SINGAPORE — Two restaurants here have been awarded three Michelin stars each this year, the first time more than one eatery in Singapore has garnered the highest award from the prestigious food guide.

Both are French restaurants — Odette at the National Gallery, and Les Amis on Scotts Road. They had received two stars in the previous year, a Michelin spokesperson said on Tuesday (Sept 17).

Five restaurants here received two-star awards, including European contemporary restaurant Zén, located in Bukit Pasoh. Another 37 establishments also received one star each, including Hawker Chan, which became a viral hit after it became the world's lowest-priced Michelin star awardee in the 2016 debut of the guide in Singapore.

The top three-star award is given only to establishments with "exceptional cuisine" that is worth a special journey to eat at, the citation said. Two stars meant that the eatery was worth a detour.

"Our highest award is given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession. The ingredients are exemplary, the cooking is elevated to an art form and their dishes are often destined to become classics," it added.

Of Les Amis, Michelin said: “Chef Sébastien Lepinoy, guided by an impressive attention to the smallest detail, offers a contemporary cuisine of French inspiration that sublimates high-quality products. The wine list, with more than 3,000 references, is rightly considered one of the most dazzling in the Asian continent.”

The guide said that Odette, helmed by chef Julien Royer, “emphasises a comprehensive experience in a discreet and intimate setting as elegant as the setting of the plates. International flavors and subtle Asian touches perfectly match with highly mastered French technique here”.

This is not the first time Michelin awarded a three-star ranking to a Singapore restaurant. The Joel Robuchon Restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa received it in 2016, but the stars were revoked when it closed in 2018.

"With two of its establishments promoted to a three-star ranking, Singapore is clearly positioned as a leading gastronomic destination," said Mr Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin guides. “Getting a three-star is always a singular moment in a chef’s life and I am convinced that’s the same feeling for a city or a country. With this historic first, which completes an already extensive culinary scene, Singapore enters a new dimension to the eyes and palate of food lovers."

Three stars

• Les Amis

• Odette

Two stars

• Saint Pierre

• Shisen Hanten

• Shoukouwa

• Waku Ghin

• Zén

One star

• Alma

• Basque Kitchen by Aitor

• Béni

• Braci

• Buona Terra

• Burnt Ends

• Candlenut

• Cheek Bistro

• Chef Kang's

• Corner House

• Cut

• Garibaldi

• Hawker Chan

• Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

• Iggy's

• Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine (Orchard)

• Jaan by Kirk Westaway

• Jag

• Jiang-Nan Chun

• Labyrinth

• Lei Garden

• Lerouy

• Ma Cuisine

• Meta

• Nouri

• Putien (Kitchener Road)

• Rhubarb

• Shinji (Bras Basah Road)

• Shinji (Tanglin Road)

• Summer Palace

• Summer Pavilion

• Sushi Ichi

• Sushi Kimura

• Table65

• Terra

• The Song of India

• Vianney Massot