The pursuit of attaining (and maintaining) a Michelin star is the life’s work of many of the greatest chefs and fine-dining restaurants in the world. It’s a symbolism of quality, food provenance, creativity, experience and, critically, extremely tasty food.

So tasty, that it’s well worth travelling for! Indeed, the Michelin Guide was born as a marketing ploy from the tyre company of the same name to encourage motorists to travel afar and thereby boost their car and tyre sales.

Here in the land down under, however, it’s only Qantas benefitting as no Australian restaurants have a Michelin star and the closest starred restaurants are in Singapore, some 4,374km away.

This is not to say Australian restaurants are not worthy of a Michelin star. Many of the country’s most coveted restaurants are just as dedicated to their craft and many of the top chefs have trained in Michelin establishments across the world, then returned to Aus…who wouldn’t?

Well, what makes a restaurant coveted if not a star?

Australia has two well-known food organisations that critique restaurants. One is the Australian Good Food & Travel Guide (AGFG), and the other is the Good Food Guide (GFG).

That’s not a typo. The former was established in 1977 having been inspired by the Michelin Guide, while the latter is a FairFax media publication initially written by The Age in 1979 and now spans each of the major Aussie jurisdictions in their respective papers…who knows where their inspiration came from, hey.

What makes this even more confusing is that both guides use ‘Hats’ as their symbol of quality. The AGFC gives out one to four hats following a set criterion of scoring, whereas the GFG uses a one to three hat rating. For both systems, the top hat scores are not given out often and it’s largely agreed they’re synonymous to a 3-star Michelin Restaurant. No restaurant has ever scored the top marks by the AGFC – an elusive 20/20. Scores of 19/18 get 3 hats, scores of 17/16 get 2 hats and those with 15/14 get 1 hat.

In 2023, just four restaurants scored 19: Vue de Monde in Melbourne, Quay in Sydney, Brae in Victoria, and Oncore by Clare Smyth in Sydney. The latter is a brilliantly witty title and continuation from her three Michelin-starred restaurant Core in London. She’s also the first female to be awarded three-stars in the UK. Not adverse to pushing boundaries, this begs the question: will the Michelin Guide start to cover Australia?

The Michelin take over

While Clare Smyth is the first chef to head up a Michelin restaurant, and have a permanent residency in Australia, 2023 has seen a trio of three Michelin-star restaurants travel to Aus for sell-out pop-ups across New South Wales.

Setting the trend, France’s Mirazur (crowned Best Restaurant in the World in 2019) had a residence at Pier One in Sydney in August. While July, welcomed Norway’s Maaemo set up at Berowra Waters Inn, meanwhile Cumbria’s (UK) L’Enclume used the kitchens of Bathers’ Pavillion in the same month.

That’s not to say this hasn’t happened before. The most notable previous restaurant residency was Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Melbourne, where it enjoyed a fully booked six-month tenure back in 2015. Similarly, Rene Redzepi’s Noma set up a 10-week residency (which sold out within seconds) at Barangaroo in Sydney.

Is it time to take off the hats?

So why hasn’t the Michelin Guide come to Australia? Without any formal statement or discussion on the matter, it’s difficult to answer why hatted restaurants are yet to receive star status.

One reason could be that the Michelin Guide is innately European, with criterion borne from a classically French way of doing things. Australian fine dining establishments are proudly less formal with a non-stuffy service that lets the food do the talking, but is still well worth travelling for. While we know this, it may not fit the bill for the Michelin committee.

Perhaps it could be to do with the logistical problem of finding reviewers well-versed in the elusive Michelin system. Who would want to visit our incredible cities, taste the merits of our diverse ecosystem and enjoy a day on the beach in crystal clear seas? Agreed, this argument is poor.

Far more likely is that the Australian fine dining scene is relatively new. In recent years, the culinary scene has been thriving exponentially. With a strong influence from Asia, indigenous ingredients and some of the best seafood on the planet, the land down under has become a destination for foodies and wine lovers in its own right – so who really cares?

The trend of Michelin-starred establishments taking residency in Australia certainly indicates that the Michelin Guide ought to be on its way, or it could be argued that this presumption suggests Australia’s hats don’t fit their purpose. What’s clear is that the lack of Michelin coverage has given rise to a proudly Aussie culinary scene that has the room to be creative, set its own standards, focus on customer experience and is attracting more and more tourists each year. Who uses Michelin tyres anyway?