ONLY Eating in 3 Michelin Star Restaurants For 24 HOURS! 

“I tried things I will probably never try again.” What a brilliant and diplomatic line. I love such candor.

I think for most Chinese, good service is unintrusive service. Most locals that dine in Forum will not appreciate a nosy server that comes up to their table after every course and chatting up a storm. They'll find it annoying. It's just a difference in culture. Also I'm pretty sure the course menu is just there to appease foreigners like Alex. Most of the clientele will prefer to order ala carte as per chinese culture. Plus most of the business during the day probably deals with Dim Sum and ala carte orders anyway, so the day shift staff might not be used to serving course meals. I'm guessing that the night staff might provide better service in that regard.

Gifting a bottle of a 1000 euros is a different level of wealth

Thank you @alexandertheguest The Double Breasted Suit that Antonello from 8 1/2 is wearing is Made in Naples, Italy. Made by Dal Duca Sartoria Italiana precisely. We have had the pleasure of dressing up Antonello since 2015. He is a great friend and you just made our day with your appreciation. Grazie Bellissimoooo !!!

My parents are from HK and I grew up Chinese American. I respect Alexander being honest with his feelings while understanding that there can be a difference in our taste and culture in terms of food and service, and appreciate him still trying these delicacies. Thank you for sharing!

the testers ignoring staff and interior is an inclusivity measure. Stars are explicitly meant to be achievable for any price level and any context of cuisine. Of course there is a limit to how bad service can be or how shady the location before it will affect the experience of the food

I dined at a michelling star restaurant in Hong Kong where they served bird nest in brown soup, and it was the best tasting soup I've ever had. Also Canton cuisine actually pairs really well with Champagne and red Burgundy to cut the grease. In term of service, as long as no Cantonese grandma yelling at you in the restaurant, that's already Michelin-star caliber in Hong Kong.

Having spent 20 of my formative years in Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore), the differences between the European and Asian dining experiences can be vast and, critically, targeted to local tastes and customs. Rest assured that highly prized dishes can get a hell of a lot funkier in that part of the world. I am pleased that the Michelin guide takes cultural differences into consideration when it judges restaurants in different regions of the world. It would be a sin if they went in applying European standards. There are countless wealthy Asians who might not enjoy the experience in many European or American three star restaurants. I would be happy with either short and long format. I love all of this content and completely respect and understand your opinions. Hats off and thank you!

I prefer the per-restaurant format. And eating bird spit… definitely interesting!

Shout out to Ben for that $1000 bottle super cool.

I laughed my (censored) off to see Alex so out of his comfort zone at Forum, that is the most quintessential Chinese service you can get. 85-90% of the time in a traditional Chinese restaurant, the service dont do the talking, the food will do it for them. 9:22 hah, the condiments is the most fancy I have ever seen, most of the time, u will get soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and chilli, thats it.

Outside of the bird's nest soup, Forum's dishes look like traditional items Cantonese people would eat quite often, say at casual weekly gatherings. Everything they serve could likely be found at another Cantonese restaurant next door, which also mean it's probably harder to compare and gauge the quality of the dishes if someone grew up with a vastly different palate. Definitely not the standard Michelin restaurant Great vid as always; the long format is nice

Coming from South China/Hong Kong myself I can say that we're not used to being given attention by the staff like most western restaurants. The atmosphere at Forum looks like a typical restaurant where families (of often 5+ members) spend time with each other, and we would not be expecting to interact much with waiters and bussers anyway. As long as our orders arrive on time without issues the service is 10/10

The honesty is what causes me to keep watching these. It's invaluable, makes all the difference in the world

Casually topping all other "Only eat X in 24h" videos 😂👍

i really appreciate the 'not to my taste' approach.

Wow a very full episode. Some interesting dishes, but some that really must be a culture thing🤣. All and all 24 hours with a lot of impressions. I love your enthousiasm.

This is like surviving in the woods for 24h but for rich people

Thank you for another lovely video! I understand why you used this format considering you ate at these three restaurants back-to-back-to-back, so it made it nice to compare. But just like how a restaurant can serve a little too many dishes at once, that’s what I felt like with this video. Quality is excellent and the amount of content is great, but I couldn’t help but feel that if you split it up to three episodes, you would have been able to take more in-depth and in-detail, which is what I like the most about your videos. Still, nice to see another fantastic video from you! Still waiting for your review on the California restaurants!

Your pronunciation of Italian words is impeccable!! Such a great video as always!

Another great offering. I would probably prefer the one video/one restaurant format. I like that you give an honest critique of each restaurant as it makes your opinion more credible.

Otto e Mezzo Bombana Hong Kong , a piece of history worldwide.. incredible place! Thank you Alexander

I also didn't have a good experience with Forum. I ate there in 2018, when they had only 2 stars. Some dishes arrived overcooked, fortunately the service was kind enough to take them off my bill. I don't understand how they got their stars. Abalone is indeed hard to make, I haven't learned to like it until a couple years later :)

Just once in my life I would love to see you completely out of your comfort zone - dare you to review Jay Fai in Bangkok. You can polish her Michelin Star for her between courses.

For ethical reasons I wouldn't have gone for the shark fin soup. Tens of millions of sharks are fished every year, have their fins cut off, and dumped back into the sea. Birds nests are also questionable if I recall correctly.

Amazing video! It's also really cool that you pause to explain some things like the criteria for Michelin stars or how a wine gets corked, I like showing these videos to my Mom and she didn't know some of these things.

I love your channel Alexander! I’m originally from Asia and that’s the culture. It made me laugh to see how perplexed you are. Asians don’t like to be bothered and prefer to just have the food do the talking. Its all about enjoying the taste and nothing else.

Still waiting for that "behind the scenes at Krug" episode or some other pure wine tasting content a la "Alexander the Alcoholic"... long form content is nice, too.

I congratulate your open mindness when trying different restaurants. Also, find it fascinating how every restaurant and food is presented with positive remarks and constructive criticism. Keep up the great job.

Love your vids from Hong Kong, great you enjoyed your time here :)

Just wow! Love the videos always! Love from Hong Kong!

I appreciated the education into Michelin standards and criteria at the top 👍🏼I do enjoy this length, but think in general the single-focused 10-15 minute piece is kind of a sweet spot as well. Occasionally grouping restaurants when circumstances merit like this makes perfect sense.

Love your channel! I prefer the one-restaurant-per-video format.

I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 10 years and found 8 1/2 to be one of the most over rated 3* restaurants anywhere in the world, with Ta Vie not far behind. Very sceptical of the Michelin allocation here in HK. Alexander, you’re now well know enough that you’re not going to get a typical experience at any restaurant you go & need to accept that there will be no meals you’re getting that are getting a genuine experience any more. This is why Michelin inspectors are strictly anonymous.

Alexander's observations and comments this episode are pretty sharp, so sharp to the point that some people would bleed. The discomfort must have been too much for him. Were I a lesser critic, I'd say this was marred with bias; but then he has his standards and expectations. He's just being honest here, albeit diplomatic.

Great as always! Though personally I don't prefer the longer format, I end up having to watch it in several different occasions anyway.

Never thought I'd see the day you pass on wine! Personally I prefer the one-restaurant-per-video format, but this was cool too, especially since they were all in the same place.

One thing the world shows is different strokes for different folks, and your vignettes on the world restaurants proves it. I appreciate the exploration of the many cultures in the food world. I must say I am excited, now Mexico is part of the Michelin universe. I can’t wait for my man to visit Mexican Michelin stars.

I agree with your rating. Prefer one restaurant review at a time. This video seemed a bit rushed. It's always very nice to see the menu.

Thank you for all the great Content ! I would prefer single videos about each Restaurants instead of longer Videos. It makes it easier to look the Videos back up when you want to revisit them.

An obviously European perspective, which the host is entitled to. It's clear he hasn't been to any "real" Chinese restaurants as his expectations were wildly different from the reality we see daily. As successive heads of Guide Michelin has stressed for YEARS, the stars are awarded based on what's on the plate, and so, too, is how Chinese people judge the quality of Chinese restaurants. The "tasting menu" at any Chinese restaurant is never designed for Asians who dine in groups and order à la carte, but for foreigners who show up looking for "a Michelin-star experience" thinking it should be just like in Europe. I do take issue with the comment that the abalone liver dish at 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo "has been on the menu for 30 years". The restaurant has been open for less than 15 years, and my first taste of it from the chef was in 2017. I don't recall tasting it while the chef was involved in the kitchen at the Drawing Room, or even earlier at Toscana. So I wonder where the "30 years" came from.

According to our data at eatlect, this should be Alexander's second video involving restaurants in Hong Kong. With the three featured in this video, there are now 4 restaurants Alexander reviewed in Hong Kong (the one reviewed previously was Caprice). You can find all restaurants Alexander reviewed in our interactive map at eatlect, along with the video links.

Thank you for this content and your candid feedback. I enjoy the longer videos. It enables me to have your channel on at the end of day or at lunch.

food should speak for itself, no pomp and circumstance

Thank you for the video, Alexander & team! I liked the longer format.

I think it was too many restaurants at once. I really enjoy the thorough deep dive into one at a time with your regular content. 😊

This guy is new to high end culinary😂

Excellent music to match the experience of each restaurant. This channel does a wonderful job showcasing really neat restaurants.

I really like your honest opinion on these restaurants, just because its 3 star doesn't mean they're always perfect. Thanks for all the hardwork to put these videos together. Love from HK : )

I love the long-form videos! This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. My friends and I are not super rich, but we do love fine dining. We probably go a super-nice place once or twice a year. The first Three Michelin Star (or any Michelin Star) restaurant I ever went to was a boys trip to The Inn at Little Washington south of DC. a couple years ago. I was absolutely blown away and hooked on at least experiencing it as often as able. I haven't dove super deep into your videos, but it would be amazing if you did a visit there, it's a really great and super cool place. -Also, if you wanted an unknown "local" from DC who also really enjoys fine dining (with a friend from the group who happens to be a level 1 sommelier, haha), then it would be super rad to join you. We would pay for our own meals/wine.

We love the long format! I wish your videos were 45 min long and went through all the details and included educational information

Alaxander makes me feel gulity that i quit drinking when he does the pairings

I enjoy the longer videos. It’s interesting to see you compare experiences. Good for you trying things outside your comfort zone; that’s not an easy thing to do.

The shorter format 1 restaurant per episode it fits RU-vid really well, but if I saw a season of these longer form ones I’d be all in on watching those too. You could definitely carry a long form show. With the longer form it feels like a back door season premier of a new series. A longer form means you lean heavier on your personality because the focus needs to be also on your journey through the restaurants for coherence, and not just each individual restaurant. You have what the cool kids are now calling rizz, so that’s great for you, but you seem so far like you enjoy showing off the restaurants and food more than you enjoy being the star of a show yourself. If the show is long form it needs to have more of you in there because you’re the only thing tying it together. Until this point the restaurants themselves were the focus tying each episode together and you’re more in soft focus in the background a bit. With multiple places per episode you’re in sharper focus and the restaurants are a bit more in the background. You definitely earned the right to do some experimenting in terms of format/etc. I feel like I really love the current work but I’d also be really excited to see more of your personality and a broader range of topics and focus if a format switch happened. With how well you’ve done before my attitude is mainly to have whatever the chef is serving 😂. You’re bringing a ton of passion into each video and I want whatever you’d feel most passionate about making over the next few months. You should just be aware that a longer form will also change the balance of how much you have to carry each episode with your personality. You’re charming and I always leave each episode wishing we saw more of your personality so I think you can handle it well. It’s one issue that could make longer episodes seem less refined if you don’t adjust a bit. When you do novels you have to tie them together differently than short stories for them to work.

If you ever come to Madrid you should try "La Tasqueria", it has a different approach using parts that normally get thrown away

Alex have you received looks or comments about not liking a particular dish? Do you normally send back a dish you don't like or fight through it? The world of fine dining is foreign to me but find your videos fascinating and they make me want to experience meals like this. I do enjoy this longer content and your attention to detail throughout all your videos. Keep it up!

Haha I am definitely going to use the phrase “This has notes of chlorine” the next time I sip a corked wine

Loved the video, as always, but I think I prefer the videos where you take more time just assessing one restaurant. It gives you the ability to go into more detail and makes the experience a little more special for us:) Keep it up, greetings from Germany!

come to Turkey and visit the restaurants here next time

Love the long form!😊

nice video, Alexander! Thanks for the developed descriptions and the beautifully filmed and edited video!

Great video, and I like seeing new formats. I do prefer the more in depth analysis though!

I love the new long format!

Highest respect for ta Vie. Always have special symphathies for couple run restaurants.

That Sake at 17:01 is one of my favorites. Glad you got to try it!

It’s hilarious how much you know about food and restaurants, but so little about chinese restaurant culture haha. I love it

Literally one of the best Foods Shows in the World Right now. Love this channel. U can experiment with content as u wish. We are here to support you!

Thanks for you taking us with you on a journey to 3 restaurants in 24 hours. Personally, I think a visit to a 3-star restaurant is something special. You make it look like work by visiting 3 in a day, especially with the introduction about the Michelin and their scoring system. I rather see you visit one restaurant, per video and make it feel as special as it is dining in places like this. There's no need to add three (or even two) restaurants in one video. Looking forward to your next video, seeing you visiting places I'll probably never get to experience myself. Cheers!

Very high quality content, the longer format works very well.

long or short always enjoy the high production quality, great job

Longer format is great, would prefer focusing on a singular restaurant if this means video output drops though. I think there's enough content in a restaurant to fit a single video if you're doing full courses. Thanks for the video as always! Always respect you pointing out what you like and don't like, regardless of how it may be perceived.

I love the longer format! Also, I would love it if you'd do a Toronto & GTA set of reviews down the line as that's my area and we have some amazing places to eat.

yes, please more long-format videos.

"Soup dumpling with pork". It's called 小籠包. One of the most famous dishes you can get in Taiwan.

Amazing video and concept. Very well done sir.

Another great video format was great

I liked the longer format but it lacked the in depth review I love

LOVE THE LONGER FORMAT! Koszonyuk!

Like the video, but I also enjoy the background, extra info and context the single restaurants get. Good for a one-off but the more in-depth ones are better to me.

i enjoy both long and shorter formats, with this production quality, it doesnt even matter

Quality of the channel keeps improving, good work Alex!

I've actually done three starred restaurants in 24 hours once in Amsterdam, albeit 1,1,2 rather than any 3*s. Certainly none of them were as challenging as Forum! I don't mind the occasional unusual dish but they seemed to be coming thick and fast there, though I do enjoy trying foods from different cultures - like you, I think I would maybe go once for the experience.

Christ... i am both astonished and jealous of these trips. I mean, 3 IN ONE DAY. You spend much money for experiencing flavor to the limit, while entertaining us! Thank you so much! Even if im rich in the future, i may never experienced that because my family is more of a buffet kind of foodie rather than a formal courses kind 😅😅😅 Well i mean i can go alone, but it wont be as much fun 😂

Longer format is fine with me.

would love to see more videos like this!

I would say that the experience and service should not be counted in the Michelin Star rating. This is why a Peking Duck street vendor in Singapore and your restaurant that looks amazing with great workers both can have a star ⭐.

Great show as always!

its so cool that fans of the channel give u a gift when meeting you at restaurants

love this review !! its your review and your oppinion .

another banger episode alexander!

I appreciate your honesty that some of the things in the second restaurant weren't for you, some of the food is definitely a bit out there

It is great to see an honest review. Sometimes reviewers promote the restaurant out of snobbery - you are completely honest. I could never afford a top notch restaurant so I love seeing your content.

Tbh, they had a giant menu and he chose the most eccentric dishes.

More is ALWAYS (well, usually) better. The more you want to produce, I promise to consume/watch.

Alexsander the best....hyvä kanava....oikea fani....

Welcome to HK ! That’s what I thought too. That’s why I not often to HK Michelin restaurants.

when did you film this,? white truffles have been out of season for 5 months?

The small things like an uncomfortable chair,slow service and dodgy decor are,to me,some of the most important things when dining.

Poor Alexander, I'm glad he survived in the Chinese restaurant....😅

i enjoyed your Forum review very much. you manage to keep it so polite and objective, even though you didnt quite enjoy the experience, very professional behaviour.