Gallic gastronomic pride was dealt a blow on Monday when Paris lost out to Tokyo as the city with the most Michelin three-star restaurants in the world.

Michelin director Jean-Luc Naret (L) of France introduces the three star chef Kazuichi Nagumo (C) of Hamadaya and owner Keiko Mita (R) during a presentation of the 2009 Michelin Guide Tokyo Photo: AFP