The news in the Singapore restaurant world is that there’s not much news.
There were no new three star dining spots when Michelin Guide announced their selections at a live ceremony on Tuesday night. There are still the same three spots, designated as “worth a special journey,” as last year: Les Amis, Odette and Zen. There are still no three star restaurants that feature Asian cuisine: Odette and Les Amis are French-influenced and Zén, an outpost of the famed Franzen in Stockholm, has a Scandinavian influence.
There are 6 two stars (“worth a detour”), one less than last year when there were 7. Shisen Hanten, the nuanced Szechuan accented restaurant fell to one star.
This year there are 56 starred restaurants; in 2022 there were 52 starred places on the list.
The number of one stars (“high quality, worth a stop”) crept up to 46, from 42. It included new entry Born, the modern French Asian dining room.
Kevin Wong, chef of another new one star, Seroja, was given the Young Chef award.
Seroja was also the recipient of Singapore’s inaugural Green star, which recognizes a restaurant’s sustainability efforts.
It’s the seventh year that the guide has awarded stars in Singapore.
There are still some relative bargains on the Singapore food scene. Michelin earlier this month revealed its Bib Gourmand list of value-for-money eateries. There were 79 total including 19 new spots; stalls from the city-state’s famed hawker centres featured prominently.
Sebastien Lepinoy, chef-owner of Les Amis, which has held on to three stars since 2019, says that "receiving a Michelin star is the biggest accomplishment that a chef could achieve.” He breaks down the difference between the stars from a chef’s point of view: “Receiving a Michelin Star is like a being a Jedi. When you achieve 2 Michelin Star is as if you are Luke Skywalker.” And, he says “when you are presented with the holy grail of Michelin which is their three stars, you are already the master Yoda of the culinary world."
The full list of starred restaurants follows. An asterisk (*) denotes a new entry.
Three Stars
Les AmisOdetteZén
Two Stars
CloudstreetJaan by Kirk WestawaySaint PierreShoukouwaThevarWaku Ghin
One Star
28 WilkieAlmaArt di Daniele SperindioBeni*BornBraciBuona TerraBurnt EndsCandlenutChef Kang’sCureCutEsoraEuphoriaHamamotoHill Street Tai Hwa Pork NoodleIggy’sImperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine (Orchard)JagLa Dame de PicLabyrinthLei GardenLerouyMa CuisineMargueriteMetaNae:umNouriOshino*PoisePutien (Kitchener Road)ReveRhubarb*SerojaShinji (Bras Basah Road)Shisen HantenSommerSummer PalaceSummer PavilionSushi IchiSushi Kimura*Sushi SakutaTable65TerraWhitegrass*Willow
