Which Hong Kong and Macau restaurants kept – and which lost – their rank in the Michelin Guide 2020 edition?
Being awarded a Michelin star is the holy grail of restaurant achievements; which Hong Kong and Macau restaurants still have that honour?
As the dust settles on another Michelin award ceremony for the 12th edition of the Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2020, which took place on December 17 at the Grand Hyatt Macau, it was exciting to see who was on the revered list this year. However, as always, I was left wondering why some obvious choices were ignored, and why some went down in rank.
The usual suspects retained their three star status: Caprice, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Lung King Heen, 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana Hong Kong, T’ang Court and Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong and Jade Dragon, Robuchon au Dôme and The Eight in Macau. And a deserved new addition joining the upper echelons this year is Cantonese restaurant Forum in Causeway Bay.
One surprise, however, was Alvin Leung’s Bo Innovation; it dropped from three to two stars this year. With the chef’s creative flair and dishes with backstories relating to Hong Kong’s evolving cuisine, he is a unique talent and I believe he should have his three-star status back as soon as possible. Masterchef Canada’s Hong Kong “xtreme cuisine” restaurant had retained its three-star status for seven years and it deserves to keep them.
It was also a bit of a shock Shane Osborn’s modern European eatery, Arcane, and Vicky Cheng’s VEA did not make the two-star list this year, although they retained their one Michelin-star status.
The execution, artistry, quality ingredients and service in these two restaurants are heads above many other restaurants in Hong Kong, so come on Michelin, I think they are worthy.
I was happy to see Michelin has discovered Gaddi’s at last. The city’s first Western fine dining restaurant, which opened in 1953 at The Peninsula Hong Kong, has been a favourite among local gourmands for its top notch cuisine, excellent service and ambience, and now, Michelin has included the French restaurant on its list, earning a well-deserved one star.