The stars are out in full display at this year’s Michelin Guide ceremony. Singapore finally has not one, but two restaurants – Les Amis and Odette – making it on the prestigious three-star list.
The previous time the country had a restaurant on the list was in 2018 before Joel Robuchon Restaurant shuttered.
“It’s the biggest achievement a chef can get,” says chef Sebastien Lepinoy from Les Amis on his new status. His next goal? “To catch the fourth star,” he jokes. “It’s very important to not just enjoy the star. Now we must go even higher.”
This year’s Michelin Guide, held at the Capella Hotel, sees a total of 44 restaurants receiving stars, which is five more than the previous year. This puts Singapore as the most star-studded country in Southeast Asia.
A total of 37 restaurants made it to the one-star list, up from 34 last year. The number of two-starred restaurants remain the same at five, but saw major movements. Filling the spots of Les Amis and Odette are new entrants Saint Pierre and Zén.
“What we do in Sweden, we want to just replicate here – have fun with the guest, and welcome them into our house,” says chef Tristan Farmer from Zén. “It's all about the customers."
A total of seven new restaurants made it to the one-starred list, including Basque Kitchen by Aitor, Lerouy, Restaurant JAG, and the rebranded Vianney Massot Restaurant, which used to be The Kitchen at Bacchanalia.
“The feeling of winning this star – it's not just my star, it's for my entire team,” shares Jeremy Gillion from Restaurant JAG. “We are a small restaurant but we have big ambition.”
This year also saw Crystal Jade Golden Palace and the newly reopened Whitegrass drop from the list.
The Michelin Guide first arrived on our shores in 2016, providing a guide to the best eateries around town. The list typically skews towards restaurants and fine-dining establishments, with the exception of the occasional low-cost hawker. While no new hawker received any stars this year, the Bib Gourmand 2019, released last week, celebrates places that provide value-for-money meals.
Seeing stars? Keep track with the complete list of this year’s winners:
Three stars
Two stars
Shisen Hanten
Shoukouwa
Waku Ghin
New additions
One star
Alma
Beni
Braci
Burnt Ends
Candlenut
Chef Kang’s
Corner House
Cut
Garibaldi
Liao Fan Hawker Chan
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
Iggy’s
Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine (Orchard)
JAAN By Kirk Westaway
Jiang-Nan Chun
Labyrinth
Lei Garden
Ma Cuisine
Nouri
Putien (Kitchener Road)
Rhubarb
Shinji (Bras Basah Road)
Shinji (Tanglin Road)
Summer Palace
Summer Pavilion
Sushi Ichi
Sushi Kimura
The Song of India
New additions
Basque Kitchen by Aitor
Buona Terra
Cheek Bistro
Restaurant JAG
Leuroy
Meta
Table65
Terra
Vianney Massot Restaurant