THE FRENCH at the Midland Hotel gained a Michelin star in 1974. Since then - for those who care - it's been forty years of hurt in Manchester.
And for Michelin star gazers in 2015 it's another cloudy night in the capital of the North.
But let's not worry too much, for the regular Mancunian diner we've never had it so good.
As revealed here there are no stars for Manchester despite the reputation of places such as The French, a restaurant once more in the limelight, through the efforts of Simon Rogan (pictured above) and Adam Reid.
For Aiden Bryne and Manchester House who's stated objective was a star, it's another bath of cold water.
But let's not worry too much, while a Michelin star restaurant is good for prestige in tourist literature and for promoting the city at international conferences, for the regular Mancunian diner we've never had it so good.
The French
The range, variety and quality of the Manchester food offer is astonishing.
A visit to any comparably sized European city reveals this in about ten minutes. This writer on Wednesday night discovered a new favourite in Hunan restaurant in Chinatown that will never in any conceivable universe be on the Michelin radar but was superb - review to follow. Delight is round every corner if you've got eyes to see and mouth to fill. Just look at this list in the recent Good Food Guide article we posted.
The whole Michelin game has become a distraction, annoying.
The annual will-we won't-we get a star is the food equivalent of the Eurovision Song Contest, nobody knows why they pay attention but for some reason they do.
As Jay Rayner has already written today: 'Manchester restaurant watchers shouldn't care (though they will)'.
Exactly.
Now back to the Hunan... and all the other superb restaurants and operators in this city. Let's get on with our year. Ed.
Mark Garner (Gordo) Responds:
No Michelin stars for Manchester yet again... are Michelin right, or wrong? Do they just hate Manchester? Are Michelin biased in some way? Or are our restaurants just not good enough?
I have spent thirty one years eating in restaurants at the high and low end; I walked into my very first starred restaurant in 1984, in Reims, France. Gerard Boyer's three star Les Creyères blew my socks off.
Since then, I have built a career from eating in them. The question I am asked most in Manchester is why we do not have a starred restaurant here in the city?Up until last year my answer had been, "because we haven't got one that's good enough."
Today this has changed, we have two: The French at the Midland and Manchester House. Both stunning in different ways. For neither to have won a star this time around is a travesty.
Why? Manchester House ticks every box, Aiden Byrne is cooking at the peak of his skills, this guy won a star when he was twelve. Well, twenty-odd. His brigade are superb, the food is so well balanced and exciting it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Recently, myself and a colleague scored four dishes out of nine or so at 10/10. But for some reason the Michelin inspector snubbed arguably the most entertaining all round dining experience north of Birmingham.
Bit too flash for you, Mrs. Michelin?
Now The French. Again, a brigade, overseen by multi-starred Simon Rogan, bringing such elegant flavours and put together on the plate in such a way that Matisse would be proud. All day long these guys were and still are, worthy of a star.
But these are my opinions as a devout Mancunian. So perhaps just sour grapes on my part?
Ladies and gentlemen, I beg to differ. Let me put this to Mrs. Michelin, the UK gaffer, Rebecca Burr. The only differences between Rogan's Claridge's restaurant Fera and The French are as follows: Opulence, Fera is more comfortable. Location, Fera is down in that there there London. Influence, it resides within a hotel group with huge foodie clout in the South.
Now, what's the same? Rogan owns both The French and Fera, he is, of course, the two star chef at L'Enclume. I have eaten in both the French and Fera. The front of house are neck and neck. Service and presentation are a dream in both. The food? I for one can't score any differences; the menus are virtually identical in structure, ingredients and cooking. Both score 9/10 in my book.
So why, Mrs Burr, have you awarded Fera a star and not The French? Never mind why not Manchester House.
I think I have the answer. It's payback for the BBC's Restaurant Wars (a three part documentary based in Manchester which saw chefs Simon Rogan and Aiden Byrne pitch The French vs Manchester House, both chasing Michelin stars and prestige. Ed.). I bet you hated every minute of that TV programme, didn't you missus?
Stick to the south, Luv, it's a deal more suited to you. We'll be fine without you and that snotty red book.
Mark Garner (Gordo)
Publisher and Proprietor of The Confidentials.
You can follow @JonathSchofield and @GordoManchester on twitter.
