For first time, Gaggan nowhere to be found.
Gaggan is gag-gone and new stars took its place in the fine-dining firmament today: Thai restaurants R-Haan and Sorn, which joined binary stars Le Normandie, Mezzaluna and Sühring.
Fortunes will be made and lost based on this morning’s big reveal by Michelin Guide Thailand as to who gets its stars and who doesn’t – the third since the tire-making restaurant kingmakers came to the kingdom.
Gone from its vaunted position was the now-defunct Gaggan, which received two stars last year and vanished from the list since the departure of its eponymous chef, Gaggan Anand.
New faces getting the one-star treatment this year were Chef’s Table Bangkok, 80/20, Khao and Table 38.
Otherwise, a long list of one-star restaurants retained their standing: Bo.lan, Canvas, Chim by Siam Wisdom, Element, Gaa, Ginza Sushi Ichi, J’aime by Jean-Michel Lorain, Jay Fai, Le Du, Methavalai Sorndaeng, Nahm, Paste, Pru (from Phuket), Ruean Panya, Saawaan, Saneh Chan, Savelberg, Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, Suan Thip and Upstairs.
Also vanishing from the list was the one-starred L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, which closed April 30.
The announcement took place this morning at Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse in Bangkok’s Bangrak district and the recognition covers four provinces — Bangkok, Phuket, Phang Nga, and for the first time, it included the mountainous northern city of Chiang Mai.
“This year, the locavore movement, or the use of locally-sourced ingredients, are becoming the true stars of Thailand’s foodscape. The trend indicates Thailand’s rich diversity and high quality of local produce,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide. “In addition, we see the glorious rise of traditional Thai cuisine, as – for the first time ever globally – two traditional Thai restaurants, both promoted from one star, are on the Michelin Guide’s two-star list.”
As for the Bib Gourmand list, a total of 94 establishments were featured, 61 of which are in Bangkok, 17 in Chiang Mai, 14 in Phuket, and two in Phang Nga.
In its coming-out year, Chiang Mai racked up an impressive number of Bib Gourmand eateries. Among them are Ginger Farm Kitchen, a restaurant specializing in Northern Thai food that embraces a farm-to-table concept; Huan Soontaree, where authentic fare is made with high-quality local ingredients; and Khao Soi Mae Manee, a well-known street food vendor serving the iconic egg noodle in coconut curry khao soi for over three decades.
A few months after his Michelin-starred powerhouse abruptly closed forever, famed chef Anand earlier this month opened a new dining spot called Gaggan Anand on Soi Sukhumvit 31.
