Why is Michelin even relevant ? Wasn’t it started by a map company in France? Totally irrelevant. I was in one in France. I have been to better. In fact I went to a place in Paris that was up and coming. Better than L’Argent in my opinion. But unless you are a French super chef how would you know what makes the difference from an inspired place and an old standard. Kind of like judging $100+ bottles of wine. How many people have even had a $100 bottle and could see that a $1000 bottle is worth ten times more. I was given a $150 bottle of Chateau Lafifte. It went up to $1500/bottle beacause the Chinese were buying every high end Bordeaux. Went back to $450. Drank it with wine snob friends. It still was the same wine no matter what the value. Tasted good. But like these Michelin restaurants the main value is snob appeal.
The proof is in the pudding…
San Tung SELLS OUT every night it is open. On any, any, scale that means it is a good restaurant. No one can argue that. Does it have a Michelin star??? Heck no!!! Does the owner care??? Heck NO!!!
You guys still don’t get it. It’s not about Michelin restaurants. Why is your beloved San Tung not in Fresno but in the great SF?
We have a large base of foodies here in SF. Or in any of the cities on that list. Some of these people are willing to spend $$$ on fancy restaurants. That’s why there are so many Michelins here in town. But that also means it trickles down to other less fancy, less expensive restaurants.
It’s an ecosystem. It’s like if you see a lot of sharks in the water that means there are large number of other fishes there too, that the ecosystem is healthy. You don’t need to care for the sharks to appreciate this.
What is the best restaurant in SF? The best fine dining restaurant in Tahoe is Evans ,.5 mile from my house. He is a friend. But I only go there a few times a year. Fine dining is overrated and overpriced. Not many go even when they can afford it.
Yet, up to its soon closing, the supposedly best restaurant in the world is in Copenhagen, Denmark??? Michelin don’t mean jack except good tires!!! (LOL)
Noma, voted the world’s best restaurant, is closing (msn.com)
If the restaurant is currently in the MICHELIN Guide then they don’t need to apply for a Star, as all the restaurants in the guide are re-assessed regularly. Any restaurant can ask us to consider them for inclusion in the MICHELIN Guide and we love receiving recommendations from our readers too.
Alibaba the Chinese e-commerce site, fell 7% in Hong Kong trading on Monday after reports the company is moving its headquarters out of the country. Alibaba (ticker: HK:9988) to be building a new campus in Singapore, according to the reports, which could become its global headquarters.
Cha-ching!!! Mo money, mo people for Singapore…
I will still bank on the spillage over…
Here is a typical story of a Singaporian couple moving to Malaysia for retirement:
They have hardwood floors 
I liked how he said, we bought in 10 minutes… yeah, no sheeeet
So from what the guy shows on video, Penang hasn’t changed all that much from almost 20 years ago when I visited. Tells me the real estate probably hasn’t appreciated a great deal because society seems not to be making much progress. Notice the guy said they take walks in shopping malls to get exercise because it’s too hot and humid outside? And they live right next to a beach. So what’s the beach good for?
Again, no place is perfect but he has been there for 15 YEARS!!! And look at him and his wife, do they look unhappy??? NO!!!
Actually the wife doesn’t look that healthy TBH. Probably need to walk and exercise more. Can’t be too healthy just being cooped up in an air-conditioned condo.
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Frankly, after watching the YouTube video, think better stay in Singapore.
If I had to choose between Singapore and Penang, yes, I’d choose SG.
SG is much more walkable. Penang is car-dependent. I am not sure if the wife goes out of their condo all that often. SG has much more stuff to do. In Penang they are either reading Bible or reading crap on the Internet, and occasionally take walks in shopping malls. Zero friends. No family.
Looks very sad.
I checked the weather. I could deal with the heat but…85-90% RH?
That could be difficult.
Talk about dealing with tough conditions here’s a 15 year old who went to Malaysia. Six days with no water on Southeast Asia seas? Woulda wasted anyone here.
Nooo, even the teen wanted to go to Malaysia… LOL
Gotta say that it’s pretty funny that the one thing @manch and @hanera agree on is that Penang stinks!
I like Penang, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t want to spend the rest of my life there.
Saw on Quora:
Where did you go for vacation and did not enjoy much?
Bali.
I’m not really a traveller, I’ve got no interest whatsoever. But my wife is, and her family have gone to Bali so many times that it’s practically a second home.
We stayed in Legian, an area my partner had been to many times. Close to markets and the beach, and reasonably close to a lot of the touristy stuff.
She wanted to show me and our children the place she loved so much.
We went there for two weeks, and I hated every second.
Don’t get me wrong, the people there are wonderful, I always felt welcome wherever we were, but it’s just a destination that really didn’t suit me.
I loved the food, but I couldn’t stand the heat. I’m not a hot climate guy, I start sweating at 25°C, and Bali is tropical. Every day we were there was over 30° and it was humid as fuck. I was just constantly sweating.
The dining was awesome… or it could have been. The atmosphere was great, the food was both affordable and good quality. I was just so hot I couldn’t properly enjoy it.
I could not get any comfort, not even in our room with the aircon running full blast. I couldn’t think straight, I felt like I stuck to everything and I couldn’t deal with the smell of my own sweat.
Walking around was a nightmare. And just going out to eat was a chore. I got tired of travelling 30–40 minutes for every meal, everyone jammed in a taxi, cramped and hot AF.
I hated shopping. I know some people like buying all the knockoffs and souvenirs, but it’s just not my scene. Just more stuff you don’t need to take home.
I hated the markets with a passion. I just did not get the appeal at all.
And man, I hate haggling. I don’t like arguing over something so trivial, I just want to make my purchase and carry on with my day.
It just completely overwhelmed me as well. I’m a heavily introverted guy, wherever we went, there were just too many people, too loud, too close.
It burnt me out to the point that going home actually felt like the vacation to me.