India, April 11 -- What makes a chef who runs a three-Michelin-star restaurant so different from the rest? What is it about his cooking that so impresses Michelin inspectors?

Unless you operate within the top level of the global restaurant business, it is almost impossible to get an insight into what it is that makes a three-star restaurant and its chef so different.

I know a fair number of restaurateurs and chefs in India, but each time I have wanted to tackle this issue ( we have no Michelin guide, so I would have used the Ultimate Restaurant Ratings) I have been hit by the obvious doubt: Will it seem like too much of a plug?

I decided I would track a chef and restaurant abroad, in a city where nobody gives a damn what I write, so th...