Michelin Stars

Love it or loathe it (and trust us, we have opinions), the Michelin Guide remains the most influential restaurant list in the world.

At this time of year certain chefs and restaurateurs are crossing their fingers, refreshing their emails, and hoping for a call!

The guide has changed a lot over the past 20 years—recognising a broader range of cuisines, expanding into new markets, introducing Green Stars for sustainability, and, crucially, giving more love to the kind of informal, ingredient-led restaurants people actually want to eat in regularly!

Since 1997, these spots have been recognised with a Bib Gourmand, the Michelin award for great food at a more accessible price and this year, our little corner of SE London has a new Bib!

So congratulations to the team at Artusi in Peckham for their well-deserved recognition. We’ve enjoyed some lovely meals at Artusi over the years and are very pleased for them!

Also newly minted members of the Bib Gourmand club (and well worth a visit if you haven’t already)…

Kolae – the Thai restaurant in London Bridge that we’ve raved about before and will happily rave about again

Agora – a fantastic Greek spot, also in London Bridge, from the team behind Manteca and Smokehouse in Shoreditch (both also excellent)

And finally, a Michelin Star for Wilson’s! … Just not this Wilson’s.  The very lovely Wilson’s in Bristol bagged their first Michelin star this year, and we couldn’t be happier for them.  We’ve spoken a few times—mostly when people book a table at the wrong Wilson’s—and if you ever find yourself in Bristol, their food looks absolutely spot on!

Just as it’s easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom that so often surrounds the restaurant industry—closures in the headlines, rising costs, and all the rest.  It’s also easy to be cynical about restaurant guides that claim to rank the best places in the world or hand out stars for fancy, expensive food.  But to be honest that’s not what Michelin season represents for us

Much better to acknowledge that for some people, the achievement of a star or a Bib  will have been a huge moment filled with joy.  The culmination of years and maybe even decades of hard work, dedication and graft for a whole team of talented people.  Better still to imagine the joy, the tears and the pride which come from achieving a lifetime goal…congratulations to them all!