All this talk of rigged elections has put us right in the mood for the announcement of the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau 2017. The ninth edition was launched at The Ritz-Carlton just this morning, and was a seriously star-studded reception, featuring the best chefs in the region. While there were a few surprises (though less than last year's catastrophe, thankfully), it was a pretty ho-hum affair. None of the eight three-starred restaurants from last year's guide lost their ranking, and the newly starred restaurants were deserving of their place in the list. Here's the full list, with a few observations too:

Michelin Guide Hong Kong 2017

3 stars: Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey

Bo Innovation

L'Atélier de Joël Robuchon

Lung King Heen

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo – Bombana

Sushi Shikon

T’ang Court





2 stars: Excellent cooking, worth a detour

Amber

Caprice

Duddell’s

Forum

Kashiwaya (NEW)

Ming Court

Pierre

Ryu Gin

Shang Palace

Summer Palace

Sun Tung Lok (TST)

Ta Vie (NEW)

Tenku Ryu Gin

Tin Lung Heen

Yan Toh Heen

1 star: High quality cooking, worth a stop

Ah Yat Harbour View

Akrame

Beefbar (NEW)

Celebrity Cuisine (down from 2)

CIAK – In The Kitchen

Épure (NEW)

Fu Ho (TST)

Golden Valley

Guo Fu Lou

Ho Hung Kee

IM Teppanyaki & Wine (NEW)

Jardin de Jade

Kam’s Roast Goose

Lei Garden (Kwun Tong)

Lei Garden (Mong Kok)

Lei Garden (North Point)

Loaf On

Man Wah

Mandarin Grill + Bar

MIC Kitchen

ON

Pang’s Kitchen

Peking Garden (Central)

Qi (Wan Chai)

Sai Kung Sing Kee

Seasons

Serge et le Phoque

Spring Moon (NEW)

Sushi Tokami (NEW)

Sushi Wadatsumi

Tate

Tim Ho Wan (North Point)

Tim Ho Wan (Sham Shui Po)

Tosca

VEA (NEW)

Wagyu Kaiseki Den

Wagyu Takumi (down from 2)

Yat Lok

Yat Tung Heen (Jordan)

Yè Shanghai (TST)

Zhejiang Heen

Out of the stars: Fook Lam Moon, Golden Leaf, Kazuo Okada, Lei Garden (Central, Kowloon Bay, Sha Tin, Wan Chai), Spoon, The Boss, Yu Lei, YUE

Michelin Guide Macau 2017

3 stars

Robuchon au Dôme

The Eight

2 stars

Feng Wei Ju (NEW)

Golden Flower

Jade Dragon

Mizumi (NEW)

The Tasting Room

1 star

King

Lai Heen (NEW)

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo

Pearl Dragon (NEW)

Shinji

Terrazza

The Golden Peacock

The Kitchen

Tim’s Kitchen

Wing Lei

Ying (NEW)

Zi Yat Heen

Some observations

The Peninsula – finally: Persistent rumours of a long-standing beef between the Guide and The Peninsula seems to have been put to rest this year, with the TST hotel’s Spring Moon picking up a much-deserved star. Maybe next year we’ll see the exquisite Gaddi’s make the cut, too.

Épure and VEA: These two restaurants were tipped for big things when they opened to bookend 2015. While VEA opened a little too late to be in with a shot last year, Épure was unlucky to miss out. It was something of an open secret in the industry that both were after stars, and they’ve been rewarded as they continue to push the boundaries of contemporary cuisine in Hong Kong. These are probably the best news stories of the Guide.



Amber: What does Richard Ekkebus have to do to get his third star? His Landmark restaurant has been at the forefront of Hong Kong’s dining scene for over a decade, and has been rightly recognised as one of the finest eateries in the world on S.Pellegrino’s list of the 50 Best. Michelin seems stubbornly insistent on keeping him locked at two stars. When will they recognise the huge impact he's had on our dining scene?

Ta Vie: Hideaki Sato continues to climb the ranks on the Michelin list. Last year he made his debut on the list after having been opened for only half a year. He’s up to two this year. Could number three be around the corner?

Spoon by Alain Ducasse: The French master’s formerly two-starred restaurant has fallen off the Michelin radar. After being downgraded last year from two to one, he’s out of the action altogether this year in a surprise result.

Yat Tung Heen: The biggest applause in the room was for this Cantonese diner in Jordan. The Wan Chai branch is a one-time star-holder, but the love never stretched to the outpost in Jordan. A continuing dedication to fine Cantonese cuisine has been recognised with the dining room’s first star.

Mandarin Oriental holds strong: While the surprise departure of mastermind Uwe Opocensky from his Mandarin Grill + Bar earlier this year could have seen the progressive restaurant take a dip (look to the fall from Michelin grace that Philippe Orrico's Upper Modern Bistro has experienced with its revolving door kitchen), the Michelin inspectors didn't seem to notice a thing, with the restaurant yet again holding its star. Opocensky has told Time Out that he has plans for an intimate, experimental dining room, so watch this space as far as more stars go for the Dutchman.

And while we're at it... Don't forget to pick up our sister publication, the annual WOM Guide. Now in its 12th year, it's the definitive list of what to eat in Hong Kong, written by Hongkongers, for Hongkongers. Look out for the orange-covered tome in all good bookstores soon!