SORN and R-HAAN in the Limelight as the First-Ever Traditional Thai Restaurants in the World to Earn a 2-MICHELIN-Star Rating
Michelin announced the winners of MICHELIN Star and Bib Gourmand distinctions; together with the official launch of the third edition of The MICHELIN Guide in Thailand, entitled The MICHELIN Guide Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Phang-Nga 2020. Featured in this latest edition are 282 dining and 74 lodging establishments – with a total of 5 two-star, 24 one-star, and 94 Bib Gourmand eateries.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of MICHELIN Guides, revealed: “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. 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.”
The 2020 MICHELIN Guide selection welcomes two new additions to the two-star category: R-Haan, where food captures the authentic essence of both regional and royal Thai cuisine, using fresh, high-quality ingredients from all over the country; and Sorn, a restaurant with a focus on long lost recipes and the art of Southern Thai cuisine, using ingredients sustainably sourced from a trusted network of farmers and fishermen, as well as refined and sophisticated cooking techniques. Both restaurants have been promoted from their previous one-star rating. Three two-star restaurants – namely, Le Normandie, Mezzaluna, and Sühring – have retained their distinction
Of the 24 one-star establishments in this latest edition, Khao, a restaurant offering traditional Thai dishes that pay tribute to locality, is the only one promoted from a MICHELIN Plate to one-star status; while three are completely new entries. These three new entries are: Chef’s Table, a restaurant serving contemporary French menu, using premium quality ingredients, curated by chef from a 3-MICHELIN Star restaurant; 80/20, where its imaginative contemporary Thai cuisine is a result of the perfect fusion between the best local ingredients and internationally refined cooking techniques; and Table 38, a chef’s table restaurant with very limited seating, serving reinterpreted and updated Thai street food and ancient dishes. In addition, it is of note that all previous one-star holders that are still in business, retained their status – including PRU, the only one-star restaurant in Phuket.
As for the Bib Gourmand list, a total of 94 establishments are featured, 61 of which are located in Bangkok, 17 in Chiang Mai, 14 in Phuket, and 2 in Phang-Nga. Chiang Mai emerges in its very first year covered by The MICHELIN Guide, with 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 with most produce coming from its own farm; Huan Soontaree, where authentic fare made with high-quality local ingredients is what makes this place a great dining spot; and Khao Soi Mae Manee, a well-known street food vendor serving the iconic Khao Soi (egg noodles in coconut-based curry broth) for over 30 years.
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