THE 2014 Michelin Guide has been published and there are no Michelin stars for Manchester.
Anyway, chins up. 2013 has still been a startling good year for food and drink in Manchester. We still have that amazing variety and we also have exquisite fine dining.
It was widely anticipated that given the standards at Simon Rogan at The French, the city centre might make a starry return to the guide for the first time in four decades.
This has not happened.
It’s particularly galling that Birmingham gets another starred restaurant – although not in the city centre – giving it four restaurants in total. Adam’s Restaurant is the new boy.
In the North West we have one new entry in the one star category with The Samling in The Lakes. Meanwhile Fraiche, Radley at The Grosvenor and Northcote Manor retain their places and L’Enclume, Rogan’s other gaffe, keeps its two stars. Up in Ramsbottom the Hearth of the Ram receives a Bib Gourmand.
Anyway, chins up. 2013 has still been a startling good year for food and drink in Manchester. We still have that amazing variety and we also have exquisite fine dining.
Jay Rayner responding to Confidential on Twitter said: "Why are we so obsessed with Michelin stars? Their moment has come and gone." He has a point, given that variety in Manchester with cooking, pricing and style does it matter that we don't have a star? Outside the rarified industry world is anybody listening?
Well, no it doesn't matter and yes it does.
It doesn't matter because Michelin starred restaurants are a very narrow field, appealing to a limited audience of food and trade obsessives. They in no way indicate the breadth of appeal of Manchester dining. It could be argued they're undemocratically elitist and their moment has definitely come and gone.
But then, it does matter, because in the international game of city status, to have a starry restaurant contributes in a small way to the prestige of the city and leads to potential investment. Food can matter more than other qualities. For instance, we can tell people till we're blue in the face that Manchester has given the world 25 Nobel prize winners - more than all but seven nations of the world - but food is a more direct experience. Stomach wins over science facts, we have to fill our face everyday.
And of course, if, as is the case with people at Confidential, you appreciate fine dining then it is good to have restaurants deemed to be in the top nano-percent of eating. If nothing else it gives us a benchmark to test itself against.
The good news for those who do care about Michelin stars, is we only have a year to wait before we can celebratethat star or repeat these arguments.
It’s up to Simon Rogan at The French in the Midland Hotel and Aiden Byrne at Manchester House (and other willing participants) to see if another twelve months of cooking can encourage those elusive Michelin reviewers to shine a star our way.
