The Iron Chef Does Not Surrender!!!

Michelin launched its long-awaited restaurant guide to Tokyo with a set of rankings likely to cause some food critics - and French traditionalists - to choke on their amuse gueules.

In its first Asian guide, announced on Monday, Michelin has awarded more of its famed stars to Tokyo restaurants than any other city, with a total of 191 stars compared with 64 for Paris and 42 in New York.

In a departure from tradition, stretching back to the 1900 publication of Michelin's first guide, to France, every one of the 150 restaurants in the Tokyo guide has been awarded stars. Eight restaurants scored Michelin's coveted three-star rating (five Japanese restaurants and three French establishments), a surefire guarantee of instant business; 25 scored two stars; and 117 gained one star.