SINGAPORE, July 26 — Nothing surprising was served up at this year’s Michelin Guide Singapore’s award ceremony yesterday: No eatery here filled the gap left by Joel Robuchon Restaurant to get the highest honour of a three-star rating, and there were no new entrants that were two-star winners.
In total, five two-starred restaurants and 34 one-starred restaurants will be listed in this year’s fine-dining guide, which is one more in total than last year. The one-star list saw five new entrants this year.
A three-star rating is deemed as “worth a special journey” for patrons by the guide, and Joel Robuchon Restaurant, the only eatery here which held that title for two years, closed in June.
The Michelin Guide Singapore was launched in 2016, and two hawker stalls made headline news around the world when they received a one-star rating. Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle at Chinatown Market and Food Centre, and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at Tai Hwa Eating House on Crawford Lane, held on to this rating for the third year running.
Five more restaurants here clinched one star each. They are Australian barbecue restaurant Burnt Ends in Chinatown, Chinese restaurant Jiang-Nan Chun in Four Seasons hotel, French gastro-wine bar Ma Cuisine in the Duxton Road area, Japanese fine-diner Sushi Kimura on Orchard Road, and Nouri on Amoy Street, which is helmed by Brazilian chef Ivan Brehm who previously led French restaurant Bacchanalia to attain one star.
One restaurant was dropped from the one-star list: Osia, a steak and seafood grill restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa headed by chef Scott Webster. It had held the rating for the past two years. The 12 restaurants that made the list for the first time last year kept their ratings this year.
Resorts World Sentosa, a partner of the Michelin Guide, hosted the glitzy awards ceremony yesterday as it did the first year.
The celebrations came on the back of a not-so-cheery year for restaurants with Michelin-star status. The high-profile business closures started with the exit of eight-year-old two-starred Restaurant Andre this February, after Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang announced his intention to dissociate himself with the coveted stars.
Joel Robuchon Restaurant bowed out four months later, along with its two-starred sister restaurant, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.
Chefs behind the two-starred restaurants here felt strongly about Singapore losing its only three-star restaurant. Expressing his disappointment, Mr Sebastien Lepinoy, chef of French establishment Les Amis — which held its two-star status for two years — told TODAY: “Singapore will no longer be attractive (to people who go on food trips around the world).”
To him, a three-star restaurant is “a superlative” representing “the excellence of everything”, and the impact to Singapore would be “heavy” because there will no longer be the critical range of Michelin-starred restaurants to warrant a trip here.
Chef Julien Royer of Odette restaurant, housed in the National Gallery Singapore, said that it is “sad for Singapore” to lose a three-star restaurant, but it “leaves some room for the future”.
It remains a dream for him to achieve a three-star rating, and Mr Royer sees the Michelin accolade as a “positive pressure” to strive to do better, but he told reporters that it is more important to keep the passion for cooking.
Similarly, chef Chen Kentaro of Szechuan restaurant Shisen Hanten at Mandarin Orchard Hotel is working towards a three-star rating, saying he will continue to produce signature “simple and classic” dishes his grandfather was known for making.
Hoping to see more hawkers win
Hawker Chan Hon Meng, the man behind Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, told TODAY that he would have liked to see new hawkers win this year, but was left disappointed. Fellow hawker winner Tang Chay Seng, chef and owner of Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, agreed.
Mr Chan noticed that more hawkers are “moving closer to the target” of getting a star, and wants to “encourage” them to aim higher.
Mr Chan had just flown back to Singapore from Manila at 7am yesterday to make it to the gala dinner. His first branch in the Philippines opened at SM Mall of Asia on the same day, and he had taken half a year to set it up.
He is now planning another new branch in Kazakhstan this October because “there is a demand”, followed by two more outlets in Perth, Australia, and Ipoh, Malaysia, he revealed.
Even though it is his third win this year, Mr Chan does not take the recognition for granted. “I am very happy. I want to thank the support of my customers over the past three years, so much so that Michelin would give the award to me for the third year running. I am very appreciative.”
The Michelin Guide is assessed by inspectors who travel widely and dine anonymously. The ratings are given based on five criteria: The quality of the products, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, chef personality, value for money, and consistency of visits by diners.
Singapore was the first South-east Asian country to get its version of the dining guide published by French tyre-maker Michelin, with Thailand having its own last year as well.
Last week, Michelin announced its Bib Gourmand winners for Singapore, a list that recognises establishments for serving food that offers good value for money, with prices no more than S$45 (RM134).
This year, 17 new establishments were on that list, pushing the number of winners to 50, up from 28 last year. The new Bib Gourmand awardees include Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, Eminent Frog Porridge & Seafood at Geylang Lorong 19, Rolina Traditional Hainanese Curry Puff at Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market & Food Centre, and Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. — TODAY
