If you want a memorable meal out, you might want to pick up a copy of the famous Michelin
Restaurant Guide.
Those guides offer the opinions of food professionals on everything from weeknight dinner to a meal
of a lifetime.
Just last month, the guide announced its picks for the first-ever Seoul edition.
And, we're no short of three whole stars, all in Korean cuisine.
Critics stress that the listing is not the be-all, end-all of the culinary delights that
Korea has to offer.
Setting the table to gie us a taste of what Michelin stars mean: Our News Feature tonight
with Kwon JAngho
This unassuming restaurant in the heart of Seoul has been attracting Korean and international
customers alike for the past 17 years, specializing in a traditional Korean crab dish.
Last month, it was one of the first in the country to be awarded a prestigious Michelin
Star.
"This is the restaurant's signature dish -- ganjanggejang . It's soy sauce marinated fresh crab made
from a special family recipe.
And it's this special recipe which the owner reckons landed them in the world's leading
restaurant guide book."
Since then even more customers have been flooding in than usual, seemingly unable to get enough
of the fresh morsels of crab.
"It tastes so good.
It's almost creamy, and it feels like heaven in my mouth."
"I think it's really very delicious.
We always hear about Korean food is a little bit spicy, I think the spicy here is not so
over."
"I know that ganjanggejang takes a lot of work to prepare, and it's really not easy
to make it taste this good.
I definitely think this is a very good restaurant deserving of its Michelin star."
Owner and head chef Han Yeong-yong said he had been caught completely off guard by the
designation.
He said he had no idea the Michelin inspectors had visited and he was only told that he was
on the shortlist shortly before the announcement.
"Unlike many of the other restaurants on the list, we are very traditional and I'm still
curious about how we were judged.
They still haven't really told us.
Personally, I think it's our soy sauce that won them over.
Other places might be able to get crabs as good as ours, but they can't replicate our
sauce."
The Michelin Guide, created by the French-tire manufacturer of the same name, has been reviewing
restaurants for over a hundred years.
Its strict and secretive judging format means it's normal for the restaurants not to know
when the Michelin inspectors have visited, as they visit anonymously over a period of
months.
The inspectors consider a number of criteria such as ingredients, taste, value and consistency.
The restaurants can be then awarded one to three stars, with one star for a "very good
restaurant" and three for one that's "worth a special journey."
In this inaugural Seoul edition, 24 restaurants were awarded stars, including two that were
awarded three stars.
Gaon is one of the two to receive this highest honor, and joins an exclusive club of only
111 restaurants around the world.
The restaurant serves traditional Korean cuisine but with modern asthetics, and the guide praises
their "meticulously-prepared dishes, made with fresh seasonal ingredients" helping to
promote a better understanding of Korean food.
We want to take Korean cuisine apart and put it back together again... so we can simplify
it and get to the essence of Korean food.
Through that, we want more people to enjoy Korean food.
And because of that, I feel even more responsibility to get it right."
The Michelin Guide is available for 28 cities and countries, but having now come to Korea
for the first time, the local culinary community had been excited about the prospect of having
Korean cuisine recognised on an international platform.
But there has been some criticism that many of the choices come at too high a price point,
and are not representative of local tastes.
Critics stress that the Michelin Guide is just that -- a guide -- and there is much
more to explore in the realm of Korean food.
"The good thing about this guidebook is that it gives information about Korean food and
where to get it, with a certain level of authority.
But like movies that win awards, they aren't necessarily what everyone goes to see.
There are things that judges like, and things the public likes.
Winning a Michelin star is impressive and should be celebrated, but it's not gospel."
For restaurants with Michelin stars, it's a badge of honor they can wear... as they
enjoy the attention and business from customers around the world.
"I believe what the Michelin inspectors were looking for was something that they could
only taste and experience in Korea,... that was true Korean culture and food."
Kwon Jang-Ho, Arirang News.