Germany now ranks second behind France as the European country with the most three-starred eateries, after Michelin inspectors handed out a third star to a contemporary restaurant that centers its cuisine on the aromatics of food.

In the 2012 edition of the Michelin Guide Germany, La Vie, in Osnabrück has become the ninth restaurant to earn the highest ranking possible from the red book.

Inspectors also promoted 10 new restaurants this round, to give the country a total of 32 two-starred establishments.

Japan has overtaken France for the number of restaurants with three Michelin stars, according to the latest guide to the nation’s western cities to be released on Friday.

Japan is now home to 29 establishments that hold the highly coveted three-star rating, against 25 in France.

The latest version of the Michelin guide to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe this year adds the former capital Nara and will be available both in Japanese and English.

The opening this week of Shang Palace restaurant will at long last answer an unresolved question: Is Paris ready for truly gourmet Chinese cuisine and the prices that come with it?

That the capital of fine dining might give an ambitious Asian eatery the cold shoulder is not unimaginable.

For most French people, Chinese eats rhymes with bottom-of-the-food-chain takeout, not 80 euros for lunch and 120 for dinner per head.

Only one Chinese establishment in Paris has ever shined in the Michelin Guide firmament, and then only fleetingly. Modest by comparison, Chen Soleil-Est earned its lone star — literally front page news across France — in 1999 and lost it in 2007.

French celebrity chef Joel Robuchon on Wednesday announced the opening of two restaurants at a casino resort in Singapore, his first outlets in Southeast Asia.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, a workshop-inspired concept with chefs closely interacting with guests, and the more formal Joel Robuchon Restaurant will open on Thursday at the seaside Resorts World Sentosa complex.

Robuchon, 66, has received more stars from Michelin, the leading guide to fine dining, than any other chef in the world with a total of 26 so far.

Denmark’s Noma restaurant was named best in the world for a second year running Monday in an international poll dominated by European establishments but with new entries from China, Peru and Russia.

The Copenhagen restaurant of chef Rene Redzepi was voted number one in the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2011, a list compiled by more than 800 international restaurant industry experts for Britain’s Restaurant Magazine.

Noma hit the headlines last year when it deposed famed Spanish restaurant elBulli from the top spot it had held for four years. ElBulli was not included this year because it is closing later this year.

A French chef already festooned with awards and accolades, including three Michelin stars, has been recognized as World’s Best Female Chef.

Anne-Sophie Pic, who helms the restaurant Maison Pic in Valence, France, beat out Elena Arzak of Spain and Nadia Santini of Italy to snag the coveted title.

The category was introduced for the first time this year from the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards.