The highest accolade in the restaurant industry is a coveted Michelin star, writes Nick Mosley. But is the cooking worth the price tag?
Some people spend their money on fast cars, fancy clothes and swanky holidays. I mostly spend mine on food and drink and the occasional bargain basement cruise. But its by no accident that I turned a one-time hobby into a full-time job reviewing restaurants, running food festivals and representing food, wine and spirit brands around the world.
Hence – whilst I’m by no means a food snob, do not get between me and a bag of Hula Hoops – I’ve had my fair share of premium dining experiences from Las Vegas to Tokyo, yet I’d never eaten at a Michelin three star restaurant until last month but more on that a little later.
So what is all the fuss about? And does it deliver bang for your buck? Let’s start with the basics.
A Michelin star is an award given by the Michelin Guide to exceptional restaurants based on the quality of their food, service, ambiance and consistency of delivery. A spin off of the French tyre company, Michelin started publishing travel guides in the early 1900s to encourage driving. Over the years, the Michelin Guide has become the most respected arbiter of taste in the culinary world.
Michelin inspectors work anonymously so chefs and restaurateurs don’t know when they visit or who they are. Its possibly this commitment to honesty and integrity that differentiates the Michelin Guide to other annual restaurant review books and the never ending slew of websites and self-proclaimed ‘foodie’ social media influencers.
So what exactly are Michelin stars? One star is awarded to a restaurant that is very good in its category that is worth a stop (remember Michelin’s roots as a tyre company!). Two stars is a restaurant with excellent cooking that is worth a detour for its skilful, crafted dishes. Three stars is an establishment with exceptional cuisine – thats worth a special journey – where diners experience dishes that are innovative and use only the best ingredients.
To make things slightly more complicated Michelin also award ‘Plates’ which recognise a solid dining experience that isn’t quite at the star level. And it would be rude to forget the Michelin Bib Gourmand, an award given to restaurants that provide high-quality food at a reasonable price. Back in the day this was two or three courses for £30 or less but Michelin have relaxed that criteria due to the ever increasing cost pressures on hospitality businesses. That said, the first thing I do when I land in a new city is to check out which restaurants have a Bib as its a great marker of decent food at a decent price.
As I’ve reflected time and time again, Brighton and Hove has a food and drink scene that punches well above its weight for a city of its size, yet even the premium restaurant scene has struggled to get anything higher than a Plate or Bib. It’s not to say that we don’t have some astounding restaurants that are, in my humble opinion, at that level – Etch by Steven Edwards, Dave Mothersill’s Furna, Duncan Ray’s Little Fish Market and Tom Stephen’s Dilsk are all contenders – but nobody has quite hit the mark.
So we have to look to wider Sussex for Michelin one star dining experiences, or head to the Big Smoke for many more. I dined at The Pass at South Lodge near Horsham in May of this year with a chef colleague and we enjoyed an impressive tasting menu. South Lodge has nurtured many notable names in the Sussex food scene but head chef Ben Wilkinson has really nailed it with his focus on precisely cooked local and hyper-seasonal ingredients. He’s also a very affable individual which is refreshing in what is at times an ego-drenched world of chefs. An evening seven-course tasting menu is priced at £145.
Gravetye Manor is undoubtably one of the most beautiful country house hotels in the south east. It also has the most spectacular walled kitchen garden meaning most – if not all – of the vegetables and fruits on the menu of its one star restaurant are grown by head gardener Tom Coward and his team, literally a stones throw from the kitchen. Executive chef George Blogg has taken a slightly different approach with his menus going for a more structured three course service with intermediary dishes. Its been a while since I dined there but I recall it felt a little more formal than The Pass, but that reverence is deserved for the standard of cooking and provenance of ingredients. A three course lunch with additional amuse-bouche is £80 with dinner at £130.
The other restaurant in Sussex that holds that magic star is Interlude at Leonardslee Gardens. Now I have to put my hands-up and admit I’ve never eaten a full meal here but reports from friends and colleagues of chef Jean Delport’s cooking and seemingly endless small plates have been exceptional. Lunch is £120 whilst dinner is £195.
And was my three star lunch at El Cellar de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, last month worth £400 per head? 17 canapés, 9 mains, 3 desserts, petit fours and an interactive VR experience around cocoa plus unbelievable matched wines. Yes it absolutely was the most outstanding and memorable dining experience of my life. Will I be back? My accountant tells me that ain’t happening any time soon.
Nick Mosley
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