2 city restaurants win coveted 3 star Michelin guide awards

Ti Gong

Michelin food guide launched its 2018 Shanghai edition on Wednesday with two restaurants awarded three stars.

The two are T'ang Court, inside Langham Shanghai, in Xintiandi, a Cantonese restaurant, and an innovative Western restaurant called Ultraviolet.

Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin Guides, waxed lyrical on Ultraviolet, which was awarded two stars last year.

"An unusual place that immediately plunges the customer into an experiential journey where all the senses are stimulated, and Paul Pairet offers avant-garde cuisine of a very high standard, a real gourmet journey," said Ellis.

T'ang Court has been awarded three stars by the guide for the second year.

"Fine Cantonese cuisine has always been my lifelong passion, and I will continue to dedicate my efforts in refining the recipes," said T'ang Court's executive chef Justin Tan.

The guide says its top award is given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession. The ingredients have to be exemplary, the cooking elevated to an art form, and the dishes on offer capable of becoming classics.

This is the food guide's second Shanghai edition with 30 restaurants awarded one or more Michelin stars.

There are five new restaurants awarded one star compared with last year's guide, including Bo Shanghai, Yong Fu, Wujie (The Bund) and Jean-Georges.

Taian Table, which was entangled in an unlicensed operation controversy last year, retains its star after moving to Zhenning Road in Changning District. It is listed as a new restaurant in this year’s guide.

All awarded restaurants last year retain their stars in the new guide.

The quality of ingredients, the chef’s personality as revealed through cuisine, the preparation and combination of flavors, value for money, and the ability to produce excellent cooking with consistency over time and across the entire menu are the five criteria applied by Michelin inspectors.

Ti Gong

Ti Gong