Sketch’s The Lecture Room and Library restaurant in Mayfair was the only promotion from two to three stars in the Michelin Guide 2020 for the UK and Ireland.
But there were four new two-star restaurants and 23 new one-star venues among the 187 restaurants awarded stars by Michelin’s inspectors.
Offering a seven-course tasting menu for £120, including caviar, scallops and grouse, Sketch’s Lecture Room is run by head chef Johannes Nuding and overseen by French chef Pierre Gagnaire.
‘Sketch joins four other restaurants at this prestigious level,’ said Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s international director.
Further north, Manchester got its first Michelin star in 40 years thanks to Mana restaurant, run by Simon Martin, a former chef at famous Copenhagen restaurant Noma.
Another new one-star entrant was Nottingham’s Alchemilla, which specialises in plant-based dishes and includes a 10-course menu with wine pairings.
Several restaurants missed out. In London, Galvin at Windows lost its star and sushi destination Araki went from three stars to none after its head chef, Mitsuhiro Araki, returned to Japan.
In Ireland, a wine bar-turned restaurant, Bastion in Kinsale, got its first Michelin star after previously featuring in the Guide’s Bib Gourmand section.
Aimsir in Celbridge, which only opened in County Kildare in May 2019, went straight in at two stars under the guidance of chef Jordan Bailey, formerly of three-star Maaemo in Norway.
Michelin’s sommelier award for 2020 went to Jurica Gojevic, head sommelier at Adare Manor in County Limerick – a job that includes choosing wines for new one-star restaurant The Oak Room.
It was a good year for husband-and-wife teams, which accounted for six of the restaurants gaining their first star, said Michelin.
There were three promotions from one star to two stars in the new Michelin Guide 2020, and these went to:
- La Dame de Pic in London, under chef Anne-Sophie Pic;
- The Dining Room at Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds, with chef Niall Keating;
- and The Greenhouse in Dublin, under chef Mikael Viljanen.
See also: French chef Marc Veyrat loses Michelin star amid cheddar cheese claim
