Michelin hands out Singapore stars

As the new 2016 Michelin Guide launches in Singapore, we look at the noodle vendors and upscale restaurants who have made the cut.

Joel Robuchon at the unveiling of his restaurant in Sentosa’s Resort World

Joining the ranks of its sisters in Hong Kong, Macau and Tokyo, Joel Robuchon’s eponymous restaurant in Resort World, Sentosa is the first to be bestowed with three stars with Michelin managing director, Michael Ellis exclaiming over the poached lobster in spicy bouillon and guinea fowl with roast foie gras.

“From the quality of the ingredients – with only the best selected – to the finesse of the cooking, through to the impressive wine list that includes over 1000 references, the experience offered by the chef Joël Robuchon is quite simple exceptional,” he said.

Elsewhere, six other restaurants have been crowned with two stars, including André, headed up French-trained Taiwanese chef André Chiang; Robuchon’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon; Les Amis, fine dining sushi venue, Shoukouwa, and fiery Szechuan restaurant, Shisen Hanten.

Twenty two other places were also recognised with one stars with Michelin making an effort to champion Singapore’s high quality street food stalls.

Its name is also a mouthful: People queue up outside the newly crowned HongKong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

Hill Street Tai Hwa which serves up bak chor mee (mincemeat noodles) and has people queuing up for hours to slurp a bowl of noodles priced up to S$10 (£5.50) was a new one star addition as well as the rather long windedly-named HongKong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle.

Singapore’s Straits Times reported that both proprietors had been a little “perplexed” to have been included in the Michelin Guide but had enjoyed the lavish awards ceremony.

It is hoped that both establishments will not raise prices in light of their new-found Michelin status with Chan Hon Meng who owns HongKong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle saying:

“Even if I increase prices, customers will definitely not have to pay more than S$20 (£11) for a bowl of chicken noodles.”

Sadly, among Hong Kong’s cheap noodle bars dotted all over the city to feed hungry office workers, Michelin stars are met with some misgivings as a few recent cases have highlighted the struggle owners face with landlords who decide to double the rent in order to capitalize on the sudden fame.

The “Michelin Curse” as it’s known, famously struck Kai Kai Dessert, a classic Cantonese dessert vendor in Jordan which served up the likes of steamed egg pudding, red bean soup with lotus seed, and papaya and white fungus soup.

The owner, Chiu Wai Yip, told BBC News that just weeks after being featured in the Michelin guide last November, the shop’s landlord more than doubled the rent from HK$100,000 (£10,000) to HK$220,000 (£22,000) a month.

But it all worked out for Chiu in the end as a loyal customer came to the rescue, enabling Chiu to continue operations in a new place round the corner and pay the lesser rent of HK$90,000 (£9,000).