Former 3 Michelin star chef checking in. Yeah whenever I cook for myself.

What was it like and is it really that amazing?

yes it is

Been to the Dorchester and La Gavroche. Both awesome experiences, if you're into your food, why wouldn't you want to try out amazing restaurants. I'm quite fortunate living in London, that I get to sample such a breadth of amazing culinary experiences. Have been to many 2 and 1 star Michelin places, top of my list to visit next is the Ledbury.
Its not about being a snob, I love a restaurant that's a hole in the wall, it's about the food, not where you are. it's amusing how the heathens are mocking something that they have never or have no interest in trying.

this is true. but i think the best price-performance ratio have good 1 star restaurants. there are so incredible good 1 star restaurants that going to a 3 star would maybe only result in being 5% better, for being 2-300% more expensive.

this is true. but i think the best price-performance ratio have good 1 star restaurants. there are so incredible good 1 star restaurants that going to a 3 star would maybe only result in being 5% better, for being 2-300% more expensive.

What was it like and is it really that amazing?

I normally go to 5 star Michelins. The 3 stars that I've been to are just pedestrian.

Worked in a few michelin star restaurants, some rating among the top 5 in the world (won't name drop).

The difference between 2 and 3 stars isn't the food. There are many restaurants who have just 1 michelin star whom are serving better food than some 3 star places. What it comes down to is attention to detail and the guest experience.

Knowing your name as a guest
Saying your name a certain number of times within a certain time frame
Fixing mistakes without being noticed
Is a table scratched that might need replaced, or are the pictures on the walls straight?

The list goes on to a number of things you would never even think of and it takes a very large staff to make it happen.

Most normal kitchens will have anywhere from 5 to 10 cooks total covering all shifts. In a michelin star restaurant, the chef will have 50 cooks total with 25 to 30+ on a shift. In my last kitchen we had 36 people on at a time. One persons job may be peeling carrots all day, another sweeping floors, and a server may have a job of polishing all day while another is in charge of folding linens.

Your money isn't just going to the food. If it was, you'd be paying 1/3 of the price with the exception of a few places who fly in the rarest most expensive ingredients. You're paying for the execution of everything.

Worked in a few michelin star restaurants, some rating among the top 5 in the world (won't name drop).

The difference between 2 and 3 stars isn't the food. There are many restaurants who have just 1 michelin star whom are serving better food than some 3 star places. What it comes down to is attention to detail and the guest experience.

Knowing your name as a guest
Saying your name a certain number of times within a certain time frame
Fixing mistakes without being noticed
Is a table scratched that might need replaced, or are the pictures on the walls straight?

The list goes on to a number of things you would never even think of and it takes a very large staff to make it happen.

Most normal kitchens will have anywhere from 5 to 10 cooks total covering all shifts. In a michelin star restaurant, the chef will have 50 cooks total with 25 to 30+ on a shift. In my last kitchen we had 36 people on at a time. One persons job may be peeling carrots all day, another sweeping floors, and a server may have a job of polishing all day while another is in charge of folding linens.

Your money isn't just going to the food. If it was, you'd be paying 1/3 of the price with the exception of a few places who fly in the rarest most expensive ingredients. You're paying for the execution of everything.

So if I only care about the food itself and don't fuss about service so much.. 1 stars are the place to go?

Worked in a few michelin star restaurants, some rating among the top 5 in the world (won't name drop).

The difference between 2 and 3 stars isn't the food. There are many restaurants who have just 1 michelin star whom are serving better food than some 3 star places. What it comes down to is attention to detail and the guest experience.

Knowing your name as a guest
Saying your name a certain number of times within a certain time frame
Fixing mistakes without being noticed
Is a table scratched that might need replaced, or are the pictures on the walls straight?

The list goes on to a number of things you would never even think of and it takes a very large staff to make it happen.

Most normal kitchens will have anywhere from 5 to 10 cooks total covering all shifts. In a michelin star restaurant, the chef will have 50 cooks total with 25 to 30+ on a shift. In my last kitchen we had 36 people on at a time. One persons job may be peeling carrots all day, another sweeping floors, and a server may have a job of polishing all day while another is in charge of folding linens.

Your money isn't just going to the food. If it was, you'd be paying 1/3 of the price with the exception of a few places who fly in the rarest most expensive ingredients. You're paying for the execution of everything.

I've eaten at a few places here in Australia (where Chefs Hats are awarded, due to no Michelin Star ratings here for some reason) and what I experienced was the following:

- 10 course degustation at this joint in Melbourne - half the courses were fuking flower petals with different purees made of the fuking stems, with matched wine. Want to know what wine works well with lawn clippings? Anything that gets you pissed quick enough
- Roasted rare duck was brought out, I popped a boner when they said that - about half a tablespoon full of actual meat, in some pool of sweet sauce and little decorations around the plate; awesome
- Course 8 was a beetroot crusted steak (I remember the course because I thought I was finally getting real food) - it was a lump of beetroot roasted, then steamed, then dehydrated, then grilled for a crust before being steam cooked again - and served. You cut into it and it bled like a rare steak, the texture was completely different to beef - the chef said they'd recreated beef from a vegetable

I stopped by a burger joint on the way back to the hotel and had two fukin burgers