After their shock exit from Singapore in June 2018, two of the late French chef Joel Robuchon's dining concepts look set to return.
High-end Japanese restaurant Sushi Kou's founder Aimi Shibuya is bringing Robuchon's restaurant and cafe to Singapore, according to an article in January's Chinese luxury lifestyle magazine Icon. No further details were disclosed and she declined to comment when contacted by The Straits Times.
Calling herself a fan of Robuchon, Ms Shibuya told Icon that she goes to his Paris restaurants four times a year and that each experience is always "unforgettable".
Sushi Kou is located at Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre and a second outlet is in the works for this year.
The now-defunct three-Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon Restaurant and its two-Michelin-starred sister outlet L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon opened to much fanfare in 2011 at Resorts World Sentosa.
A few months after they closed, the revered chef-restaurateur died of cancer at the age of 73.
Although there was talk of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon reopening in Orchard Road back then, it never materialised.
Other openings to look forward to this year include the first Carne hamburger bar by acclaimed Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco. His three-Michelin-starred restaurant Mirazur in France was voted No. 1 in 2019's World's 50 Best Restaurants list.
The first outside of Argentina, Carne is slated to open in February in Amoy Street.
Also opening in Amoy Street is Japanese chef Kenjiro Hashida's eponymous Hashida Singapore restaurant.
The 2,772 sq ft restaurant launches on Jan 16 in partnership with OUE Restaurants, the food and lifestyle division of global property developer OUE Limited.
Hashida Singapore first opened at Mandarin Gallery in 2013 and was previously located in Mohamed Sultan Road and private dining space OUE Social Kitchen at Downtown Gallery.
The new space at 77 Amoy Street - which chef Hashida calls his "Hashida Universe" - features a 12-seat dining hall and two private rooms.
"We aim to take diners on a pilgrimage to discover some of Japan's gifts of nature, harvested and prepared impeccably at the chef's table. We devote ourselves to serving our signature omakase experience," says chef Hashida.
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