While being a foodie doesn't necessarily constitute going for the most expensive food you can find, it certainly can't be avoided – seeing that a lot of people are willing to pay big money to get the best-of-the-best in their bellies.
However, price doesn't determine how good food is. You could get the best tasting food you've ever had in your life from a cozy mom-and-pop shop in a low-cost housing area. Inversely, you could also get the most revolting and sorry excuse for a meal at one of the swankiest establishments around.
When it comes to the coveted Michelin star(s), price isn't necessarily an important factor. It can tip either way on the money scale. What matters most is the dining experience, and of course, the taste.
The gastro-fiends at Sydney-based international foodie magazine Chef's Pencil researched the menus of 450 two-to-three-starred restaurants all over the world, according to the latest Michelin Guide. With this, they released their rankings of the world's most affordable and most expensive places to dine out at a top-rated Michelin restaurant.
Here's the lowdown.
Thailand is the most affordable country in the world to dine out at a top-rated Michelin restaurant.
The prices that were put into focus relate to a Michelin restaurant's tasting menu, which is usually an eight-to-12 course meal for dinner.
And for Thailand, the average tasting menu price was recorded at US$173 (per head, excluding drinks and tax). This makes it the most affordable country in the world to have a Michelin meal. Affordable if you're earning in U.S. Dollars, of course.
Thailand is also the only Southeast Asian country that finds itself in the Top 10 most affordable countries. Chef's Pencil stresses that the country's affordability could be attributed to its geography and the strength (or lack thereof) of the local currency, the Baht.
Couple this with inflation and the standard of living, it's not hard to believe that a Michelin meal isn't so inaccessible if you've got extra cash to spend on a special occasion.
Rounding off the Top 10 most affordable countries are Ireland (US$212), South Korea (US$213), Taiwan (US$213), Portugal (US$217), Spain (US$218), Belgium (US$224), Austria (US$230), the Netherlands (US$236), and Germany (US$247).
Interestingly, when looking at things on a micro scale and honing in on the most affordable cities, Thailand's capital – Bangkok – also comes out on top at an average tasting menu price of US$168 at a two-starred Michelin restaurant. But if you look carefully, you can even find tasting menus as low as US$105.
"Bangkok’s fine dining scene has grown spectacularly over the past 10-to-15 years and has caught up with Asia’s fine dining heavy weights such as Singapore, Seoul, and Tokyo," Chef's Pencil says.
Singapore is the second most expensive country in the world to dine out at a Michelin restaurant.
The average full tasting menu in Lion City costs a whopping US$364, more than double the average price of the same offerings in Thailand. But really, are you that surprised?
Singapore, even without its fancy Michelin restaurants (and there are a ton of them), already ranks as one of the most expensive places in the world to live in, in both a country and city perspective. And it's not just a one-time thing either. The country consistently finds itself in various Top Five or Top 10 lists detailing the most expensive countries in all sorts of categories.
Naturally, this also means that the standard of living in the city-state is significantly higher than its neighbors, Malaysia and Indonesia. And with a higher standard of living comes higher purchasing power.
To top it all off, the country also holds the strongest currency in Southeast Asia, with US$1 being S$1.35 at current exchange rates. So yeah, not surprising. It all makes sense.
Denmark and its capital Copenhagen take the top spots for most expensive country and city to dine out at a Michelin restaurant, with average tasting menu prices coming in at US$404 and US$448 respectively.
As for the rest of Southeast Asia, they didn't make it into any of the Top 10s. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you feel about Michelin restaurants and their standing on the global gastronomy stage.
Take a look at the full rankings here.
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Cover image sourced from Robb Report and Khaosod English.
