The selection of the MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019 has just been released. The 11th edition of Hong Kong Macau’s red guide witnesses a total of 63 and 19 restaurants receiving their star recognition in Hong Kong and Macau respectively. Of which, two restaurants are elevated to three stars, four restaurants earn two stars for the first time, and six restaurants debut in the one-star category.
Newly Minted Three-starred Restaurants
Caprice has been in the red guide for the past 11 years since it debuted in Hong Kong Macau, receiving two stars in 2009, three stars from 2010 to 2013, and two stars from 2014 to 2018. This year, Caprice has regained its three-star status. Chef Guillaume Galliot, who joined the restaurant two years ago, works with his team to offer contemporary French cuisine that highlights the most luxurious ingredients in its refined and perfectly executed dishes. The MICHELIN inspectors are particularly impressed by the turbot served with a delicate sea urchin sauce as well as the remarkable wine list.
With Caprice joining the three-star echelon, Hong Kong sees a total of seven three-starred restaurants. The other three-starred establishments include Bo Innovation, L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo - Bombana, Sushi Shikon, T’ang Court and Lung King Heen.
In Macau, Jade Dragon is the only restaurant to receive three stars for the first time. Jade Dragon entered the red guide with one star in 2014 and has held on to two stars since 2016 before clinching the coveted third star this year. Jade Dragon is under the leadership of chef Kelvin Au Yeung, who was the sous chef since the restaurant opened and recently promoted to the position of executive chef.
According to the inspectors, Jade Dragon dons beautiful surroundings of ebony, crystal, gold and finely-chiselled silver, and offers a delicious ballet of authentic Cantonese specialties, made from the highest quality ingredients. With this new addition, Macau now has three three-starred establishments. The other two three-starred establishments are Robuchon au Dôme and The Eight.
Four New Entrants in Two-starred Selection
The 2019 selection is also enriched with four new two-starred restaurants. In Hong Kong, the new entrants include Ecriture, which opened only in April this year under the helm of executive chef Maxime Gilbert and offers cuisine celebrating French specialties combined with Japanese ingredients. Sushi Saito, founded by legendary chef Takashi Saito, is among the best Sushi restaurants in the city. The Cantonese restaurant Ying Jee Club, which had one star in the previous selection, gains a second star this year. There are a total of 12 two-starred restaurants in Hong Kong.
In Macau, the restaurant Alain Ducasse at Morpheus receives two stars. Located in the heart of the Morpheus Hotel, it offers, in addition to original creations, some of the most famous dishes of the iconic French chef. There are a total of five two-starred restaurants in Macau.
Joining The One-star Category
The MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019 also lists 55 one-starred establishments, including six new additions in Hong Kong: Arbor, Guo Fu Lou, New Punjab Club, Octavium, Xin Rong Ji and Belon. These new establishments alone illustrate the gastronomic diversity of this selection.
Arbor, helmed by young chef Eric Räty, is a sister restaurant of one-starred Epure. Despite its short opening period, Räty’s take in employing Japanese ingredients in French cuisine has impressed diners and the MICHELIN inspectors alike, earning the restaurant their first star in the red guide.
Belon, elevated from Plate to one star, is a neo-Parisian bistro which has an understated décor because chef Daniel Calvert wants the food and wine to be in the foreground. Certain items can be ordered in flexible portions, customized to your party size.
New Punjab Club is a boisterous tandoor grill house that offers excellent specialties from North India. To their co-founder Syed Asim Hussain, a proud Punjabi, New Punjab Club is his restaurant group Black Sheep Restaurants’ most personal project and brings the best interpretation of his heritage to Hong Kong.
80 Bib Gourmand Restaurants
The 2019 selection includes 80 Bib Gourmand restaurants. These establishments, spotted by our inspectors during their gourmet wanderings in the streets of Hong Kong and Macau, offer three courses (drinks not included) for a maximum price of HKD$400 (in Hong Kong) or MOP$400 Pataca de Macau (in Macau).
The new entrants into the Bib Gourmand selection include: Taiwanese eatery What To Eat, dessert shop Kai Kai and Le Souk who offers Middle Eastern cuisine. What To Eat is operated by the same Taiwanese duo who opened Qing Zuo but later left the operation.
Commenting on the 2019 Hong Kong and Macau Guide, Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of Michelin Guides, said: "Hong Kong and Macau are very special cities within the gastronomic world. They attract many tourists and business people from around the world, and as a result these cities have been blessed with gastronomic influences that oscillate between traditional Cantonese and Macau cuisine, combined with international flavours. The 2019 selection highlights this diversity particularly well, and the many star additions testify to the dynamism and talent that permeate the Hong Kong and Macau dining scene."
In summary, the 2019 selection includes:
In Hong Kong
- 7 three-star restaurants (including 1 new)
- 12 two-star restaurants (including 3 new ones)
- 44 one-star restaurants (including 6 new ones)
- 71 Bib Gourmand restaurants (including 4 new ones)
In Macau
- 3 three-star restaurants (including 1 new)
- 5 two-star restaurants (including 1 new)
- 11 one-star restaurants
- 9 Bib Gourmand restaurants
Click here to view the complete selection of MICHELIN Guide Hong Kong Macau 2019.
