SINGAPORE - French fine-dining restaurant Odette at the National Gallery Singapore received the highest honour of Restaurant Of The Year at the annual G Restaurant Awards on Monday.
The two-Michelin-starred establishment - by The Lo & Behold Group - is helmed by French chef Julien Royer. It was honoured alongside Best New Restaurant winners - fine-dining restaurant Nouri (Western) in Amoy Street and Japanese restaurant Ishi (Asian) at the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay.
A total of 48 awards were given out at the awards ceremony on June 4 at the Sheraton Towers Singapore.
In its ninth edition, the awards recognises the best dining experiences and is put together by The Peak Selections: Gourmet & Travel, a supplement of luxury magazine The Peak by SPH Magazines.
A special award - The G Hallmark of Excellence - was awarded to Japanese restaurant Hashida Sushi at Mandarin Gallery, for its "stellar standards" since opening in 2013.
Other category winners include French restaurant Gunther's in Purvis Street for Best Dinner Experience (Western), as well as Chinese restaurant Hua Ting at Orchard Hotel Singapore and Japanese restaurant Ushidoki Wagyu Kaiseki in Tras Street. Both clinched awards for Best Dinner Experience (Asian).
The Best Business Lunch awards went to Origin Grill & Bar (Western) at Shangri-La Hotel Singapore and Cantonese restaurant Li Bai (Asian) at Sheraton Towers Singapore. Mezza9 at Grand Hyatt Singapore won Best Champagne Brunch.
Of the 48 winning restaurants, 14 of them were new to the list.
The Peak Selections: Gourmet & Travel collaborated with food critics Wong Ah Yoke of The Straits Times and Jaime Ee of The Business Times for a shortlist of top restaurants in the respective categories.
Over the course of six months, the panel of judges, including ambassadors, head honchos of companies and wine experts dined incognito at the restaurants to decide on the winners.
SPH Magazines' group editor Joanna Lee Miller says: "We've seen a dynamic but highly competitive dining scene this past year, therefore restaurants that are consistently upholding high standards should be acknowledged. Some stalwarts have upped their game with fresh new concepts to stay ahead of the curve while even more casual chic restaurants of note have emerged, placing a stronger emphasis on speciality ingredients, creative offerings and the overall dining experience."
Reviews of the winning restaurants are published in this month's issue of The Peak and online at www.thepeakmagazine.com. Print (available at major bookstores) and digital editions (download via Apple Newsstand and Magzter) are priced at $25 each.
