2. Odette (***) – we’ve been there twice. The first was because Odette was voted best restaurant in Singapore and number 6 (IINM) in Asia. And yes, I have to say it certainly lived up to our expectations. The food was exquisite; the ingredients were fresh and the service definitely attentive. The second was because we loved the pigeon so much we went back for more. It’s a very close tussle between this and Les Amis, but the latter just nudges it for us, as the quality of ingredients are somewhat more expensive, compared to what Odette uses. Wife loved the pigeon, I loved their signature, the egg with caviar presented in a carton with dry ice.
3. Andre (**) – this was such a unique experience. The chef is Chinese (Taiwanese) and we were lucky to have him greet departing guests - and he speaks French! The food is now a distant memory, but one not easily forgotten. The foie gras with truffle was a standout signature and one that was worth coming back for… if only he didn’t decide to pack up and leave Singapore for adventures anew.
4. Buona Terra (*) – this was based on a recommendation we received from a patient of mine who has what can only be described as impeccable taste for wine and food, so we obviously made a beeline for it and we were swept off our feet by the food on the degustation menu. The use of expensive ingredients was restrained but precise, and was planned to give it the extra oomph that helps elevate a dish from excellent to unforgettable. We will definitely be back there again, and again, and again. So far, wife likes the gigantic prawn carabineiro tagliatelle and the excellent bread selection. Me, I’m just happy that it was affordable for something so tasty – and that relative affordability gives it the tiniest of edges over Waku Ghin, in my humble opinion.
5. Waku Ghin (**) – You can’t go wrong with Chef Tetsuya. We enjoyed his 3-hat rated restaurant in Sydney and was delighted to try his 2 starred joint over at Marina Bay Sands after finally scoring a reservation post renovation (they were closed for a bit during COVID). The setting was very intimate, since we ordered the chef’s table, and at nearly SGD750 per person, hardly cheap, but the quality of ingredients justified the price we forked out for the privilege. From live Japanese abalone to Wagyu steak, to fresh sashimi and of course, the signature Botan shrimp with more uni and caviar than you can shake a stick at, packing more flavour than your tongue knew what to do with. We’ve been there twice already, and if I had 4 stomachs like a cow, I’d definitely be back there more often.
6. Braci (*) –another Italian fine dining establishment but one with a decided local Singaporean flavour. The wait staff was local and super friendly and casual – in fact, probably the most casual amongst the lot of wait staff we’ve encountered. The food however, was anything but. They had their version of pasta with caviar, but that was embellished with a generous dollop of rich, creamy uni, but my personal favourite would have to be the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu steak which was butter in my mouth. They’ll be looking for a new premise soon, and we’re lucky we had a chance to dine there before they shuttered.
7 (Tied). Summer Palace (*), Lei Garden (*), Putien (*), Imperial Treasures (*), Shang Palace (*) & Crystal Jade Paragon (*) – these are a cluster of 1-starred restaurants that serve excellent renditions of Chinese cuisine. To be honest, in my humble opinion based on my unlearned palate, I can’t really distinguish one from another in terms of the Chinese cooking that was presented, but it was tasty and the setting was opulent.
Summer Palace’s “Golden Pumpkin Seafood Soup (金瓜海鲜汤)” ranks as one of my go-to favourites for comfort food, Imperial Treasures’ steamed pomfret (清蒸鲳鱼) & cold crab (凍蟹) would bring me back to my uncle’s cooking without me needing to fly back to Hong Kong for it and while it wouldn’t taste like home, it certainly reminds me of it. Shang Palace at Shangri-La, Lei Garden and Crystal Jade are great for dim sum, but one has to be prepared to pay for that privilege. One thing I found rather, err, objectionable, is how some wait staff over at Crystal Jade (which has since lost its 1 star status) can be a little pushier than is necessary, when it comes to pushing/recommending expensive dishes.
I placed all of them together and ranked them 7th on my list of favourite restaurants as I’d definitely go back there again –not necessarily because of their coveted Michelin status, simply because they serve honest to goodness Chinese cuisine.
Having said that, wife and I have recently started going for weekend dim sum at Hai Tien Lo, and we find their carrot cake (white radish cake) to be almost as good as the version my uncle cooks up for Chinese New Year… Hai Tien Lo doesn’t have a star yet, but that’s not stopped us from being repeat customers!
8. Zen (***) – to be honest, I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. I had a patient who worked there as a pastry chef, and I read many positive reviews about how Zen deserved its place amongst the holy trinity of 3-starred restaurants in Singapore (alongside Les Amis & Odette), and it took over the old unit that housed Andre, one of our favourite restaurants. Took my wife there once and unfortunately, we were a little overwhelmed by how loud the music was and underwhelmed by the food. It was Scandinavian and perhaps our untrained palate weren’t used to the flavours, but both of us felt the Kingfish sashimi (crudo) was less fresh than other variants we’ve tasted, and the main course of duck had so much gristle that both our jaws ached after we manfully chewed and swallowed our way through. Some of the flavours were amazing, but in the end, for a bill that was nearly SGD1,500 for a party of 2, the experience was not as memorable as we’d hoped it would be.
9. Cut (*) – the second of 2 Michelin-starred restaurants located within Marina Bay Sands, and the one that we go to for our carnivore fix, seeing how I’ve been waiting in vain for a reservation slot to pop up over at Burnt Ends for months to end now… Wolfgang Puck’s curtly named meat-lover joint serves a good mix of USDA prime cuts and Japanese Wagyu, and although the price is a little on the high side for the quality of meat (I can do as good as steak for half the price, with meat bought from the butchery) and the music way too loud (they jack up the volume after 730pm), there’s no denying that we will be back again for seconds and thirds and more.
10. Marguerite (*) – strategically nestled within the magnificent greenhouse that’s the Flower Dome and housed within the Gardens by the Bay complex is this 1-starred place that we loved so much we went back for seconds the very next week. The food was tasty, the service was attentive, and there were a bunch of Malaysian wait staff that we connected with immediately (although we didn’t talk politics haha). Similar to the now closed Corner House, there’s a heavy theme of vegetable ingredients on the table, and also a free buggy ride from the pick up point at the car park to the restaurant. An additional treat: after dinner, patrons get to roam the air-conditioned Flower Dome for free! Wife and I will plan our next trip to coincide with the tulip blossoms on display…
11. Corner House (*) – sadly, this quaint little hidden gem in the corner of the UNESCO listed Botanic Gardens of Singapore is no more, having closed down as another silent victim of the COVID pandemic. Wife and I dined there once and once only – before the pandemic struck, and never got the chance to return. The standout feature was the local Chef Jason Tan’s extensive use of vegetable ingredients – and while I’m no fan of greens, even I had to acknowledge the magic he weaved in being able to extract the last distillate of flavour and infuse that onto the plate. They used to give us free buggy rides from the car park to the restaurant and that was a bit of a treat itself. Ah well. At least we got a chance to tick that box off the list.
12. Alma (*) – we visited this place years ago, before it came to be called Alma and before it was awarded its 1-star status. So, when Maybank reminded me that there was this little nook hidden away in the city oasis that is Goodwood Park, I made a booking and traipsed our way there one evening for a cozy dinner. And sadly, realised that there may be a reason why a 1-star joint needed advertising by Maybank Private Diamante Card’s concierge. The uni was less than fresh and left a rather strong and unpleasant aftertaste, and my wife’s fish dish was decidedly fishy to her (admitted sensitive) olfactory bulbs. There wasn’t anything extraordinarily memorable about the experience, and when I did a quick online search, it seems that there was at least one other
reviewer that walked away with the same impression. Not one I’d go back again.
13. Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (*) – there were 2 hawker stalls that were awarded a Michelin star in Singapore. One was for a chicken rice stall (the owner was an ex-Malaysian – not surprising), but we never got a chance to try that and the stall subsequently lost their 1-star. The second was this Bak Chor Mee stall. I had it once and while it was nice, and the noodles springy, and the fried dried plaice (fish) was extremely yummy, it wasn’t something that I would line up for 3 hours to get a bowl of. Done, ticked the box & probably wouldn’t go back for seconds.
14. Reve (*) – we tried this on a whim, and we were lucky that they had a table for us on the night we wanted to dine out (which has been a little bit too often of late, much to the delight of our domestic helper). The dishes were well presented, but we felt let down by 2 glaring errors that shouldn’t have crept up, given the 1-star the restaurant holds: the menu had to be changed at the last minute because what was on offer on paper was not available on plate – the restaurant did not receive the delivery/stocks in time. That in itself is not a failing, the choice of the replacement which was offered without consultation being the greater crime. Wife was offered a pork dish without first checking if she even took pork, whereas I was offered an octopus dish, again, without asking if I was OK with that option.
And, as I mentioned, they served us a dish without any cutlery! The food was OK for this standard, but with the service lacking, we’d probably not be heading back anytime soon.
15. Candlenut (*) – I was told about this by trojandude and thought I’d do well to give it a miss, until my colleague & his family from Sydney came a-visiting and thought they’d like to try a Michelin-starred place with a local Peranakan twist. They enjoyed the flavours and the restaurant’s interpretation and elevation of humble Nyonya cooking, but wife and I found it to be no different (if anything at all, someone over-interpreted) than humbler (but no less tastier) offerings from places in Malaysia. The service was as usual, attentive and genuine, but trojandude was spot on … I’ve had better. Not one I’d go back unless another lot of Uni mates from Down Under end up craving for it…
Jul 27 2023, 07:39 AM, updated 2y ago
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Goodness gracious! Penang was exactly where we were thinking of flying up to! 
paying bill would be the less stressful for me cause it's expected.
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