Beijing's restaurants finally get the chance to be given the big man's vote.

The fat man arrived in the Chinese capital a little late, but in a way just on time, 135 years after his birth in France and as the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China reached its end.

When Andre and Edouard Michelin gave Bibendum, later to become known as Michelin Man or Michelin Tyre Man, to the world in Lyons in 1884 he was accompanied by the Latin motto "Nunc est bibendum", now is the time to drink. Since then there has been plenty of drinking, but it is primarily to eating－and generally very fine eating and dining－that the name Michelin has attached itself. That and tyres of course, many of which were running on the roads of Beijing before the culinary incarnation of Michelin Man finally arrived in November.

In its early years the Michelin Guide covered restaurants mainly in Europe and North Africa, and it was not until 2005 that establishments in the United States got a look in. Michelin in 2008 began casting its eye over Asia when a guide on Hong Kong and Macao was published and finally in 2016 the mainland got into the mix when a guide on Shanghai was published, and in 2018 a guide on Guangzhou, Guangdong province, was published.

In the Beijing guide, three years in the baking, stars have been given to 23 restaurants, one with three stars, two with two and the rest with one.

"Chefs and restaurant operators here have not only inherited the true essence of Beijing taste, but also created an amazing diversity," says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

"Beijing is under the spotlight of the global gastronomic community with many world-famous chefs branching out their businesses here. The booming industry is a demonstration of an ancient yet vibrant city glittering with a combination of classic and modern."

The first edition of the Michelin Guide Beijing includes 100 restaurants, so the 20 percent star-rated ones represents a high proportion of the entries, Poullennec says.

He hopes that with this new Michelin Guide, more connoisseurs will come to appreciate Beijing's abundant food culture and experience the wonderful flavors it has to offer, he says.

As with the Shanghai and Guangzhou guides, the Beijing one has not been without controversy, even if it is a little more muted this time.

The 2020 Shanghai guide was published three months ago, and not one restaurant offering Chinese cuisine was able to attain three stars. The Nanyanglu outlet of the Xin Rong Ji chain was awarded two stars and its Nanjingxilu outlet one star.

In the Michelin Guide Beijing, the Xinyuan South Road outlet of the same chain became the only three-Michelin-star Chinese cuisine restaurant on the mainland.

It impressed the Michelin inspectors with what they said was its uncompromising perfection. From strictly selected ingredients to impeccable cooking skills and exemplary service, every detail is top notch, the guide's critics say.

The menu, focuses on Taizhou cooking with fish from the East China Sea, the guide says, it offers a complete and enjoyable dining experience made possible by "comprehensive orchestration" and "thoughtful arrangement".

Xin Rong Ji won more accolades as its outlets in Jianguomenwai Street and Jinrong Street, Xicheng district received one star each. That brings Xin Rong Ji's haul of stars nationally to eight, something unmatched by any other establishment on the mainland.

Howard's Gourmet's founder and chef Howard Cai thinks even though the Xinyuan South Road branch is a new restaurant, but from tableware to wine set and from the whole design to the atmosphere, Xinyuan South branch is an elevated one in Xin Rong Ji's chain.

The two restaurants in the Beijing guide that snaffle two stars are King's Joy and Shanghai Cuisine. King's Joy, in a classic courtyard house next to Yonghe Temple in Chaoyang district, serves vegetarian fare with organic vegetables from local farms and wild mushrooms from Yunnan.

In Shanghai Cuisine, in Sanlitun, the Shanghainese chef Zhu Haifeng reinterprets classic Shanghai cuisine with a contemporary perspective. Its braised winter melon looks simple yet delivers deep, lingering flavors, and the stuffed field snails are highly recommended.

Poullennec says it is unusual for a vegetarian restaurant to be awarded two stars, so it is a great achievement for King's Joy.

"I feel the number of vegetarian restaurants will definitely grow in the coming years. I see that as a deep trend that the quality of vegetarian restaurant is being pulled up by more and more demanding clients."

Cai says the lack of controversy over the Beijing guide suggests that since the Michelin Guide's entry to China its authors have begun "to mature and are beginning to understand Chinese culture and food culture".

Peking duck, perhaps not surprisingly, is the brightest star in the Beijing guide. Of all the Michelin-starred restaurants and restaurants awarded with Big Gourmand and Plate, 31 restaurants serve roast duck, and 12 of the 23 starred restaurants offer the dish.

The Michelin Guide Beijing has highlighted a Peking duck selection for readers to discern the most outstanding ones.

Among them, Sheng Yong Xing (Chaoyang), Da Dong (Gongti East Road) and Da Dong (Dongsi 10th Alley) each receive one Michelin star.

Jing Yaa Tang, hidden in a quiet hotel in the bustling Sanlitun area, provides an understated luxurious place for dining and the Peking ducks there are prepared in the wood-fired oven.

Among all the restaurants awarded one star, Beijing cuisine is one of the main elements. Family Li Imperial Cuisine (Xicheng) is now run by the fourth generation, who continue faithfully to replicate imperial recipes. Only set menus at set prices are available, and preordering is required.

A wide range of Chinese cuisine styles flourish in Beijing, and more than 30 styles are selected for the first Beijing Michelin Guide. This diversity is reflected in the one-star selection, in which there are Cantonese restaurants such as The Beijing Kitchen, Seventh Son and Lei Garden (Jinbao Tower). In Love (Gongti East Road) serves Hunan dishes and Huaiyang Fu, in Andingmen, Huaiyang food, while Cui Hua Lou, in Chongwenmen, is one of the best restaurants in the city that offers Shandong cuisine.

In the selection list, Chinese restaurants hold the dominant position, while eateries providing exquisite European dishes also receive star recognition. Three European restaurants are awarded one star: Il Ristorante-Niko Romito, in Xinyuan South Road, and Mio, in Liangmaqiao Road, for their Italian cuisine, and The Georg, in Di'anmen, for its European cuisine.

Ten days before the Beijing Michelin Guide was published the Bib Gourmand selection was revealed, with 15 restaurants receiving the award.

The Bib Gourmand distinction was established in 1997 with the aim of allowing consumers to enjoy good food on the move. In China the distinction recognizes restaurants that feature high-quality dishes for less than 200 yuan ($29) for a full meal.

Most of the Bib Gourmand's restaurants feature Beijing snacks such as douzhi, fermented mung bean milk, luzhu, braised pork intestines or blanched tripes.

Rong Cuisine, considered a budget friendly spinoff of the decidedly upmarket Xin Rong Ji, is also included in the selection.

Keaami, in Chaoyang North Road, is the only Thai cuisine restaurant in the guide. That seems odd, given that its average price is more than 200 yuan and that it is included in the Bib Gourmand list together with other Beijing snacks.

Founder and chef of Da Dong, Dong Zhenxiang says in a long comment on the Bib Gourmand list that fermented and smelly snacks can be an establishment's signature offerings, but even though Beijingers may love them, that does not mean there is a wider appreciation for them.

"There are many other fine dishes in Beijing that should be recommended to the world as a way of presenting Chinese cuisine.… The Michelin Guide seems to reflect food of Beijing in bygone days, but the capital's culinary culture has moved on.

"I hope Michelin's inspectors can get a deeper understanding of the places they inspect, and dispense with biased, preconceived ideas so that we can share our love for pure delicacy."

Poullennec is aware of the debate about the Bib Gourmand list, and says it is likely to take more time to be fully understood in Beijing.

The Michelin inspectors spent three years looking at Beijing, he says, and that "we never compromise in the quality of what we select".

Michelin restaurants' five rating criteria are quality of products, mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef represented in the dining experience, harmony of the flavors and consistency between inspectors' visits.

Poullennec thinks they are universal principles that match all cultures.

A Michelin inspector need to be open-minded and show no favor, he says.

"When you wake up as an inspector in the morning, you may say 'Perhaps today I'll have the best meal in my life, one I've never had, one I've always looked forward to having.'

"Eating at a restaurant twice a day is something you should be really passionate about. We need people with very good skills but also a professional background in the industry."

Michelin inspectors are of more than 20 different nationalities and speak 25 languages, and they all reach their decisions together, he says. Among them are Chinese who inspect Chinese-cuisine restaurants not only in China but also worldwide.

Beijing has all the elements to make great progress in the restaurant world, from quality ingredients to many skills, and from talented chefs to very demanding customers, both local and international.

"Beijing's cuisine, with its well-chosen ingredients and rich seasonings, is a jewel in the crown of Chinese and global cuisine."