Fine-dining venues dominate the debut of the Michelin Guide Bangkok, with 14 restaurants receiving one star and three receiving two stars.
Contrary to speculation, only one street-eat venue made the cut -- Je Fai, whose famed seafood noodle costs several hundred baht a dish. Other Bangkok street food highlights -- the hugely popular chicken rice at Pratunam and Tipsamai Pad Thai near Golden Mount -- didn't make the list. This is despite the hype which street food has gained in the West, partly thanks to Western chefs who have visited or worked in Thailand.
The usual suspects all make it. The one-starred restaurants include Bo.Lan, Nahm, Paste, Saneh Jaan, Savelberg, Suhring, Chim by Siam Wisdom, Elements, Ginza Sushi Ichi, J'aime by Jean-Michel Lorain, L'atelier de Joel Robuchon, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, Suhring, and Upstairs at Mikkeller. The announcement was made yesterday at Siam Kempinski Hotel. The restaurants that receive two stars are Gaggan, Le Normandie (at the Mandarin Oriental), and Mezzaluna (at State Tower). Michelin's inspectors issue the guide every year, and the loss of a star can have serious consequences for an establishment's trade.
