Starry, starry night: Singapore restaurants earn their Michelin stars

SINGAPORE — After months of lively speculation, the verdict is in: A total of 29 eateries here have been awarded much coveted Michelin stars.

Twenty two restaurants received the one-star rating — two of them hawker stalls — while six received the two-star rating. The highly prestigious three-star rating went to just one dining establishment — Joel Robuchon Restaurant.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Chef Robuchon said the award means “even more responsibilities”. “It’s very tough now...now we wont be able to accept any more (imperfections). We will have to fight every day and work hard every day to progress just to keep at the same level. The toughest work starts now.”

Those awarded with one star ranged from artisanal French restaurant Jaan to gastro-botanica cuisine Corner House, Chinese restaurant Putien at Kitchener Road, and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle as well as Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle.

The stars were handed out along with the launch of the inaugural Michelin Guide Singapore this evening during an awards ceremony-cum-gala dinner at Resorts World Sentosa.

At the launch, Michael Ellis, International Director of Michelin Guides, said they had hundreds of meals to produce this year’s Singapore guide.

Their inspectors were “thrilled” to find that the Singapore food scene is “one of the most dynamic, not only in Asia but in the entire world, from hawker stands to world class fine dining and anywhere in between”, he said. “Singapore has clearly earned her place as a true gastronomic capital.”

Chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board Lionel Yeo said this is a “plus for dining and Singapore tourism” and is a “huge spur for the dining scene to continue for excellence.” Thanking the restaurants for “flying the flag” for Singapore, he added that the future looks bright for dining here.

Tang Chay Seng, who runs Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, says while he feels lucky to be awarded a star, he will not be opening another outlet due to the tight labour market. He also does not want to dilute standards, adding that he is unlikely to raise prices.

Corner House’s Jason Tan told TODAY prior to the announcement that he “thought we had a good chance”. He added: “Since day one, we’ve been doing what we feel is our best, and what we wanted to do. But, of course, we were hopeful.”

Acknowledging that this would mean “the pressure is on”, he added that he has already begun thinking about how he could improve on his cuisine, and had discussed with his core team what they could work on moving forward.

Describing tonight as “the best moment in my life”, Jaan’s Chef Kirk Westaway said: “One star is exactly where I want to be and now I have one good year to progress and grow and turn it into a two star restaurant.”

According to Michelin Guide Singapore’s website, its stars are awarded based on five criteria: quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, the personality of the chef in his cuisine, value for money and consistency between visits.

One-star restaurants, according to Michelin, means “a very good restaurant in its category”, while two-star restaurants means “excellent cooking, worth a detour”. The most highly-coveted three-star rating means “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”. Restaurant inspectors do not look at interior decor, table setting, or service quality in awarding stars.

Raymond Lim, a spokesman for Les Amis which was awarded two-stars told TODAY they have “always been reasonably confident that Les Amis would get at least two-Michelin stars”. “Down the road we aspire to have more stars within the group, to have the most number of Michelin stars (as a group) in Singapore,” he added.

French chef Julien Royer, whose fine-dining restaurant Odette — which only opened its doors in November last year — was awarded two stars, said gaining an entry into the country’s first Michelin Guide less than a year into their opening “is an unexpected vote of confidence”.

“I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a chef and have recognised an entry into the Michelin Guide to be one of the greatest honours in a chef’s career,” he said.

Pointing out that it “has been incredibly rewarding building the restaurant from ground up” with his team, suppliers and collaborators, he added that it is wonderful to know that the fruits of their labour are being enjoyed and celebrated.

The restaurant is named in tribute to his grandmother, whom he says has been one of his greatest influences in and out of the kitchen. “I hope she would be proud of what we have achieved so far,” he said.

“We created Odette to offer dining experiences that prioritise the simple, genuine pleasure of enjoying a meal and that would offer our guests comfort above all else. We will simply continue to devote ourselves to this commitment.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DON MENDOZA AND SERENE LIM

Correction: An earlier version incorrectly listed Restaurant Andre with a one-star rating. Michelin awarded the restaurant two stars.