BackTravellers of old used to work their way around the world by following the constellations. Today, foodies do the same. Only, the stars they seek don’t belong to the sky but to elite eateries. There are almost 3,000 Michelin starred restaurants across the globe, and thousands of others that don’t have stars of their own, but have menus conceived by Michelin chefs. Can’t make up your mind as to which one to sample next? Here are seven of the newest pins in the gourmet map.
| 1. Ducasse sur Seine, Paris | 2. Core, London | 3. Angler, San Francisco |
| 4. Don Alfonso 1890, Toronto | 5. ABaC, Barcelona | 6. Arcane, Hong Kong |
| 7. Brat, London |
1. Ducasse sur Seine, Paris
The Champagne magnum has just been cracked open on the hull of Ducasse sur Seine, a dinner cruise boat on the river that ribbons its way through the centre of Paris. Both lunchtime and dinner cruises are available on the boat and, as the name gives away, the menus have been conceived by Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse. A variety of dining experiences are available on the boat. The plushest option is the Paris Est Une Fete – The Best View on the Seine. Costing 500 euros per person, the experience begins with a flute of Champagne and continues with a five-course meal with wine pairings.
2. Core, London
In October 2018 Core made its debut in the Michelin guide with not one but two Michelin stars next to its name. The warmly lit and softly furnished restaurant was opened in Notting Hill in 2017 by Clare Smyth – the chef that catered for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s evening wedding reception. Costing £115 per person or £210 with wine pairings, the tasting menu puts British food on a pedestal. Example dishes include Isle of Mull scallop tartare and a refined take on cherry Bakewell.
3. Angler, San Francisco
The name of the chef responsible for Angler is lit up brighter than the Hollywood sign. Joshua Skenes basks in the glow of three Michelin stars for his restaurant Saison. With Angler, which opened in September 2018, he’s focusing on sea food. The menus are hyper-local and, like the sea from which the main ingredients are sourced, they never look the same twice. Caviar is always a feature on the menu, as is a raw bar that includes options like ice cold oysters and purple sea urchin. Depending on what the local fishermen bring in each day, you’ll also find choices like king crab and scorpion fish on the menu.
4. Don Alfonso 1890, Toronto
Opened in summer 2018, Don Alfonso 1890 has not one but two Michelin starred chefs at its helm – Alfonso Iaccarino and his son Ernesto. The restaurant looks as much like an art gallery as it does an eatery, with sculpture centrepieces and original commission canvases on the walls. There’s no colour, though. Everything is alabaster or silver-hued to allow the dining room to act as a blank canvas for the food. The menu is inspired by Italy, but there’s nothing ‘mamma used to make’ about the food. Dishes like ice creamed eel and slow cooked egg yolk with burrata foam top the plates here.
5. ABaC, Barcelona
ABaC became Spain’s newest three Michelin starred restaurant in 2018. With chef Jordi Cruz at the reins, it’s a boundary pushing place. Dishes like lime cactus with tequila, and blue oyster with violet potatoes and lyophilized oyster are served on and in everything from plump pillows and cardboard boxes marked ‘fragile’ to Fabergé-style eggs. The Gran menu option costs 210 euros per person or 315 euros with wine pairings. The restaurant also has rooms onsite. The penthouse suite is fronted by an open-air terrace with a sunken Jacuzzi.
6. Arcane, Hong Kong
Michelin handed Arcane its first star in 2018. The chef behind the eatery is no stranger to Michelin stars. Shane Osborn’s London restaurant Pied a Terre won him two. For this Hong Kong venture, Osborn has created a menu that revolves around modern European cuisine with a hint of an Asian twist. You can expect to find dishes like gnocchi with charred cevenne onion, cep vinaigrette and shiitake duxelle on the menu, for example. Something else that doths its cap to European restaurant culture is the wine list. It features 1,000-bins, including vintage burgundies and Krug 1996 Champagne.
7. Brat, London
Brat was awarded its Michelin star in October 2018. Food critic Jay Rayner described the cooking at this restaurant as ‘the culinary equivalent of an Anthony Hopkins performance’. What this translates as is ‘effortless’. The menu sidles show stoppers like oysters roasted with seaweed up against farmhouse table favourites like corn on then cob. Other dishes are simply listed as ‘mallard’ and ‘plaice’. Main plates start at the pocket money price of £8 and go up to somewhere around £60. Looks-wise, meanwhile, the décor is as understated as the menu. Think long boarding school-style tables and wood panelled walls.
Photos of Ducasse sur Seine, Core, Don Alfonso, ABaC and Arcane courtesy of official restaurant and Facebook pages. Angler photographed by Patricia Chang for San Francisco Eater. Brat photographed by Matthew Writtle for The Evening Standard.