The Best Disappearing Act Award goes to the Singapore diner

SINGAPORE – Magician Criss Angel could not have done a better job. Neither could David Blaine, David Copperfield nor, indeed, the original escapologist, Harry Houdini.

In the heady days post-pandemic, diners flooded restaurants. They ordered feasts and bottles of wine, and dined out with a vengeance after two-plus years of forced hibernation.

Then, in 2024, they started disappearing. Borders were opening up. Diners here suddenly had use for their wings, aided by the strong Singapore dollar.

In 2025, the silence became deafening. Lusty conversation in restaurants was replaced by crickets chirping. Entire restaurants could be empty at meal times. The Singapore diner had vanished.

The trick had all the makings of the perfect disappearing act.

Misdirection: The untrained eye would not have thought anything was amiss. New cafes, restaurants and pop-up stores still attracted queues and crowds. On social media, influencers breathlessly extolled the virtues of this or that new food thing.

But look harder and the evidence was everywhere. Restaurants and cafes closing at an alarming rate – Imbue, Wild Blaze and Michelin-starred Euphoria, Alma by Juan Amador and Restaurant Poise, among many others.

Entire chains, including

Prive

,

Eggslut

and

Burger & Lobster

, disappeared. Long-time operators such as heritage brand

Ka-Soh

and

East Ocean Teochew Restaurant

have also not been spared, with the latter to close by year-end.

Clever props: Planes and Singapore dollars. Diners hopped on to parts known and unknown, unleashing themselves on restaurants all over the planet.

The wind beneath the wings was the strong Singapore dollar. People could get more bang for their buck in Australia, Japan, South Korea and many other countries.

If there is any doubt that currency considerations dictate where Singaporeans go, witness the latest disappearing act: Shoppers here are shying away from weekend shopping sprees in Johor Baru. Why?

The surge in the ringgit

offers less bang for the Singapore buck.

Precise timing: Just when restaurateurs were signing new leases and patting themselves on the back for having survived the pandemic, diners pulled the rug out from under their feet.

The minute Japan and other countries opened their borders, all bets were off. Why spend $500 on an omakase sushi meal in Singapore when that meal could be had in Tokyo at half the price and double the quality?

Singaporeans hold the world’s strongest passport, according to the Henley Passport Index. It is put out annually by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners. Holders get visa-free entry to 193 countries. For comparison, the second most powerful passport, from South Korea, allows holders visa-free entry to 190 countries.

For this remarkable achievement, the Singapore Diner is the deserving winner of the 2025 award for Best Disappearing Act.