Two new three star restaurants in the Michelin Guide France 2018

Christophe Bacquié’s restaurant at the Castellet Hotel in Var and Marc Veyrat’s restaurant La Maison des Bois have been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide France 2018.

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The guide also included five new two-star restaurants which included Au 14 Février, L’Hostellerie Jérôme,
L’Auberge du Père Bise, Takao Takano and Flaveur.  50 new one-star restaurants have also been added to the guide.

Who has won three Michelin stars?

Both Christophe Bacquié’s restaurant at the Castellet Hotel in Var and chef Marc Veyrat’s restaurant La Maison des Bois have won Michelin’s top honour and have been awarded three Michelin stars. 

Michael Ellis, International Director of the Michelin Guide spoke of chef Bacquié’s achievement and called it "A real ode to the produce found in his region, Christophe Bacquié’s now offers very high-flying cuisine: vibrant with emotions, each dish creates a memory; a testimony to his creative talent, his perfect technical skills and maturity."

This is the third-time chef Veyrat has won Michelin’s top honour and he has increased his Michelin star count from two to three after being selected amongst the two-star selections in the 2017 Michelin Guide.

Michael Ellis said: "As a passionate botanist, Marc Veyrat enhances the Savoyard herbs and flowers he gathers from the wild and combines creativity, authenticity and refinement to offer customers an unforgettable experience." 

Sébastien Bras’s Le Suquet in Southern France is the only restaurant that has fallen from the three-star line-up in 2018. This follows his decision to withdraw his restaurant from the Michelin guide. Bras spoke of ‘no longer being able to deal with knowing that just one below-par dish could jeopardise his reputation.’

What restaurants have won two Michelin stars?

Au 14 Février in Saint-Amour, a restaurant headed by chef Masafumi Hamano blending French and Japanese flavours has been awarded two Michelin stars as has L’Hostellerie Jérôme in La Turbie where chef Bruno Cirino and his wife, who both love beautiful produce, offer particularly tasty southern cuisine that has great character.

Other restaurants that have been awarded two Michelin stars include L’Auberge du Père Bise, a real institution moored on the shores of Lake Annecy in Talloires that reflects France’s gastronomic heritage, where chef Jean Sulpice showcases the riches of the Savoyard territory through his honest and inventive cuisine.

Takao Takano's restaurant in Lyon has also been distinguished by two stars as has Flaveur in Nice, where brothers Gaël and Mickaël Torteaux combine their talents to offer dishes that marry carefully considered ingredients with different textures and delicate execution.

How have many new one-star restaurants been included in the Michelin Guide?

There have been 50 new one-star restaurants added to the new French Michelin Guide which includes Le Pousse Pied in La Tranche-sur-Mer run by Anthony Lumet and Guillaume Mombroisse’s establishment SEPT in Toulouse. Both are the youngest chefs that have been awarded a Michelin star this year, with both being aged just 27 years old.

How do restaurants get three stars?

Having three Michelin stars is considered the ultimate honour, afforded only to those restaurants that offer "exceptional cuisine" that is "worth a special journey".  Currently, there are only 27 restaurants in France that hold a three-star rating.

What cuisine is popular with the French guide this year?

There has been a wide variety of restaurants that have been awarded a Michelin star and many specialise in French cuisine, however, there is a strong array of restaurants that specialise in Japanese cuisine. This includes the likes of Takao Takano in Lyon which was awarded two stars as has Au 14 Février in Saint-Amour, a restaurant headed by chef Masafumi Hamano blending French and Japanese flavours. Pertinence, run by Ryunosuke Naitoand and his wife Kwen Liew offer French cuisine using Japanese techniques.

Other restaurants that have won a Michelin star that have an internationally focused cuisine include Copenhague, the Danish gourmet restaurant headed by chef Andreas Moller on the Champs Elysees located on the first floor of the Maison du Danemark and Mavrommatis, where Andréas Mavrommatis offers delicious Greek and typically Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Paris’ 5th arrondissement.