During this period last year, a total of 44 restaurants were bestowed with one Michelin star or more by the Michelin Guide Singapore, crowning Singapore the country in South East Asia with the most number of Michelin-starred establishments.
But things are a little different this year as the Michelin Guide has cancelled their Michelin Star Revelation 2020 due to the prolong period which restaurants were closed when the country was battling with COVID-19.
Throughout the years, the Michelin Guide has built a strong and impartial methodology used for each of their editions with consistency between visits being one of its main criteria. However, buffeted by the pandemic, the inspectors were unable to accurately evaluate on this due to dine-in restrictions and restaurant closures that took place for up to 11 weeks.
As a result, “in order to preserve the quality and the relevance of our restaurant recommendations and the respect of our evaluation method, we have decided not to announce a 2020 selection in Singapore”, according to the statement released by the Michelin Guide on 29 September 2020.
With the easing of safe-distancing and resumption of activities, the inspectors are returning to the field ‘with cautious pleasure’. Despite these unprecedented times, the Michelin Guide has ensured that it will ‘retain its values and its function regarding the allocation of stars in Singapore’.
We might not get our list of Michelin-starred restaurants this year, but we can expect the Michelin Guide to announce their 2021 selection of restaurants in Singapore once the inspectors have completed enough assessments on the field in the months to come.
So, do keep a lookout for what’s coming your way this 2021.