Amid uproar on social media over selection of eateries, Penang exco says Michelin Guide is reviewed annually

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 16 — The Michelin Guide reviews its list and star award winners each year, adding new eateries or removing places where quality has dropped, said state exco Yeoh Soon Hin.

The tourism and creative economy committee chairman said the prestigious food guide can downgrade or upgrade any eatery in its list in its annual review.

“This is merely the first year it is here in Malaysia so it is only the beginning of their presence here,” he said at a press conference here.

He said the Michelin Guide inspectors will be back each year to review those in the guide to ensure that they keep to the standards required.

Responding to the uproar on social media over the selection of eateries, Yeoh said the selection of the eateries was not merely based on the food.

“The review mechanism takes into account the quality of the cuisine itself, the ingredients, the overall hygiene, the usage of seasoning powder, fire control, value for money and more,” he said.

He reminded critics that the choices made by the guide are not based on people’s “personal favourites”.

“It is not about your personal preference, taste is subjective and they have a set of criteria that the eateries have to fulfill,” he said.

He added that people should also respect the chefs and eateries that were given the honour by the Michelin Guide.

He said most of the Michelin Guide inspectors graduated from the world’s top culinary schools and have the credibility to judge.

He also said that when the Michelin Guide announces its selection of eateries in countries like Korea and Taiwan, similarly there was uproar by the public in those countries on social media.

Instead of criticising, he said people should look at the big picture of Penang’s eateries being listed in the guide alongside those in Kuala Lumpur.

“This is an internationally-recognised guide in the gastronomy world and having Penang food listed in the guide means that Penang has become a food destination internationally,” he said.

He reminded the public that having Penang eateries listed in the guide will bring with it huge economic impact for the local economy, especially in terms of tourism.