JAN - Munich
Some amazing seafood dishes, and impressive technical cooking, but not every dish was a success for us. Hopefully the uneven service was just a one-off
Makimura - Tokyo
One of the world’s hardest to reserve three-star restaurants was also one of its most charming. A cozy atmosphere akin to a mom-and-pop shop, and many excellent dishes made us almost forget the few letdowns
Maeda - Kyoto
Delicious, novel takes on traditional Japanese dishes. And even better, counter-seating with a wonderfully relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Hyotei - Kyoto
An old-style tea house is the setting for a traditional Kaiseki cuisine that has very few nods to modernity. A pleasant dinner, but overall too light on flavors for three stars.
Mizai - Kyoto
Mostly traditional Kaiseki cuisine that is enjoyable, but didn’t include any real standout dishes. More impressive is the patience of the customers who made reservations over a year ahead of time
The Eight - Macau
Cantonese fine dining in a glitzy atmosphere. Unfortunately, the world-class ingredients (with corresponding price tags) are underutilized in dishes that rarely justify three stars
Jade Dragon - Macau
Located in a luxurious casino complex, the kitchen serves Cantonese classics and French/Cantonese fusion cuisine. Add an excellent wine pairing, and one can almost overlook that the dishes didn’t quite reach a three-star level
Forum - Hong Kong
Great Cantonese cuisine is anchored by the kitchen’s phenomenal signature abalone dish, and an amazing (and surprisingly non-traditional) caviar preparation. A good wine selection is another plus
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana - Hong Kong
The world’s only Italian three-star outside of Italy unfortunately served us a lackluster tasting menu. There were a couple sparks of brilliance, but the majority of the dinner deserved at most a single star
Cocina Hermanos Torres - Barcelona
A dramatic dining room with a centrally placed kitchen is the location for a culinary tour through Catalonia and Spain. Some amazing appetizers and desserts surrounded the good, but not stellar regular courses on the tasting menu
Atrio - Cáceres
A tasting menu where every dish includes Iberian ham. While this leads to some fun results, more often than not this gimmick works against the kitchen
La Villa Madie - Cassis
Phenomenal seafood meets lackluster non-seafood dishes in this three-star restaurant located right on the Mediterranean sea. The successes alone make this worth the trip
Addison - San Diego
A tasting menu that encompasses multiple cuisines that made their home in California, with influences from Mexico, Japan and Thailand. Several excellent dishes, and a consistently high level throughout
Azabu Kadowaki - Tokyo
Inventive Japanese cuisine full of non-traditional dishes, some of them better than others, but the successes were quite impressive. Even though the menu was pretty short, the restaurant still managed to rush us out
Sazenka - Tokyo
The world’s only Chinese three-star restaurant not located in a Chinese-speaking country. While the dishes might be familiar from “normal” Chinese restaurants, their execution and the ingredients are at a much higher level
L'Effervescence - Tokyo
French cuisine in a serene setting. There were only minimal Japanese influences in a meal that had several excellent dishes. A few other courses fell a bit short of their potential
Mosu - Seoul
The cuisine might be more Californian than Korean, but with local ingredients aplenty. there is no mistaking where we are. Many dishes are sublime, but even the rest are innovative and ambitious
Kashiwaya - Osaka
Classic Japanese Kaiseki cuisine that keeps it interesting by including some unusual ingredients and spiciness. Unfortunately, while half the dishes were amazing, the other half was only so-so
Le Palais - Taipei
Taiwan’s first three-star restaurant serves classic Chinese banquet cuisine, but sadly only a few dishes were outstanding. Come with an appetite, since the tasting menus are large enough for two
Memories - Bad Ragaz
Wonderful seasonal Alpine cuisine that sources most ingredients locally or at least from Switzerland. Many excellent dishes, but also several where I felt the flavors were too muted, possibly a result of the time of year