2018 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland launched

Michelin has unveiled the 2018 Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland, which highlights a total of 2,067 restaurants and 1,155 hotels and guesthouses.

This year, The Araki has been awarded Three Michelin Stars. “With its nine-seater counter, The Araki has gone from strength to strength. When Mitsuhiro Araki moved to London from Tokyo in 2014 he set himself the challenge of using largely European fish and his sushi is now simply sublime,” comments Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin guides. It joins a select group of restaurants with three Michelin Stars: The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn in Bray, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay which has retained the award under its new chef, Matt Abé.

In this new selection, Claude Bosi at Bibendum, located in the famous Michelin House in London, gains two Michelin Stars. Claude’s sophisticated French cuisine is a perfect fit and has been one of the openings of the year. In total, the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2018 features 20 restaurants awarded two Michelin Stars.

In summary, the new selection includes:5 restaurants with three Michelin Stars, including 1 new one; 20 restaurants with two Michelin Stars, including 1 new one; 150 restaurants with one Michelin Star, including 17 new ones; and 145 restaurants with a Bib Gourmand, including 27 new ones.

Despite some arguably bad press in the days leading up to the launch from at least two star holders that no-longer wish to be considered for the award, Michelin’s restaurant reviews are as prestigious as ever. Indeed, this year’s launch event clearly took things up a gear in a least two ways – cache and integration with the business.

With hundreds in attendance at central London’s Brewery venue plus the dramatic reveal of new star-holders (some entering stage right amid dry ice and some being revealed from amongst the seated crowd), the already well-known event is being elevated into even more of an occasion.

Looking at it from a tyre industry perspective, it is interesting to note the addition of headline sponsors – OEM Infiniti and coffee-maker Nespresso. What was even more interesting to note what the ramping up of cross-marketing activities, specifically Michelin-owned Bookatable (which was a second tier event sponsor) and the launch of a specialist chef-orientated footwear line.

The chef shoe features steel toe caps and a Michelin-designed dual-compound sole. According to company representatives, the shoe uses bike tyre and car tyre-based rubber for grip and durability respectively. Described as the first of its kind, the shoe is being produced JV international.

Mike Lawton, Michelin head of communication North Europe summed these developments up in his introduction to the even when he said the guide is about: “fusing gastronomy and travel” and to this end it is  “an indisputable business asset”.