The highly anticipated 2023 edition of the MICHELIN Guide Singapore has just been released, revealing an impressive lineup of culinary destinations. Encompassing the prestigious Starred, Bib Gourmand, and Selected categories, this year’s guide showcases a grand total of 286 exceptional food establishments.
In a groundbreaking achievement for Singapore, this year’s selection of restaurants includes a notable establishment that has been bestowed with the prestigious MICHELIN Green Star.
The number of Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore has increased to 55 with the addition of five newly minted one-star MICHELIN dining places. This year also marks the presentation of Singapore’s inaugural MICHELIN Green Star award, honouring the sustainable efforts of Seroja. This 2023 collection features 286 restaurants serving more than 30 distinct cuisines.
Five New Restaurants Awarded with One MICHELIN Star
Born features a sleek, contemporary dining space with a glass ceiling, arched windows, and a luminous paper sculpture. Chef Zor Tan, a protege of André Chiang’s, creates a tasting menu that fuses French gastronomy with Chinese cuisine and is inspired by the circle of life and his own personal journey. The dishes served here feature ingredients from all over the world and offer a wide range of textural and flavourful contrasts.
A 200-year-old cypress tree from Nara, Japan was used to create the counter that seats 10 at Sushi Sakuta, creating a simple yet exquisite atmosphere. The all-Japanese culinary staff is led by chef and owner Yoshio Sakuta, who together craft a seasonal omakase menu with sushi, Japanese fish, and other fine ingredients like caviar and truffles.
5 new restaurants was awarded with a one MICHELIN star.
Poise’s tasting menu reimagines European and Nordic classics and features smart and imaginative pairings, subtle layering of textures and flavours, and overall excellence. Chef Steve Lancaster presents his masterpieces in a monochromatic space illuminated with dramatic lighting. The Chicken, Bacon, and Onion dish consists of a chicken lollipop filled with chicken mousse and served above a shallot purée flavoured with bacon and onion.
Singaporean chef Nicolas Tam, a veteran of several acclaimed kitchens, opens his first restaurant, Willow. His pan-Asian tasting menu, which uses primarily Japanese ingredients, is a showcase for his mastery of French techniques, replete with finesse, accuracy, and balance.
Chef Kevin Wong, a veteran of Michelin-starred kitchens in France, the United States, and Singapore, founded Seroja in 2022 as a declaration of his devotion to the Malay Archipelago. His tasting menus, which feature an emphasis on seafood, honour Malaysian cuisine by making extensive use of regional ingredients, flavours, and methods. Careful artistic plating complements delicate, well-balanced flavours.
Seroja Receives Singapore’s First Green Star
The MICHELIN Green Star is a distinction awarded to restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide that are at the cutting edge of the industry in terms of their commitment to environmental sustainability and the quality of their dining experiences, which often combine culinary excellence with great eco-friendly efforts.
The chef of Seroja accepts their one star and green star.
Seroja, a newly minted one-Michelin-star restaurant, was granted Singapore’s first-ever MICHELIN Green Star in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2023.
Seroja uses Malaysian and Singaporean ingredients to create dishes that highlight the natural beauty of the region and pay homage to the restaurant’s microclimate through subtle changes in flavor throughout the year. The cuisine and the non-alcoholic beverage pairing, which makes use of vegetable trimmings, represent the effort put into appreciating the ingredients. Seroja values the restaurant’s efforts toward sustainability, including its support for agricultural research and the provision of short courses for staff.
33 Restaurants are Added to This Year’s MICHELIN Guide
The overall number of restaurants and hawker stalls included in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2023 has increased to 152. This is in due part to the addition of 33 new MICHELIN Selected food establishments.
Over half of the 33 new establishments are hawker stalls serving popular Singaporean dishes like chwee kueh (Bedok Chwee Kueh in Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre), carrot cake (Unforgettable Carrot Cake in Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre), fishball noodles (Hup Kee Teochew Fishball Mee in Mei Ling Market and Food Centre), chicken rice (Zi Jing Cheng Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice in Alexandra Village Food Centre), and more.
Mustard Seed offers a novel take on Singaporean-Japanese fusion cooking, reimagining national dishes like rojak and laksa with clever Japanese twists; Lolla serves modern European cuisine with occasional Asian touches; and Rempapa is a champion of local cuisine that crosses boundaries among Chinese, Peranakan, Eurasian, Indian, and Malay cooking.
MICHELIN Guide Special Awards
The MICHELIN Guide isn’t just a collection of restaurant recommendations; it’s also a showcase for the gifted people behind the scenes who make fine dining what it is. In doing so, it recognises the wide range of occupations and skills required in the hospitality business.
MICHELIN Guide Service Award
The 2023 MICHELIN Guide Service Award is intended to recognise and reward exceptional service providers who go above and beyond in improving their clients’ experiences. Desmond Wong, of the two-MICHELIN-Starred Shoukouwa, is the recipient of this honour.
Since the establishment’s inception, Wong has been employed there. When it comes to the menu, the wine list, and the sake, he’s got you covered on all fronts. He consistently provides diners with expert advice and suggestions. Wong acts as a conduit between the kitchen and the table by striking up conversation with diners.
MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award
The 2023 MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award is given to an outstanding sommelier in recognition of their expertise, knowledge, and dedication to the profession. Makoto Iwabuchi, of Sushi Sakuta, a restaurant that just received one MICHELIN Star, has been named the winner of this year’s Sommelier Award.
Makoto Iwabuchi, of Sushi Sakuta, receives his Sommelier award.
Iwabuchi has an abundance of knowledge about both wine and sake because to his extensive education in the subject. Iwabuchi is a seasoned pro when it comes to catering to customers’ tastes, having lived and worked in Japan and Southeast Asia for over 15 years.
MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award
Kevin Wong of Seroja, a restaurant that was recently awarded both a Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star, is this year’s recipient of the prize. Wong’s refined and delectable dishes are a testament to his skilful use of Malay and Southeast Asian ingredients and spices. At the tender age of 14, he began a career in the culinary arts, which has taken him all over the world to places like France, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Singapore.
