Global foodies are set to descend on Bangkok after the French publishing company Michelin launched a guide to what it considers are the best restaurants in the city.
Some 98 restaurants are listed, 82 of which serve Asian cuisine, while 13 are French and 8 Italian. The guide reflects the rapid development of the city's culinary scene in the past decade, which has seen the restaurant Gaggan scoop the number one spot in the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List and others such as Nahm earn a reputation as "the ultimate temple to Thai gastronomy."
Gaggan, an Indian restaurant run by chef-owner Gaggan Anand, has been awarded two Michelin stars, along with Le Normandie, a French restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel that was opened in 1958, and Mezzaluna, a European restaurant located on the 65th floor of the Lebua Hotel.
14 restaurants have been awarded one Michelin star, including Nahm, Chim by Siam Wisdom, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin and Jay Fai, a traditional street food vendor selling dishes such as crab curry and dry congee. Lovers of sushi will also find themselves satisfied, with Ginza Sushi ichi also earning one star.
While the starred restaurants are mostly made up of ultra-modern or fine dining eateries which are relatively expensive, budget travellers can head for the 35 restaurants which have been awarded a 'Bib Gourmand', which offer good value quality food, serving meals for a maximum of 1,000 Thai baht (Dh112).
The book comes after a period of uncertainty for the city's street food scene, which has been targeted in a government clean-up campaign. John Brunton, a specialist in food and travel and a contributor to The National's travel pages, said: "The decision of Michelin to launch a Bangkok Guide is a great boost for the city, especially as it comes at a time when the iconic street food scene here is being threatened by government regulations that want to sanitise and eliminate what is some of Asia's greatest street food. Recognition of street food by Michelin in Bangkok gives a credibility and legitimacy to heritage cuisine in the same way their guides to Hong Kong and Singapore have. It is also a delight to see Anand Gaggan being awarded a coveted two star award alongside his position at top of the Asia Top 50 Restaurants listing."
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A Michelin-starred tour of Hong Kong's best restaurants
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Bangkok is now the seventh Asian country to have a Michelin Guide, following titles on destinations such as Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong. It will be followed by guides to other popular areas of Thailand, including Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hua Hin.
Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT), said: “The inaugural Michelin guidebook will elevate Thailand’s food scene to a new level of excellence and significantly enhance the country’s reputation as a world-class dining destination.
“The Michelin Guide is a measure of gastronomic quality for many people around the world. It sets a high benchmark, and we are confident that the launch of Michelin Bangkok will attract more food connoisseurs to Thailand, which will in turn increase revenue for restaurants and substantially contribute to Thailand’s overall tourism and leisure market.”
According to the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), food tourism can generate US$150 billion (Dh16.9bn) in revenue anually. For Thailand, in 2016, over 32 million tourists visited the country, spending a total of 326 billion baht on food, representing 20 per cent of the tourism revenue.
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Read more:
A luxury shopping guide to Bangkok
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My Kind of Place: Malacca, Malaysia
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Kibsons%20Cares
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
FIGHT%20CARD
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sunday's fixtures
- Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
- Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.