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The 2013 Michelin Guide for France has been released and the results place the country firmly back on top of the culinary ladder, alongside Japan.
The country now has 27 three-starred-restaurants thanks to the the latest award to chef Arnaud Donckele at La Vague d’Or.
Five restaurants gained their second stars - La Table du Kilimandjaro, William Frachot, Yoann Conte, Ile de Noirmoutier, Auberge du Pont d’Acigne and La Marine - taking the country's total to 82.
A whopping 39 establishments gained their first star, taking the grand total of one star restaurants in France to 487.
Arnaud Donckele has now become the youngest chef in the country to be awarded the top accolade by Michelin.
With 27 three star restaurants, France is now on par with Japan as one of the two countries in the world with the most three star restaurants, but it wasn't all good news for the country. Two restaurants lost both their stars - L'Espadon and Alain Chapel - three restaurants went from two to one - Bigarrade, Le Saint-James and Restaurant des Rois - and 35 restaurants in total lost their one star rating.
Three Michelin stars mean exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey. Two signifies excellent cooking that's worth a detour and one star shows a very good restaurant in its category.
