Michelin nod comes too late for restaurant
While some of the city's top restaurants are enjoying a mini-boom following their inclusion in the first Michelin guide for Hong Kong, for one establishment the famed guide's stamp of approval arrived too late.
Gunga din's, long a favourite for people seeking a reasonably priced English-style Indian curry in the heart of Central, had already shut its doors by the time the French guide awarded it a 'bib gourmand' for outstanding value.
The restaurant's owners were unable to be contacted, although industry sources suggested the decision to close had been related to trouble finding a new investor to help relaunch the establishment.
Michelin's reviewers noted the restaurant had recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and observed that its decor was looking 'a little worn'. 'Old sepia photographs line the walls and there's also the reassuring presence of idols of the Hindu gods Shiva and Ganesh,' the review says. 'However, the subtly spiced traditional cooking remains sharp, with fresh ingredients and strong flavours all served up at a very reasonable price.'
Visitors to the restaurant were greeted for a few weeks with a closed door bearing a sign suggesting it was under renovation. That sign has since disappeared and calls to the restaurant go unanswered.
'We heard a few different things about what was going on there,' said Sandeep Sekri, whose Dining Concepts group runs a number of restaurants in the area. 'There was talk about sale or renovation and about looking for new business partners, but I haven't heard anything about it for a while now.
'Right across Central we have seen the market come off about 10 to 15 per cent,' Mr Sekri said. 'Not only are a lot of the financial institutions and their workers spending a lot less, more concerning for operators in this area is the fact that overseas visitor arrivals are way down as well.'
Michelin group communications director Marie-Benedicte Chevet said it was not the first time a restaurant had closed between being reviewed and the guide's publication.
'It can happen that between the time we prepare the guide and the time it's published - or in the year following publication - a restaurant closes,' Ms Chevet said. 'Of course, we have taken this information into account for next year's selection.'
Additional reporting by Peter So
