The MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau 2013 celebrates five years of expert recommendations.

Michelin has launched the fifth edition of the bilingual MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau which reflects the sustained improvement in the quality of restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau. The new edition also highlights the fast changes in the industry and the increasing richness and diversity of the delicacies to be found in the two cities.

The latest Hong Kong Macau guide, with 40% changes and new entries, includes 286 establishments in Hong Kong (244 restaurants and 42 hotels) and 62 establishments in Macau (46 restaurants and 16 hotels). It includes 65 new restaurants (51 in Hong Kong and 14 in Macau) and 1 new hotel (in Macau).

In Hong Kong and Macau there are now 5 three-star restaurants (4 in Hong Kong and 1 in Macau), 17 with two-stars (13 in Hong Kong and 4 in Macau) and 46 one-star establishments (44 in Hong Kong and 2 in Macau). The stars show that the best restaurants are keeping their quality, and some new comers are starting with high standards.

The MICHELIN guide Hong Kong Macau 2013 is the perfect guide to finding the best restaurants offering excellent value for money. A total of 63 simple shop restaurants (54 in Hong Kong and 9 in Macau) are included. These basic, local food stalls make-up around 20% of the guide and include noodle shops, Roast meats, Dim Sum, Cantonese, Thai, Ramen noodles and congee eateries, and Vietnamese food stalls. Some of them have even been awarded stars, making them the most affordable starred restaurants in the world.

The guide also features 76 Bib Gourmand restaurants (68 in Hong Kong and 8 in Macau), chosen by the inspectors for their good value. 18 Bib Gourmand restaurants are new to the guide, indicating that there are still a lot of affordable restaurants with top-quality cuisine. These restaurants are particularly popular with readers in these challenging economic times so the list of Bib Gourmands for gourmets looking for great food at an affordable price - a full three-course meal (excluding drinks) costing HKD300 or less (approximately AUD36 or less) – is a very valuable part of the guide.