Michelin Guide 2018: our predictions

We’re huge fans of A Wong at Great British Chefs, an unassuming restaurant in Pimlico that serves dishes based on the regional flavours of China. Head chef Andrew Wong has an incredible knowledge of the country’s vast cuisine and is able to create dishes that stay true to traditional tastes and presents them in a contemporary style. It’s already a favourite with the world’s greatest chefs – Albert Adria and Pierre Koffmann are regularly spotted there – and there really is no one else in the UK doing anything like it.

Ynyshir already has one Michelin star, but many chefs we’ve talked to are certain this is the year it gets a second. Based in the Welsh countryside, it’s all too often assumed the food on offer is classic country house hotel fare, but on closer inspection it’s clear there’s so much more to chef Gareth Ward’s cuisine. Combining the best of Welsh produce with intricate Japanese techniques, the menu is a journey through incredible cooking, inventive presentation and some truly delicious flavours.

It came as a shock when Michael Caines left the two-starred Gidleigh Park to open his own country house hotel, which opened at the beginning of 2017. Now chef-owner of his own business, Michael has created something very special on the Axe Estuary in Devon – one of the UK’s best country house hotels. The food on offer in the restaurant is just as refined and accomplished as when Michael was at Gidleigh, so we can’t see why he won’t get a nod in this year’s Michelin Guide.

Another high profile chef who left a two-star restaurant to do something new, Phil Howard’s decision to close The Square and open Elystan Street has proven to be a good one. While Phil himself said he wanted his new place to be less formal and a bit more relaxed, there’s no denying the food on offer is anything but incredible. Phil’s definition of casual is probably quite a bit different from ours, and the Michelin inspectors will certainly have paid a visit to see what the acclaimed chef is creating at his new venture.

Completing the list of two-starred chefs who have moved on in the past year is Claude Bosi, who closed the celebrated Hibiscus and took up the head chef position at London’s Bibendum. It’s already become a must-visit for any lover of fine food and drink, with Claude focusing more on gutsy French classics than the complex tasting menus of his past. Saying that, there’s plenty of the chef’s inimitable talent on show, with little amuse bouches and deft touches certainly putting Bibendum into Michelin star territory. It is, of course, also housed in the old Michelin headquarters, so a star would be a fitting reward for the chef’s hard work.

Brighton has become one of the best places for food and drink in the UK over recent years, with dozens of incredible restaurants and trendy bars lining its streets. The chef at the forefront of the city’s culinary scene is Michael Bremner, who opened 64 Degrees a few years ago. With a concise menu of small plates to pick and choose from inspired by cuisines from all over the world, you’re bound to try something you’ve never had before. After his win on this year’s Great British Menu, the next logical step is a sticker of a Michelin star stuck on the front door.

64 Degrees is certainly Brighton’s most well-known restaurant, but closer to Hove lies The Little Fish Market – an equally worthy winner. With just one chef (Duncan Ray) and one person running front of house (Rob Smith), it’s a small, one menu establishment that makes the most of local fish and seafood. Duncan previously worked at The Fat Duck, but don’t expect lots of dry ice and sous vide – he prefers to cook things simply, and does so with impeccable skill.

Moor Hall has been a good few years in the making, but has now been running at its full potential for a good year. Chef Mark Birchall was previously head chef at Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume, so certainly knows how to put together a plate of food worthy of a Michelin star. The restaurant itself is housed inside a beautiful building that also includes a hotel and a more casual restaurant that’s only just opened, and we’re sure Mark will be getting a star either this year or the next.