Restaurant Rating Systems
As with any country the Uk has a large array of guides and ratings sytems for judging restaurants, hotles and pubs, however two of these systems stand out and are what most establishments will refer too when describing what they offer. These are the Michelin guide and the AA guide, while both review thousands of restaurants in every catergory from family dinning to silver service it is their stars and rosettes respectively that the top restuarants strive for.
The Michelin Guide
The 2008 Michelin Guide has 4,567 entries, and of those, 2,748 are hotels and guesthouses and 1,819 are restaurants and pubs; all regularly and anonymously inspected by Michelin’s own team of professional inspectors.
107 establishments have 1 Michelin Star, 12 establishments have 2 Michelin Stars and 3 establishments have 3 Michelin Stars.
133 restaurants are Bib Gourmand (good food at moderate prices) and 120 hotels are Bib Hotels (good accommodation at moderate prices).
The AA Guide
Similar to the michelin guide is the AA guide which ranks restuarants with rosettes, though there are some discrepancies between the two guides generally a restaurant with 3 rosettes is about a 1 star quality and each additional rosette an equviliant star. The one and two rosette ratings give the guide a wider range and is considered to be a more food based rating than overall restaurant evaluation.
* One rosette
Chefs should display a mastery of basic techniques and be able to produce dishes of sound quality and clarity of flavours, using good, fresh ingredients.
** Two rosettes
Innovation, greater technical skill and more consistency and judgement in combining and balancing ingredients are all needed at this level.
*** Three rosettes
This award takes a restaurant into the big league. Expectations of the kitchen are high: exact technique, flair and imagination must come through in every dish, and balance and depth of flavour are all-important.
**** Four rosettes
At this level, not only should all technical skills be exemplary, but there should also be daring ideas, and they must work. There is no room for disappointment. Flavours should be accurate and vibrant
***** Five rosettes
The supreme accolade awarded only when the cooking is at the pinnacle of achievement. Flavours, combinations and textures show a faultless sense of balance, giving each dish an extra dimension.
Australian Comparisions
While it is impossible to directly translate Australian chef hats with Michelin stars or AA Rosettes the level of cooking and expectations of chefs would be roughly 1 star less than the european equivilant with exceptions of the likes of Tetsuya’s and a few of Australia’s other top restuarants which are world class in their own right.
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