I can get a full course meal(Soup, Salad, Main-dish, coffee, dessert) and in generous portions too.

Yes, many places are hidden and often a bit of a distance from the stations. But finding them is half the fun for me.

One TV-Show I like is shown on Saturdays Evenings at 21:00 on TV-Tokyo. They visit one area per week and give 30 spots of interest per location. One hour show.
TheNewZen at 07:58 AM JST - 27th August

Forgot link to the TV-Program: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/adomachi/
unscrejects at 11:00 AM JST - 27th August

Take it with a grain of salt. Michelin are only trying to sell their book. If anybody actually relies in a Michelin or any other so-called guidebook... whoa.
Hughgarse at 12:47 PM JST - 27th August

Tokyo is a joke too as far as good food goes!

You are having a laugh son.. I was a chef for 8 years at a 2 michelin star restaurant in London, and Ive tried 100s of restaurants in Tokyo over the last 9 years.. There are a huge amount of damn fine restaurant`s in Tokyo, and a good 5-6 that I would stick into my top 20 globally.
cwhite at 09:48 PM JST - 27th August

some of you really need to get out of your hole a bit more, at least wonder beyond the boundaries of Shibuya-ku, Chiyoda-ku, Shinjyuku-ku, Shinagawa-ku and Minato-ku. Maybe pop down to Yokohama or a day trip to Kamakura or something to find something new for your taste-buds. Japan has always been underrated because the simplest of foods are often beyond the taste recognition of many foreigners. It is said it takes at least 5 years to become accustomed to the subtle tastes Japan has to offer for anyone used to all the unnatural flavorings used in just about everything else. Ever noticed how some foods numb your tongue by the time your finished and you can't seem to taste anything...

Anyway Michelin has always been a multitude of things including everything from cleanliness of the toilet to timed serving and probably lighting, size of the table, comfortable seats and sharp knifes, but the reality is who cares if it tastes wonderful and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Perhaps they are changing their methods of scoring since to own a nice restaurant in Tokyo you already have to be a millionaire to start with. Do they ever try out restaurants of cruise liners?
usaexpat at 12:22 AM JST - 28th August

cwhite, I agree with you on the ambience ratings etc. they don't really matter if your passion is food (mine is). The best Chinese food in Fukuoka is in a place with dirty floors and woks that likely never see the inside of a wash sink, surely wouldn't even make one star from any of the ratings guides. If it's the best Japanese food you are looking for I would put my favorite Sushi bar in Nagasaki up against anything in Tokyo. Nagasaki's Chinatown also blows away anything I have had from New York to Tokyo. These guides are all subjective and tend to focus on the trendy and expensive. My rule is always eat where the locals go to eat "normal" meals as opposed to places people take clients to impress.
PerdidoEnTokyo at 11:18 AM JST - 28th August

Does anybody know how many stars "Gyoza No Ohsho" got?
cwhite at 11:49 PM JST - 28th August

I heard Yoshinoya got 5 stars, but they turned it down because they didn't want to raise the prices.
greensatindress at 04:35 PM JST - 31st August

I have to agree that Tokyo is a joke as far as the culinary capital of the world---as someone else said, you can't find a decent taco or gyro without having to trek to some back alley, low-rent place probably on the 5th floor of a crumbling building. All the Indian food I've had here is like MSG-laced baby food that ends up giving me a migraine later. Like every other place: small portions, medium taste, high prices.