Singapore Michelin Guide out on July 21

Foodies, July 21 is the date to mark on the calendar. That is when the first edition of Singapore's Michelin Guide will be launched, at an award ceremony cum gala dinner at Resorts World Sentosa.

Members of the public can buy tickets to the gala dinner and rub shoulders with chefs from the newly crowned Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore.

French celebrity chef Joel Robuchon - whose restaurant empire has chalked up the largest number of Michelin stars in the world - along with other local chefs, will cook at the wine-pairing dinner priced at $450++ a person.

The first edition of Singapore's Michelin Guide will launch on July 21. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Along with the guide's debut - the first in South-east Asia - a slew of activities by Michelin and wine authority Robert Parker Wine Advocate was announced yesterday at a press conference. The latter also runs the Michelin Guide's website and the events here.

The French gastronomic guide was started by tyre company Michelin in 1900 and now puts out 25 guides covering 28 countries. In Asia, Japan, Hong Kong and Macau have their own guides.

Upcoming events for this year include a food-and-beverage trade seminar on July 22 for 100 Singapore-based chefs and restaurateurs in the industry. International director of Michelin guides, Mr Michael Ellis, will talk about the criteria that Michelin inspectors follow, as well as how they are recruited.

There will also be a Matter Of Taste - Michelin dinner in October, part of a series of wine master classes and tastings held by Robert Parker Wine Advocate.

As part of an International Chef Showcase, chefs from Michelin- starred restaurants overseas will come to Singapore to cook. These include French chef Emmanuel Renaut of three-Michelin-starred Flocons de Sel in Megeve, France, and German chef Dirk Hoberg of two-Michelin-starred Ophelia in Konstanz, Germany.

People who want to take a shot at guessing which restaurants will make the cut can take part in the Guess The Stars contest. The top prize includes Business Class return flights for two to New York, with dinner at a selected three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the city.

But for now, the guide's entrants remain secret. Even the chefs who will be invited to the ceremony will not know how many stars they will receive, says Ms Michelle Ling, the programme director for the guide here.

On how Singapore is the first country to have such activities held in conjunction with the guide's debut, she says: "For other award ceremonies overseas, it is just a private event for the press and invited guests. In Singapore, we wanted it to be an ongoing process throughout the whole year, rather than just the launch on July 21 and waiting for one more year before the guide comes again."

• For more information and to pre-order the guide ($39.95), go to https://guide.michelin.sg/

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 02, 2016, with the headline Singapore Michelin Guide out on July 21. Subscribe