8 restaurants get coveted star in 1st Vancouver Michelin Guide

Here is the complete list of Vancouver Michelin-rated restaurants.

12 other restaurants earn Bib Gourmanddesignation for excellent value, 40 more recommended

Lien Yeung CBC News Posted: Oct 27, 2022 11:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 28, 2022

Eight people in white jackets holding glasses of champagne and a white star symbolizing their entry into the Michelin Guide for restaurants stand on a red-carpeted stage flanked by a woman in a silver dress and a man in a suit. — Representatives of the first Vancouver restaurants to receive a star in the renowned Michelin Guide toast their success at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Thursday. (Arrthy Thayaparan/CBC )

Vancouver has joined the ranks ofinternational culinary destinationsafter the Michelin Guide awarded eight local restaurants with a coveted star.

Invited guests made up of food lovers, chefs and restaurateurs gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre West building for the inaugural ceremonialreveal Thursday night.

The famedbut sometimes controversialdining guide revealed the names of eight establishments deemed worthy of one star out of a possible three.

They are:

AnnaLena
Barbara
Burdock & Co.
iDen & QuanJuDe Beijing Duck House
Kissa Tanto
Masayoshi
Published on Main
St. Lawrence

A smiling man in a white jacket holds a glass of champagne and a white star symbolizing his restaurant's entry to the Michelin Guide. — Masayoshi Baba of Masayoshi restaurant on Fraser Street, Vancouver, toasts his award of a Michelin star on Thursday. (Arrthy Thayaparan/CBC)

No Vancouver restaurants achieved more than a single star. At theinaugural Michelin event in Toronto last month, only one restaurant Sushi Masaki Saito received two stars.

Twelve other restaurants earned a Bib Gourmanddesignation, which recognizes great quality among outlets that offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $60. The locations ranged from beloved Chinatown Cambodian restaurant Phnom Penh to celebrity chef Vikram Vij's namesake Indian restaurant, Vij's.

"Our teams of inspectors genuinely savoured their dining experiences in Vancouver," said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

Japanese, contemporary cuisine figure prominently in 1st Toronto Michelin Guide

Anonymous inspectors fly into cities to visit restaurants over the span of several weeks to determine their list of recommendations.

Poullennec says in Vancouver, inspectors were impressed by the city's diverse offerings, and all its recommended restaurants were appealing "in their own authentic DNA."

In the past, Michelin has been criticized for focusing on fine dining experiences and cuisines like French, Italian and Japanese over others.

The guidebooks, which were first published in France more than a century ago, award stars annually to restaurants that exhibit culinary excellence.

A group of eight people stand on a red-carpeted stage. — Chinatown's Kissa Tanto was recognized by the Michelin Guide for chef Joel Watanabes (fourth from right) blend of Italian and Japanese cuisine. (Arrthy Thayaparan/CBC)

Michelin's arrival in Canada is thanks in part to a multi-year funding deal with tourism boards to help promote travel decimated by the pandemic, but Gwendal Poullennec, the guide's international director, saidthe selection process remains independent.

Michelin inspectors base their reviews on five criteria: quality products, harmony of flavours, mastery of cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in the cuisine, and consistency across each visit as each restaurant is inspected several times a year.