World's cheapest Michelin star restaurant is a canteen

Shanghai : A hole-in-the-wall canteen in Hong Kong that offers dishes for less than a pound (Dh6.05) has become the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant.

Tim Ho Wan, which means "Add Good Luck", can seat only 20 people in its steamy dining room and its battered bamboo baskets of dim sum sell for as little as 78p. Jean-Luc Naret, the director of the Michelin guide, said it was the "most affordable starred restaurant in the world" and was included as proof of Michelin's commitment to local cuisines.

The restaurant is headed by Mak Pui Gor, the former dim sum chef at the city's Four Seasons Hotel, where he worked at its three-starred restaurant Lung King Heen. During the economic crisis Mak decided to branch out on his own and offer his dishes at bargain prices. The most expensive dish, a plate of noodles, costs the equivalent of about £3. "Since the news broke, we've been really very busy," said a waitress.

At lunchtime, diners can expect queues of up to an hour on the street outside. A number of other humble Hong Kong canteens were also included in the guide, but Naret insisted the guide had not lowered its standards.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London, 2009