When you think of Michelin Stars, most people immediately think of places like The French Laundry by Thomas Keller or Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck. T
hey’re the hallowed halls of haute cuisine where you pay a fortune for meals that are more like art than food you should eat – although you should always eat it because you’ll be sorry you didn’t. However, these days the secret team of anonymous reviewers have been handing out the coveted Stars to a few places that are a little unexpected.
Faviken in Sweden
Järpen is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere in Sweden. It’s surrounded by snow drifts and silence almost the entire year. Yet, somehow the Michelin reviewers managed to find the restaurant Faviken and reward the chef with two Michelin Stars. Magnus Nilsson, chef and manager, focuses heavily on using local ingredients and preparing them in a traditional way.
The Man Behind The Curtain in England
Chef Michael O’Hare is pretty well known in the English culinary scene. His wild hair (which he has in recent times tamed) made a big statement when he won a dish on the popular British cooking show – The Great British Menu. His plating style is also quite something. O’Hare doesn’t go for anything delicate like is the trend for haute cuisine these days. Instead, he likes to use black and white dishes and food, with pops of bright color.
What makes this restaurant – The Man Behind the Curtain – so interesting is its completely unassuming location. You can find it in the city of Leeds up a flight of stairs above a clothing shop. O’Hare received his first Michelin Star here back in 2015.
Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle in Singapore
You may be surprised to find out that you can get a Michelin Star meal for only $1.50 from food stall. Chef and owner Chan Hon Meng of Malaysia received his Star and addition to the Singapore Michelin guide in 2016 and has kept it all this time. His stall was the first of its kind to be included in the guide, along with Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle – both receiving their Stars in the same year. The queue outside the stall for this special Cantonese soya sauce chicken dish may be long, but it is well worth the wait.
Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong
On the subject of cheap Michelin Starred meals, you can’t go wrong with a visit to one of the Tim Ho Wan dim sum restaurants. This chain in Hong Kong was created by chef Mak Kwai Pui and is a classic canteen-style chain with humble prices to match.
The only thing that isn’t humble is the quality of the food. The chef and creator’s cooking pedigree is impressive, and he used to be the dim sum chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong. He then decided to take this mastery of a popular food style and offer it up to the general public to enjoy.
