The announcement, released yesterday (Dec 9), comes ahead of the official release of “The Michelin Guide Bangkok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Phang-Nga 2022” to be held in Bangkok Thursday next week (Dec 16).
In total, 133 restaurants and street food establishments are featured in the 2022 Bib Gourmand selection. Of those, 71 are in Bangkok, 23 in Chiang Mai, 29 are in Phuket & Phang Nga, and 10 are in Ayutthaya – covered for the first time in the fifth edition of The Michelin Guide in Thailand.
The new edition includes 33 first-time entries ‒ nine in Bangkok, 10 in Ayutthaya, six in Chiang Mai, and eight in Phuket & Phang Nga ‒ and six “promoted entries: two each in the Bangkok Chiang Mai, and Phuket & Phang Nga listings.
The 2022 Bib Gourmand selection highlights span a mix of restaurants, street food venues and hawker stalls.
Notably, the number of Bib Gourmand eateries under the “Street Food” category outnumbers that of those under the “Restaurant” category in Bangkok (39 street food establishments vs. 32 restaurants) and Ayutthaya (six street food establishments vs. four restaurants).
The Bib Gourmand distinction, symbolized by the famed ‘Bibendum’ or ‘Michelin Man’ licking his lips, is awarded to eateries that offer quality cuisine carefully prepared and reasonably priced with very good value-for-money at a maximum of B1,000, for a three-course meal of starter, main course, and dessert – exclusive of beverage.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guides, noted, “This year’s Bib Gourmand selection enjoys having Ayutthaya as an additional gastronomic city of focus that reflects Thailand’s vibrant culinary scene. This charming city made its grand debut, with 10 Bib Gourmand recipients – four of which are restaurants and six are street food venues.
“The outnumbering of Bib Gourmand entries in the street food versus the restaurant category in Ayutthaya, as well as in Bangkok, signifies that both cities – the former and the current capital cities of today’s Thailand – are perfect destinations for good-value street food.”
Among the eight new additions to the 2022 Bib Gourmand list, added to the Phuket & Phang Nga section are:
Krua Tonfon, a roadside restaurant serving authentic Southern Thai recipes with local ingredients – including stir-fried pork with shrimp paste and bitter bean, and curry with crab legs and betel leaves;
Mook Manee, a restaurant famous for fresh seafood menu with highlights such as the steamed blue swimming crab, the Phuket lobster and spicy dip, and the stir-fried mantis shrimps with garlic and chilli;
Pathongko Mae Pranee, a street food stall that satisfies its customers for years with Pathongko (deep-fried dough sticks) and Salapao Tod (deep-fried buns), among other treats.
Meanwhile, two of the six entries promoted to the 2022 Bib Gourmand list were included in the Phuket & Phang Nga section:
Krua Kao Kuk (Phuket Town), a restaurant serving notable dishes among the homely authentic Paranakan-style offerings – such as the lemongrass soup with sweet clams, the dry stir-fried minced pork with holy basil, and the fried kingfish with soy sauce; and
Kha Mu Boran (Kathu), a three-decade-old street food eatery that serves above-the-average version of rice with pork legs, braised until falling off the bones, with Thai kale and pickled mustard greens, plus sipping broth that comes with meaty bones and innards of choice.
“During these challenging times for the restaurant industry, support and encouragement are very important. We hope that the Bib Gourmand distinction will help strengthen the soul of restaurant entrepreneurs, food stall vendors, and all workers in the industry, to adapt and increase their resilience to overcome all the challenges,” said Michelin Guides International Director Mr Poullennec.
“For foodies, we hope the Bib Gourmand selection inspires them to discover or rediscover the pleasure of dining high-quality food at budget-friendly prices, which – on the other hand – serves as a great encouragement for those in the restaurant industry,” he added.
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