Great cooking is an art – chefs spend years of their lives training to become the best, perfecting their menus, and setting up their own restaurants. Every once in a while, a particularly talented chef sets up a particularly amazing restaurant, foodies and critics alike flock to it, and a new favourite is born.
While that kind of success is rare, there’s an even higher honour that every chef aims for but only a select few will ever receive in their lifetime: a Michelin star. In this article, we’ll answer some of your biggest questions about the famed Michelin star, like: what is a Michelin star? How do you get one? And are there any Michelin-starred restaurants in Australia? Let’s find out.
What is the Michelin star rating system?
The Michelin star system (also known as the Michelin Guide, Red Guide, or Red Book) is a guide published every year. The guide acknowledges the best restaurants around the world, and awards up to three Michelin stars for the creme de la creme.
It was originally established in the early 1900s by tire manufacturer Michelin as a way to encourage motorists to travel around the world and sample international delicacies. Today, it is considered one of the biggest indicators of a chef’s talent and success; getting a star usually also results in a huge boost in business.
How are restaurants judged and given stars?
Michelin hires ‘inspectors’ whose main job is to go around their country, anonymously visit restaurants, and submit reports about the quality of a restaurant. Every year, Michelin gathers these reports and holds an annual ‘stars meeting’ at each of their national offices to award stars to deserving restaurateurs.
Unlike most 5-star ratings, the Michelin rating system is on a scale of just one to three stars. One star means it’s a very good restaurant you should stop at, two stars mean that the restaurant is worth a detour, while three stars mean that the restaurant would be worth an entire trip on its own.
Chefs with the most Michelin stars include Joel Robuchon (31 stars), Alain Ducasse (21 stars), and Gordon Ramsay (16 stars).
Other rating systems in Australia
If you’ve noticed that there aren’t any Australian restaurants with Michelin stars, that’s not because our local restaurants aren’t any good – it’s because there isn’t a Michelin Guide for Australia. The Red Guide covers locations in Europe, Asia, and America only.
The closest rating system we have is the Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hat Awards. Your restaurant gets rated on a points system from 0 to 20, and then awarded a number of hats which correspond to a number of Michelin stars. Here’s a breakdown of the Chef Hat system:
- 12-13 points: a good restaurant
- 14-15 points: one hat, worth a stop (similar to one Michelin star)
- 16-17 points: two hats, worth a detour (similar to two Michelin stars)
- 18-19 points: three hats, worth a trip (similar to three Michelin stars)
The best restaurants in Australia that deserve Michelin stars
Tetsuya’s
Where: 529 Kent Street, Sydney, NSW
Chef Tetsuya Wakuda has created an amazing Japanese degustation menu combined with French cooking techniques. Gordon Ramsay himself has said that the oysters at Tetsuya should be on your food bucket list.
Awards/ratings: Two hats
Attica
Where: 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, VIC
Attica is not just a top restaurant in Australia, it’s one of the top 50 around the world. Attica uses premium local ingredients that often go overlooked in fine dining.
Awards/ratings: Three hats
Nobu
Where: Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Nobu is a Japanese restaurant with multiple international locations, including three in Australia. While it didn’t win any hats in this year’s Good Food Guide, it’s still one of the best Japanese restaurants out there.
Sepia
Where: Closed
Internationally-renowned Michelin-star chef Martin Benn has already moved on from Sepia, which was once considered one of the best dining experiences in the world. Keep an eye out for his next project in Melbourne Society which is set to open in March 2021!
Awards/ratings: Three hats (2018)
Sixpenny
Where: 83 Percival Road, Stanmore, NSW
Sixpenny consistently ranks among the best restaurants in Australia, winning three hats in the annual Good Food Guide for the past few years. Sixpenny is the brainchild of two talented chefs, Daniel Puskas and James Parry.
Awards/ratings: Three hats
Brae
Where: 4285 Cape Otway Road, Birregurra, VIC
Owner: Dan Hunter
The Dan Hunter-helmed Brae landed a coveted spot on the World’s Best 50 thanks to his two hundred dollar degustation menu.
Awards/ratings: Three hats
Vue de monde
Where: Level 55, Rialto Melbourne, VIC
It makes sense that one of Australia’s most sought-after gastronomic experiences is 55 floors up, with an incredible view of the city.
Awards/ratings: Two hats
Orana
Where: 1/285 Rundle Street, Adelaide, SA
Not only did Orana bag three hats yet again, but it was also named Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide Awards 2019.
Awards/ratings: Three hats
Otto
Where: Sydney and Brisbane
Most awarded restaurants are French or Japanese – not Otto, a modern Italian restaurant with an award-winning wine list.
Awards/ratings: Two hats
Although we don’t have a Michelin rating in Australia, we do have several multi-hatted restaurants that deserve the honour. Visit these restaurants, and you’ll have a gastronomic experience of a lifetime – plus a few good shots for the ‘gram.
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