COMMENTARY, Dec 14 — The knives (or to be more accurate, the wagging tongues) are out.
The moment Michelin Guide announced their picks for Kuala Lumpur and Penang, there were many perplexed faces. Then came the torrent of comments.
It’s expected since Malaysians are passionate about food.
Many were gleeful saying at least their favourite places were safe from the crowds. One even commented that this is the list of places to avoid. Ouch!
The inclusion of a certain banana leaf restaurant in Bangsar on the Michelin Selected list also had many questioning the criteria.
Over at the Facebook group The Republic of Bangsar, some said the food there was basic and average while others pointed out there were many better choices around Bangsar.
If Michelin intends to be taken seriously in Malaysia, the list definitely needs to be refined. There has to be a true show of understanding of the food belly of Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
By scratching the surface of our rich food culture, this raises hackles and makes Malaysian eaters wonder if the list is exclusively for tourist tongues.
If Nam Heong Chicken Rice and Nasi Ayam Hainan Chee Meng can be in the Bib Gourmand, why can’t Segambut’s Zheng Kee Chicken Rice or even Kepong’s Street Hainanese Chicken Rice be included as they serve one of the best smoothest poached chicken?
For Chinese restaurants, Restoran Pik Wah and Elegant Inn are on the list but how about the stalwart of Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant Overseas? It’s always on everyone’s list of must-eat for their luscious char siu or even just their steamed fish.
In presenting the awards, it was said that more than 20 cooking styles were represented in the guide but two glaring omissions were nasi lemak and nasi kandar.
For many of us, nasi lemak is truly representative of Malaysia. It is the unofficial national breakfast that unites all races. Sadly, it wasn’t given much love in the listing where it became a secondary player.
The Bib Gourmand list does not have any eatery specialising in nasi lemak. At most you have Anak Baba at Brickfields which has nasi lemak on their menu. However it’s not their specialty as the focus is more on Nyonya fare. Why weren’t any nasi lemak stalls from Kampung Baru or even Nasi Lemak Tanglin which is one of the oldest places selling nasi lemak named?
It is only found in the Michelin Selection for Penang which lists Ali Nasi Lemak as an afterthought.
Another issue is that no nasi kandar place was listed in Penang! Sacrilegious indeed as for many, nasi kandar is quintessential Penang where steaming hot rice is combined with a mix of curries rich in different spices. It may have started as food to feed the labourers but today, nasi kandar is sought after for its unique mix of flavours.
Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec was asked this in an interview with Malay Mail after the announcement. He explained that when the inspectors do their work, they practise what he terms “a no quota approach.”
So this raises a situation where “It’s the quality of the food that makes the difference and not the cooking style.” In this instance, the inspectors did not find the restaurants worthy to be selected, resulting in nasi lemak and nasi kandar places being omitted.
For some, the area of coverage also raised eyebrows. Even though the name of the Michelin Guide clearly says Kuala Lumpur and Penang, comments arise when you see bak kut teh on a list from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Every foodie knows that the heart and soul of bak kut teh lies in Klang. The inclusion of three bak kut teh places in the guide rather than omitting them in favour of the best in Malaysia raises more questions on the validity of a list that acknowledges these less than worthy places.
If Michelin really wants to be relevant, despite all the money spent to bring it here, it should really buckle up and send in more inspectors to explore the food scene properly. What worries me is how the inclusion of an eatery less worthy on the list just taints the prestige attached to the award, despite all the hard work put in by the other F&B operators on the list.
Meanwhile the jury of avid Malaysian foodies have cast their votes already, just like in the recently-concluded GE15. And this Michelin Guide got a resounding NO.
You can find the full list of Michelin Guide 2023 for Kuala Lumpur and Penang on https://guide.michelin.com/
