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We're next in line to be Michelin-starred, but are we really ready, asks Angie Wong

Last year, Tim and Nina Zagat were looking for a buyer to purchase the Zagat restaurant and hotel guide empire. Goldman Sachs valued them at US$200 million, and the unlikely match of American media company CBS were in talks to buy them out. The only thing was, the brand wasn’t truly global – they had no presence at all in either Asia or the Middle East. And so, Zagat rushed into the major cities of these regions, to cover their best of the best restaurants and hotels, and help with the sale. The problem was, they were not going to have Hong Kong all to themselves.

As well as Zagat, 2008 also saw the arrival of Mobil, Miele, S. Pellegrino, Relais & Chateau, and the restaurant guide that humbles all others, Michelin. Chefs across the SAR have been getting antsy since they first learnt Michelin judges were eating around town this summer. We’ve been hearing stories of chefs driving their kitchen staff crazy just in case they receive a surprise visit; taking sleeping pills to relieve the overarching anxiety; simply losing the plot awaiting the arrival of the starry guide.

Michelin has actually been scouting Hong Kong since November 2007, as part of its search for the next big Asian city to target after its successful Tokyo launch. “Hong Kong has an international level of cuisine,” explains Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin guides. For the first, bilingual, edition of Hong Kong and Macau, he says they considered 1,200 restaurants, visited around 800, and ultimately will whittle coverage down to 250-300. They had a team of around 12 inspectors in town at any one time, many of whom were staying at the city’s best hotels. And that is where our speculation of who’s who begins: since they presumably put many of them in taxis, do the concierges know where the judges ate?

Now, while many of the names doing the rounds are only speculation, gossip in this case is true due to the nature of how Michelin rates its restaurants. Inspectors visit every restaurant at least two times. If a restaurant receives three visits, this could indicate a one star rating; if the establishment is visited four to five times that could mean two stars; anything more than five and the establishment could be in the running for the holy grail – three stars. Before we all get overexcited though, bear in mind that only 68 restaurants worldwide have achieved this, and only a handful of those have received three stars first time around, mostly in Tokyo.

When that city’s guide launched, it put the Japanese capital on the international dining map. Immediately, food tourists began making pilgrimages to Tokyo to try out the newest members of the three-star club, and humble ten-seater izakayas became bombarded with reservations. Accordingly, not all of the restaurants welcomed Michelin because it changed the way they had to do business, and many regular customers chose to go elsewhere to escape the squeeze.

In fact, the Japanese press were already criticising the Tokyo guide before it was even released. Their question was valid, how could a team of mostly Western judges be able to rate Japanese food if they didn’t understand its culture? That very same sentiment is being shared here. With only two Chinese judges on the panel, neither of them local, how can a team of a dozen inspectors be able to rate local food? Well, if the other guides can foretell anything, then we already know that much of the Michelin guide won’t be devoted to Chinese, but international eateries.

So, who will be in it? Well, not The Pawn for sure. According to Naret, they missed this gastro-pub due to its April opening date. Strangely though, the guide will include neighbouring Bo Innovation, which opened months after The Pawn. Bo’s Executive Chef Alvin Leung said he received at least two visits this summer. According to the concierge desk at Landmark Mandarin Oriental, L’Atelier deJoël Robuchonwas initially left off the list, but swiftly added once the oversight was realised. We believe Petrus, Caprice, Kee Club, Cirprani, Fook Lam Moon, Spoon, Aqua, Da Dominaco were also reviewed, while Pierre Gagnaire’s eponymous outlet will probably receive a star, sheerly because all of his other outlets have. According to our sources though, no restaurants received more than five visits, which means little chance we’ll have a three-star among us (at least, if our visits to stars ratio is correct).

We were very fortunate to visit Ovologue, Isola, Man Wah Yellow Door Kitchen, and Bo Innovation with two judges, and we can report that the review process is quite straightforward. A friendly meal and some notes, followed by a second visit the next day. We can’t reveal what they said, but some they liked, some they loved, and one they outright trashed. Meanwhile at Zuma, the executive chef’s heart jumped when one day he was in his office and got a phone call telling him to come down to the dining floor because Michelin were there collecting general information. “I’ve never been more nervous in my life,” says Dan Segall.

However, behind all the espionage and intrigue, the judging and star-rating system is very straightforward, says Christophe Vrignaud, head of food and beverage at Agnes B, who previously worked at a French Michelin starred restaurant. “In France, everyone knows who the judges are, there’s no way they can change them year after year,” he says, adding “A star in Hong Kong is consistent with a star in Paris.” Finally, the criteria are clearly spelled out on their website. One star means excellence in food, two means food and service; three means everything. Still, we’re guessing that only the December 5 release will put an end to the gossip. And then there’s always 2009.