It looks like Hong Kong is set to become the second Asian city to have its restaurants included in the famous Michelin Guide, however there are mixed feelings...

At present it is confirmed that the Intercontinental Grand Stamford and the Mandarin Oriental have been visited. Once the dinner was paid, the inspector flashed his identity card.

How many others are on the list for a culinary visit is currently unknown and it would be interesting to see the final breakdown percentage of hotel, international chain and local eateries.

However not everyone is excited, skeptical questions are being raised about having foreigners judging Asian cuisine and more.

Below comments were posted in the South China Morning Post on August 18th;

"It's good to have a guide like that, but we can't take it too seriously," local celebrity food critic Hugo Leung was quoted as telling the Post. Chinese cuisines have so many varieties and even a guide like Michelin can't represent everybody's tastes in food."

Vivienne Chow and Dan Kadison quoted in the Post;

"While some in the food and beverage industry are excited by the likely arrival of the famed Michelin guide in Hong Kong, many who specialise in Chinese cuisine believe it will not have a big impact on how people choose where to eat...."

The Michelin Guide refuses to make an official comment about their secret visits to Hong Kong.

What distinguishes the Michelin Guide from other restaurant and hotel guides?

Michelin has been in the business of evaluating and recommending restaurants and hotels for over a century. We employ full-time professional inspectors who anonymously visit restaurants and hotels, and evaluate them on a range of criteria. Our evaluation process has been honed over time to identify consistently high-quality establishments to suit a range of budgets and across a range of styles and cuisines.

If our inspectors are impressed by a restaurant or hotel, they visit the establishment again. And again. It is this sort of obsessive research that makes the Michelin Guide such a reliable source of recommendations. No matter what the occasion, we think you'll find that the Michelin Guide will help you make the perfect choice.

The first edition of the Michelin Guide was published in 1900 aiming to help drivers on the road look after their cars and find decent places to stay and eat while touring. Over the years, it has ventured further afield producing guides covering 22 countries plus cities such as New York and Las Vegas.

Last year, Michelin published its first guide to Tokyo - awarding it 191 stars - more stars than any other city. Eight restaurants received three stars, 25 two stars, and 117 one star.