Two years after shocking Europe’s culinary establishment by declaring Tokyo the restaurant capital of the world in its inaugural Asian guide,Michelin is again giving western food critics indigestion.
This time the French tyre and travel-guide empire is making a push into the arcane world of Japanese kaiseki cuisine – elaborate multi-course meals – with the launch yesterday of its first guide to the traditional gastronomic centres of Kyoto and Osaka.
The new guide bestows 189 Michelin stars on the two cities, second only to Tokyo’s haul of 227 stars in the 2009 guide and far ahead of the 99 stars held by Paris restaurants, New York’s 71 and London’s 47.
Kyoto and Osaka have now joined Tokyo as the only Michelin guides comprised exclusively of “starred” restaurants. By contrast, only about 10 per cent of the total 16,478 restaurants listed in Michelin’s 26 guides for 2009 boast stars.
For Michelin, which derives about 99 per cent of revenue from tyre sales, the Kyoto guide is another plank in its strategy to expand tyre markets in Asia by raising the company’s profile.
According to Clare Dorland-Clauzel, the company’s communications director, things are looking up. “The first guide was created more than 100 years ago to lift brand recognition, and in Japan we think these guides are also increasing awareness of our tyres,” she said.
Source: www.ft.com
(the financial times limited)
