Michelin Guide Singapore 2018: Opinion: Disappointing

I have to say that I am quite DISAPPOINTED with this year’s Michelin Guide results. In the first year, we cheered the fact that two hawkers were awarded Michelin Stars and some of our local chefs like Candlenut and Cornerhouse managed to get stars. Last year, I applauded Chef Kang for winning a star. This year unfortunately, we don’t have a 3 star restaurant, and of the five new restaurants to be awarded a star, none are being helmed by local chefs and there are no new 2 Michelin star restaurants. Doesn’t it seem to you that our “vibrant” culinary scene is really at a standstill? If by their own definition, 3 Michelin Stars mean “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey”, it really means there there isn’t anything exceptional in Singapore that people should want to make a special journey here to eat. Maybe it’s time to be more humble and tell ourselves that we really do need to up the game if we really want to consider ourselves a gastronomic hub.

Despite the rhetoric that Michelin really wants to focus on our hawker culture this year, I am afraid it all felt like lip service. Sure, there are 17 new stalls added to the Bib Gourmand list. Yet, there are very glaring omissions like Nasi Padang, for example, which is almost non-existent in the guide. The list for local Indian food and Zi Char places is also very weak. They paid tribute to Dragon Phoenix, Guan Hoe Soon, Roland and Loy Kee Chicken Rice for their contribution to Singapore culinary culture yet only Roland was listed in the guide. It is as if to say that these restaurants have historic significance but their food is not good enough to be listed even in the non-bib gourmand list.

I do think that Michelin does give a lot of hardworking chefs and hawkers international recognition for what they do. That is very good. I don’t think we would be happier if there was not Michelin Guide, Singapore. Then we will also be complaining. I think what most Singaporean want is for the inspectors to do a better job at curating the best foods that Singapore can offer. It is excusable in the first two years, but three years should be adequate time for them to come up with list that more accurately reflects the opinions of the general population here.