True honour, says Odette chef after it ranks No. 28 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list

French fine-dining establishment Odette at National Gallery Singapore has catapulted to No. 28 after debuting at No. 86 on the 2017 list. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Singapore has a new entry on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, replacing Restaurant Andre which has closed.

French fine-dining establishment Odette at National Gallery Singapore has catapulted to No. 28 this year, after debuting at No. 86 on last year's list that ranked the restaurants from 51 to 100.

It is No. 5 on this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list and was also accorded the accolade of Best Restaurant in Singapore.

Restaurant Andre in Bukit Pasoh Road - which shuttered in February - was Singapore's only entry in last year's World's 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 14.

Odette chef Julien Royer, 35, who was at the awards ceremony in Bilbao, Spain, on June 19, says: "It is a true honour and privilege to be recognised as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world.

"Every day we strive to outdo ourselves in a constant quest for excellence. This recognition is a reward for all of us who have worked so hard together in this quest. We will continue to work on refining the dining experience, from our cuisine to the smallest of touchpoints."

Italian chef-restaurateur Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, regains its top spot, a position it held in 2016 before slipping to No. 2 last year. Both El Celler de Can Roca from Girona, Spain, and Mirazur from Menton, France, move up a spot each to No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.

Last year's top restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York slips to fourth place, while Bangkok's Gaggan rises two spots to No. 5, and also wins the Best In Asia award.

There are nine new restaurants - six making their debut, and three re-entries - in the list which features restaurants from 23 countries. Odette is among the six making their debut.

Three Tokyo restaurants make the list - Narisawa at No. 22; Nihonryori RyuGin, a re-entry at No. 41; and Den at No. 17, which won the Highest Climber Award, for rising 28 places.

Other Asian establishments on the list are Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai at No. 24 and Bangkok's Nahm at No. 49.

The other restaurant from Singapore - on the list ranking restaurants from 51 to 100 announced last week - is Burnt Ends in Teck Lim Road, which slid eight spots from No. 53 to 61 this year. The modern Australian barbecue restaurant is No. 12 on this year's Asia's 50 Best list.

The list - compiled by British trade magazine Restaurant - is voted on by more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts and well-travelled gourmets who make up The World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The Academy comprises 26 separate regions around the world, each of which has 40 members, including a chairperson.

News of Odette's achievement is welcomed by Singapore fans of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant by The Lo & Behold Group which opened in 2015. Prices there start at $128 for a four-course lunch and $268 for a six-course dinner.

Housewife Cherie Lim, 55, says: "I've enjoyed chef Julien's food since he was at fine-dining restaurant Jaan (at Swissotel The Stamford). So it was only a matter of time before Odette made it to the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. His cooking is consistently good and his signature smoked organic egg is my favourite dish."

Mr Michael Ong, a 38-year-old auditor, considers his dinner last year at Odette the best meal he has ever had.

He says: "Food, service and ambience - the whole experience of dining at Odette is exquisite. I also love watching the chefs work in the kitchen. It looks like they may be on track to getting another Michelin star. And if they do, it is well-deserved."

For the full list, go to www.theworlds50best.com

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.