Robuchon a Galera, which opened in 2001, is in casino billionaire Stanley Ho’s Hotel Lisboa. Lung King Heen, a Chinese eatery at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, also won top billing, making Yan Tak Chan the first Chinese to become a three- star Michelin chef. The two restaurants are now among 72 worldwide with the top Michelin rating.

The finest restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau “are mostly nestled in hotels,” said Jean-Luc Naret, director of Michelin Guides, at a Hong Kong press conference. The Four Seasons and Hotel Lisboa both have a three- and two-star venue.

Hong Kong, which twins Shanghai as China’s financial gateways to the world, touts its high-living image as a shopping and culinary hub to draw tourists. The city of 7 million people, an hour from Macau by ferry, now grapples with its first recession since 2003 on weaker exports and domestic demand caused by the global credit crunch. That’s reflected in the city’s October retail sales, which grew at their slowest pace in five years.

Michelin’s Hong Kong and Macau Guide is its second for Asia. The company started a Tokyo version last year and released a second edition on Nov. 18, giving three stars to nine restaurants, placing Japan’s capital in a draw with Paris for the most three-star eateries. The bilingual Hong Kong edition goes on sale Dec. 5.

Guinea Fowl

Robuchon a Galera serves European cuisine such as roasted guinea fowl and foie gras from its a la carte menu for 1,180 patacas (US$148). The tasting menu costs 2,100 patacas. With more than 2,800 classic French, Italian, American, Australian and German wines, it has one of Asia’s best cellars.

Lung King Heen — which means View of the Dragon — serves contemporary Cantonese food with emphasis on seafood and dim sum. It also serves daily Chinese breakfast, featuring congee, noodles and dumplings. On the fourth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, the restaurant offers views of the harbor and private rooms for business and family gatherings.

Eight restaurants took two stars, and 18 others took one. Robuchon’s other restaurant in Hong Kong and Macau, L’Atelier, took two stars. Eateries that took one star include Pierre Gagnaire’s restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and Hong Kong’s culinary institutions such as Yung Kee and Fook Lam Moon. High-profile restaurants missing from the list include Nobu Matsuhisa’s Nobu and Rainer Becker’s Zuma.

Subscribe to The China Post and save.  Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 1000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email