The city failed to earn a star for another year despite Simon Rogan’s The French and Manchester House run by Aiden Byrne being long-tipped for recognition.
Speaking after the launch of the 2017 Guide in London yesterday (3 October), Burr told BigHospitality that she was aware of the ongoing pressure for the city to get Michelin’s attention.
“I think people are like ‘everyone’s getting on Michelin’s back about Manchester, lets join in!” she joked.
“While it’s great that there’s a campaign that the good people of Manchester are getting behind…we went to Manchester this year and didn’t see [that quality]. But you could say the same for Liverpool or some other cities.
“Everybody’s got an opinion but today was our opinion. I think it’s great that everyone is on board and wants to see something in Manchester - but we didn’t find it.”
Despite the debate, the city did receive a Bib Gourmand - awarded to restaurants serving three courses for under £28 - for tapas restaurant El Gato Negro.
The magic number
The 2017 Guide also marked the sixth year in a row that there have been no new Three Star restaurants announced.
Though Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck regained its triple rating after relocating to Australia for nine months, the last brand new entrant to receive Three Stars was Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester back in 2010.
There are currently just four Three Star restaurants in the UK, including The Waterside Inn (Bray) and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (London).
But rather than pushing for a third star, Burr advised the UK's Two Star chefs to 'continue what they’re doing and keep moving on'.
“It’s really difficult because I think sometimes there’s this inherent longing for restaurants that have Two Stars to go to Three, but that’s not always in some chef’s spectrums,” said Burr.
“Two Stars is still a fantastic accolade within itself, [those restaurants] aren’t doing anything wrong, but the Three Star is the top level in the world.”
A total of 20 restaurants gained stars this year, while 24 were awarded a Bib Gourmand for the first time.
Burr told BigHospitality she was happy the UK was a ‘healthy scene’ with lots of people striving for stars.
“There’s a breed of chefs in the UK at the moment that want to encourage and mentor other chefs in their team, so it just means there will be more talent in the future,” she said.
For a full list of this year’s new stars click here.
To see the new Bib Gourmand recipients click here.