The Michelin Guide Kansai 2014 has given two more restaurants the prestigious three stars ranking in its most recent edition. From the press release, Michael ELLIS, International Director of the MICHELIN guides comments, “We are very pleased to award two new three stars restaurants, Mizai and Kichisen, both located in Kyoto. They serve Japanese cuisine cooked at a remarkably high level. We are also delighted to introduce a Bib Gourmand selection in the Kansai region for the first time. This distinction is really appreciated by our readers”.
“A Bib Gourmand is a separate award from a star and indicates a value-for-money restaurant, offering a menu or a single plate (depending on the restaurant’s style) for under 5,000 yen. The name is a shortened version of ‘Bibendum’ (the Michelin Man), along with ‘gourmand’ which means ‘one who enjoys eating. ”
Upon quick glance at the Bib Gourmand for Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, I believe that non of the recipients are Japanese restaurants but are all French and Italian.
Michelin has partnered with Gurunavi and the information is now available online for free. Here is the updated list of Kyoto three star restaurants:
http://gm.gnavi.co.jp/restaurant/list/kyoto/all_area/all_small_area/all_food/3star/
Surf the Gurunavi site for updates in Kansai including Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Nara.
Food Sake Tokyo 