Michelin Guide unveils inaugural Busan selections

Michelin Korea Managing Director Jerome Vincon, 17th from left, poses with chefs of restaurants in Seoul and Busan recognized by the Michelin Guide during an annual ceremony held in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap

BUSAN — Korea's southeastern port city became the second Korean city to join the Michelin Guide, Thursday, with 25 selected restaurants, 15 Bib Gourmand establishments and three one-starred restaurants acknowledged by the coveted culinary guide.

The Michelin Guide unveiled this year’s selection of 177 restaurants in Seoul and 43 in Busan during its annual event held in Busan.

“After seven editions of the Michelin Guide Seoul, the luminous culinary waves have now arrived in the sparkling and dynamic city of Busan for this eighth edition,” Jerome Vincon, the managing director of Michelin Korea, said in an opening speech.

“We are thrilled to witness the development of the dining scene in both Busan and Seoul and share it with international tourists and foodies outside of Korea through the Michelin Guide."

“Due to its historical background of embracing Korean War refugees, the city offers unique and rich culinary diversity with a blend of food cultures from eight different provinces throughout Korea, making it an attractive culinary destination for gourmets,” said Lee Jun-seung, the vice mayor of administrative affairs of Busan Metropolitan City.

“The selection of the Michelin Guide today will motivate local restaurants for further growth and serve as a catalyst driving Busan’s future growth as a world-class tourism hub."

Based on the monthslong evaluation by its team of anonymous inspectors, the Michelin Guide selects the best culinary talents and restaurants around the world.

Their evaluations are based on five criteria: quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking, harmony of flavors, personality of the chef through the cuisine and consistency both over time and across the entire menu.

However, under such criteria, Busan has been considered less favorable to win the Michelin Star recognitions within the travel and restaurant industry due to the lack of fine dining restaurants and local food traditions that serve several dishes on a table altogether.

The three restaurants in Busan that won the One Star recognitions were Palate in Nam District, and Fiotto and Mori in Haeundae District.

This year’s Bib Gourmand selections for Busan, which distinguish quality restaurants that offer refined cuisine at affordable prices of under 40,000 won ($30), featured a wide range of iconic regional delicacies.

For example, the selection included restaurants serving “naengmyeon,” or cold noodles with a North Korean origin, and pork rice soup, another representative dish of the city made by refugees to maximize the use of meat available during and after wartime.

Vinho and L’impression from Seoul’s Gangnam District and Haobin at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel have also joined the list of one-starred restaurants.

Also, Mitou and Restaurant Allen from Seoul’s Gangnam District have newly earned two-star recognitions.