December 2008

I'm Not a Food Snob...Really

The Michelin Asia Pacific office has just announced the release of the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong and Macau.

The Michelin Asia Pacific office has just announced the release of the Michelin Guide for Hong Kong and Macau. The Michelin Guide for Tokyo came out in the beginning of the year – to more rants than raves. Can Singapore be far behind? Do we need another dining guide?

Well, admittedly, the Michelin Guide is not just your average, run-of-the-mill restaurant guide. It’s known for sending out anonymous inspectors on incognito visits to restaurants. It’s not funded by advertising, which makes its findings supposedly more credible. Then what about those so-called independent surveys submitted by self-professed gourmets? They pay for the meal, but does that make their opinion any more believable?

When I take precious days off work to travel (wait a minute, someone is probably saying, don’t you travel for work? Well, yes but that’s a different ball game.), I plan my itinerary around eating stops. It’s not so much about the journey as breaking up the trip into manageable bits with good food – and if I’m not driving, which unfortunately I like to do on holidays – with good wine.

Do I consult dining guides to find these ‘pit stops’? Well, I take them with a huge pinch of salt. Do I ask around for recommendations? Well, only of people whose tastebuds I respect. Have I ever turned my nose down at a restaurant that everyone is raving about? Sure, I have because I know they’re probably seduced by the views, the handsome waiters and the flirtatious service (with one exception in Melbourne, you know who you are).

So do I want a Michelin Guide for Singapore? Sure I do, because it’ll mean we’re on the global gastronomic map. But really, if you must know, it’s just so I can measure their ratings against mine. I mean, that doesn’t make me a food snob, does it?
- anne loh