Often considered to be the food capital of Asia, Singapore has attracted some of the world’s best chefs who have come to set up their award-winning restaurants in the city. A rise in gourmet venues run by leading chefs in recent years has given way to a new style of eating out, which has further raised Singapore’s fine dining profile. Here we compile a list of the 10 best restaurants in Singapore.
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Iggy’s
©John Heng for Iggy’s
With its unique flavors and textures created using seasonal ingredients, Iggy’s unique dining experience has earned it a Michelin star and numerous awards since opening in 2004.
Restaurant founder and award-winning sommelier Ignatius Chan “continuously pushes culinary boundaries” to provide high-quality food and wines. One of the signature dishes on the menu includes the Carabinero risotto. As for the wine list, it features a great selection of Burgundy labels, some ordered directly from the winery.
After relocating to The Hilton in 2010, Iggy’s expanded to offer a culinary experience to 32 diners and includes a main dining room, as well as two private ones. In 2016, the award-winning designer Chris Lee undertook the revamp of the restaurant’s interiors, playing with light and darker colors to create an intimate atmosphere and draw attention to the dining counter and the chef’s kitchen.
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Waku Ghin
Waku Ghin opened at Marina Bay Sands in 2010 and has since been awarded two Michelin stars. It is the brainchild of chef Tetsuya Wakuda, known for his skill in combining fresh produce with French culinary arts and Japanese-style presentation. His Sydney restaurant also has a reputation for being one of the best in Australia. Set in a minimalist environment with natural materials by award-winning Japanese designer Yohei Akao, Waku Ghin includes different spaces for its guests.
Diners will have the opportunity to sit at the exclusive 10-seater “Chef’s Table” where they can indulge in the Omakase chef’s menu, a culinary voyage through the different seasons and regions of Japan. Those looking for more intimacy can book private dining rooms. For a choice of both the Omakase chef’s menu and the à la carte food menu, featuring pasta, donburis, bar bites, and desserts, guests can enjoy the bar dining space. Finally, “The Bar” is the perfect place to sip on handcrafted Japanese-style cocktails, meticulously sourced wines and premium sake collections.
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Gunther’s, Singapore
Founded by Belgian chef Gunther Hubrechsen in 2007 and winner of a Michelin-plate award, Gunther’s offers delectable French dishes in harmony with the seasons. The chef is deeply interested in “simple, honest and down-to-earth” recipes that he perfects to accentuate the unique flavors of his high-quality ingredients. His most recent signature dishes include the smoked Alaskan king crab paired with bonbon Comté cheese, and the crispy free-range egg and pumpkin coulis, accompanied by Oscietra caviar.
In 2018, the restaurant was revamped by the award-winning design studio Weijenberg to take on the contemporary interpretation of art nouveau woodwork, an art style that originated in Belgium before gaining popularity in France at the turn of the 20th century. The restaurant now includes a bar, a main dining room, and private, soundproof rooms.
JAAN
JAAN offers stunning views across Singapore / ©Swissotel The Stamford
From the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore’s skyline and waterways are mesmerizing, making it one of the most romantic restaurants in Singapore. The Michelin-star restaurant is led by executive chef Kirk Westaway who promises an elegant reinterpretation of British gastronomy with an emphasis on seasonal products and natural flavors, reminiscent of his childhood in England. Guests will find both meat and vegetarian menus with high-quality ingredients along with an extensive wine menu.
The restaurant can accommodate 40 diners in a sophisticated interior that features an elegant private dining room and a dining space. Guests will be charmed by the restaurant’s stunning Murano chandelier and enchanting green and blue ceiling panels, in harmony with the colours of Singapore’s Marina Bay.
Shinji
After successfully setting up his first sushi restaurant in Tokyo, in 2010 chef Shinji Kanesaka ventured outside of Japan to set up his second restaurant, Shinji, in Singapore. The one-Michelin-starred restaurant pays homage to the core of Japanese culture, art and age-old Japanese culinary traditions through its omakase menu. The minimalist menu selection with high-quality and seasonal ingredients is entrusted entirely to and executed by a team of Japanese artisan chefs.
After being allocated a Japanese chef from behind a wooden counter, diners will be able to watch the preparation of their meal, which is overseen by master chef Koichiro Oshino. They will enjoy the bright and harmonious interior design of the restaurant, visualized by Japanese interior designer Junzo Irikado as a “delicate yet lively house”, with its intimate 16-seater sushi counter.
Les Amis
Founded in 1994 and located in the heart of the city, the three-Michelin-starred Les Amis restaurant offers contemporary European cuisine and boasts one of the biggest wine cellars in Southeast Asia. Chef Sebastien Lepinoy offers a collection of recipes featuring a plethora of prized seasonal ingredients sourced from all over France which pay homage to French gastronomy.
Les Amis is a charming 76-seat restaurant with patterned carpeting, polished granite floors, chandeliers, and walls partially fashioned from red velvet, which create an environment that is both elegant and comfortable for diners.
Odette
Three Michelin-starred Odette pays homage to chef Julien Royer’s grandmother who taught him that “the most remarkable dishes can come from the purest ingredients”. The restaurant serves modern French cuisine guided by chef Julien Royer’s lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir, and artisanal producers.
In times of Covid-19, the restaurant does not offer dine-in service but instead, guests can enjoy a curated home-dining experience under the name Odette At Home. Home diners will receive a rotating selection of classic and comforting high-quality dishes.
Once the restaurant reopens, guests will have the opportunity to marvel at its interior décor, designed by Sacha Leong, which reflects chef Julien’s culinary philosophy with a soft color palette and a transparent, glass-enclosed kitchen. Guests will also note the restaurant’s art, led by Singaporean artist Dawn ng, with its universe of shapes and forms that float and pirouette from Odette’s ceiling.
Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck
Famed for roasting the Peking duck to perfection, Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Paragon is an award-winning Michelin plate Chinese restaurant. It is part of the Imperial Treasure restaurant group which includes more than 20 restaurants across different countries.
The traditional restaurant serves the famous dish in line with centuries-old methods taken from the Emperor’s imperial kitchen, in which each duck is roasted to perfection before being sliced on the platter before diners’ eyes. Other signature dishes include the sautéed crab claw with shallots and preserved olives and the baby lobster baked with superior broth.
Zén
Two-Michelin starred Zén is the sister restaurant to Frantzén in Stockholm. The man behind these restaurants is Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzén, who trained in France and spent time in Japan where he discovered kaiseki, which he described as “the highest form of tasting menu.” Offering delicious neo-Nordic dishes with Japanese influences, Zén’s eight-course tasting menu is carefully curated around local and world-class ingredients.
Diners will find that the culinary experience at Zén is paired with a wonderful exploration of the 1926 shophouse in which the Swedish restaurant is located. Before dinner, guests will be offered an apéritif and amuse-bouche on the first floor. They will then proceed to the second floor to try the tasting menu, delicately prepared by Scottish head chef, Tristin Farmer, and his team. Afterwards, petits fours and coffee will be served in the living room on the top floor.
Shoukouwa
The two-Michelin starred restaurant offers fresh seafood flown daily from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. This temple of Edomae sushi will delight guests with the 18-courses Omakase En menu offering cooked dishes and sophisticated sushi. The restaurant prides itself on serving only the best seasonal seafood and produce with minimal cooking and manipulation.
Diners will have the opportunity to eat at one of the exclusive eight counter seats and witness head chef Kazumine Nishida at work. For more privacy, guests can also book a six-seat private room.
In times of Covid-19, the restaurant offers a home-dining experience under the name Shoukouwa@Home. Diners will have the privilege of trying the En Omakase menu and signature dishes such as the Hokkaido hairy crab and Abalone, prepared by chef Nishida and Tori, from the comfort of their home.
[See also: The 11 Best Restaurants in Hong Kong]
