Shanghai diner closes day after getting Michelin star

Taian Table — one of 26 restaurants in the city to receive Michelin stars — “suspended” business on Thursday “due to internal reorganisation”, a notice on its front door said.

The starred establishment, on the ground floor of a five-storey residential building in downtown Shanghai, serves Western dishes ranging from grilled endives to smoked beets by chef Stefan Stiller, according to the restaurant’s web site.

The “graceful restaurant” has a menu that “changes monthly and makes good use of excellent ingredients and clever recipes,” according to the Michelin description.

It opened for business in April.

The diner was previously ordered to shut down by local officials due to lack of proper licences, the Xinmin Evening News reported Friday, adding authorities stepped in after neighbours complained.

Residents who live above the restaurant told AFP the kitchen smoke and noise interrupted their normal life, and they petitioned local regulators to have the diner shut down.

“The noise is always there, with the stereo subwoofer vibrating. It’s so hot where we live, but we can’t open our windows,” Zhang Fuzhen, who live on the second floor of the building.

Michelin launched its inaugural China guide Wednesday to great fanfare.

The guides, first published in France more than a century ago to promote automobile travel, now cover 28 countries and spotlight diverse cuisines including Brazilian, Burmese, Cajun, Peruvian, and Tibetan.

Restaurants recognised by the culinary bible have used the prestigious award to build big businesses, with Hong Kong’s Tim Ho Wan and Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung turning into international franchises.

The original idea for the restaurant was “to build a small place to entertain our friends and to have some foodies and chef friends around to create new and creative dishes,” Taian Table said in a statement, adding “we certainly never intentionally planned to violate any rules.”

The company, it said, plans to reopen the after relocating to a new address, adding “I apologise to all the guests who have booked seats already for the coming weeks.”

Michelin in China did not immediately reply to a request for comment.