Why I Wish Upon A Star

Two things that are far too prevalent in our world today are reviews and awards. Every time we purchase anything or have an experience, it is followed up by an email request to review.

Reviews are everywhere. They now seem to be one of the pivotal factors in the awareness and success of just about anything. In the case of restaurants, I do look at reviews when choosing where new to dine. Who doesn’t? But filtering through the real and the unreal and finding the ones that make us take the leap to book is often exhausting.

The other thing is awards. A restaurant winning a major award is a significant boost for its business. I have no doubt that awards also have some way of influencing a selection of diners’ choices of where next to visit.

I recently viewed the Apple TV series "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars" which, being slightly food obsessed, I found very enjoyable. Honest, real stories of the struggle to obtain a coveted star and the real impact it has on business for passionate chefs and restauranteurs.

Having lived in Australia most of my life, the impact of Michelin is non-existent, as the food awards have not made it this far. This is a travesty in many foodies eyes. I have had my share of Michelin starred dining experiences throughout the world, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent, Europe. When I consider those meals, they were superb, all of them. But only a handful did I consider to be far better than pure, honest and creative cooking in many venues without such an embellishment.

This leads me to how I feel about awards from my current home base in Australia. The dining landscape here is incredibly good. Often, when returning from trips overseas, particularly in Europe, I and other food loving friends are busting to eat out again on home soil, as more often the not, the International cuisines we enjoy here are better than those we have had in the lands of their origin.

Naturally, for a country that Michelin has chosen to ignore, we have come up with our very own awards, loosely based on that original concept. The Good Food Guide Awards, sponsored by two Australian newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald in NSW and The Age in Victoria, are considered the premier awards and guide to the best restaurants in those states.

Last year it was announced that Michelin would expand into New Zealand. Great news for the land of the long white cloud, but it's baffling to think that Australia was not part of this expansion. A far bigger country with a much wider, varied food scene.

In Michelin's own words: "Joining the Michelin Guide puts New Zealand on the global culinary map, a destination where the food is an experience worth travelling for". This does place a rather sour taste in the mouths of Australian culinary adventurers.

Auckland, New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand paid a handsome sum to have Michelin brought to its shores. NZ $2.5 million to be exact. The boon to tourism will be undoubtedly substantial. Tourism NZ’s research has stated 80 per cent of travellers from the USA, China and India are more likely to visit NZ when it appears in the guide.

My research tells me that Australia has been approached by Michy. But we said no, as to be represented, we were required to pay for inclusion. Tourism Australia asked for a lot more than New Zealand. $40 million, anyone? The response was “not yet”.

All those years in the wilderness without a Michy Guide has allowed Australia to create its own food awards, of which there are many, with the most presigious being the Good Food Guides, as forementioned. 40 years strong. Anyone who has spent the past decade following the Australian hospitality landscape has seen it evolve (or devolve) into a scene dominated by large hospo groups.

Even chefs who started small have jumped on the bandwagon of opening more restaurants and bars. One seems to never be enough, particularly in Sydney. This has had a double effect. The best of them offer something special, with each restaurant remaining unique and individual, whilst clearly reflecting the stamp of the group through design, service and creative menus (I'm looking at you Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Mikey Clift – thank you)

In the tough hospo world, many bigger players are continuing their domination, at once providing more venues, many which have begun to be very same-same, diluting the variation and individuality that many diners search for.

If Michy does come to Australia, it will bring with it a level of prestige that would surpass the Good Food Awards - I have no doubt that far fewer restaurants would be represented, marking a true portrait of the best of the best. This we could certainly do with.

What's happened these past couple of years is a full steam ahead play by the Good Food Guides to be “the one”. The premier voice of restaurant critics. Sydney has had an explosion of restaurant openings, in these times when, apparently, hospitality is doing it rough. A stroll through the city CBD will tell you otherwise. Restaurants are packed.

What disturbs me is how soon a restaurant is reviewed after opening and how so many receive a coveted Good Food Guide chef's hat so swiftly. The fact that these are given throughout the year rather than only at the annual award ceremony is, to me, overkill. You would be hard pressed as a fine food lover to eat in a restaurant that didn't have a chef's hat in Sydney.

Too many hats are given out in Australia. This is purely my opinion, but I think the criteria needs to be far stricter. Kudos to the guide for mentioning venues that didn't quite make the grade, ones that are special for other reasons. But the speed of a hat given soon after opening and the sheer volume of them being given out is just too much, too soon.

Having visited so many hatted restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, many are excellent, but many are just delivering what is normal for an operation. They give us good service, good food, good wine and a comfortable room. These are the basic expectations when going out for lunch or dinner.

Due to the volume of hats awarded, one must wonder what makes the venues exceptional. This is why I truly hope that Michelin comes to Australia, and soon. They will, far more than the Good Food Guides, which have become a little uppity and know-it-all these past couple of years, make restauranteurs sit up and re-evaluate their criteria. Michelin truly reflects the best of the best, with far stricter scoring parameters.

If we compare Michelin and the Australian Good Food Guide Awards, one thing sticks out as a pivotal point of difference. Michelin inspectors do not have a face or a name. They are the spies of the culinary world. There are many, they are literally undercover and thus, the restaurant is unaware of their presence, other than the fact that they mostly dine solo and make a last-minute booking, which seems to raise alarm bells. Countries where Michelin are represented are also aware of the ceremony timing, so the possibility of inspection is heightened in the weeks just prior to the event.

The Good Food Guide Awards event date is well publicized each year, but restaurants don’t have to wait to receive a chef’s hat, as hats are often given out once a venue is reviewed throughout the year.

On Monday November 11, 2025, the SMH Good Food Guide Awards were held at a lavish ceremony at the Sydney Opera House. We are many months away from the 2026 ceremony. But hats are being awarded when new restaurants are reviewed all through the year. On January 23 this year, a very new Bistro in Sydney’s Inner West was instantly awarded two hats. This far out from the ceremony.

This dilutes the awards and shows a very strong point of difference in prestigiousness between them and Michelin. Restaurants honoured by Michelin, have a tougher time getting their star(s) and repeat visits by inspectors to confirm consistency are common.

The Good Food Guide reviewers are also well known, even listed in the guide. Photographs too. We know their faces. Isn't it easier to perform at peak excellence when you KNOW there is a reviewer in the house?

As a fine-dining enthusiast that's been at it for decades (and not stopping anytime soon), I have far more faith in the Michelin model. Sure, there are plenty of one-star establishments around the world, but it's not saturation, as it seems to be in Australia, with our Guides that award so easily. This creates a dining landscape where a chef's hat as a coveted award is not so special. Exceptional experiences in that instance, are few and far between.

I reiterate that Australia has some of the finest chefs and restaurants on the planet. The full experience, well reflected in excellent service that stands us apart, makes the destination memorable for anyone who ventures this far to our shores.

But let's keep things rarified and special. Mr. Michelin, we are waiting for you. I for one, will be fascinated who does, and who doesn't make your grade. I think there are many surprises in store when that day comes.