michelin stars in hotels
Michelin stars are the most sought after accolade for restaurants, representing the best of fine dining. Since the 1900s Michelin stars have been awarded to restaurants of quality, and the awards and publication of the Michelin Guide are extremely influential. Reputations can be won or lost with the acquisition or loss of a star, so chefs strive and compete to gain one.
One star shows a very good restaurant, two indicates excellent cooking, and three stars represents an exceptional restaurant. To put it in context, only 81 restaurants in the whole world have three stars.
London’s luxury hotels consider a fine dining restaurant as necessary to attract affluent visitors, so a significant proportion of London’s Michelin-starred restaurants are located in the capital’s best hotels. Deluxe surroundings and easy transport links epitomise these hotel restaurants. Most serve French food, but increasingly other cuisines are featured, including Japanese, Chinese and Thai.
Only one hotel, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, has the prestigious three stars. It offers contemporary French cuisine from a fine central location in Mayfair. Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley Hotel, Knightsbridge is the only hotel restaurant to be awarded two stars, and also features classic French cuisine, with British influences.
Restaurants in hotels that have been awarded one star include Apsleys at the Lanesborough Hotel in Hyde Park Corner, which received its star in 2010 along with Helene Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair. Another one star establishment is celebrity chef Gary Rhodes’s restaurant offering modern European food at the Cumberland Hotel in Marylebone.
Although French culinary influences predominate, fine dining hotels are increasingly known for a wider range of cuisine. Nahm at the Halkin Hotel in Belgravia, for example, is the first European restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star for its Thai food, which is influenced by royal Thai recipies. Maze operates from the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, with a French menu with Asian influences.
The experience of eating at fine dining hotels is enhanced by the luxurious settings, none more so than Nobu in the Metropolitan hotel on London’s Park Lane, which serves Japanese food with stunning views of Hyde Park. Galvin at Windows is on the 28th floor of Mayfair’s Hilton Hotel, with similarly breathtaking panoramic views.