In the early hours of 11 October 2017, Singapore’s dining circle woke to an announcement that few had expected. Chef Andre Chiang said Restaurant ANDRE, his two-Michelin-starred restaurant on Bukit Pasoh Road, would serve its last meal on 14 February 2018.
The news came just after the restaurant marked its seventh anniversary. CNN reported that Chiang sent his email at 3.44am, hours after the celebration. He also said he wished to return his Michelin stars and asked not to be included in the 2018 edition of the Michelin Guide Singapore.
A restaurant at its peak
The timing surprised people because the restaurant stood at the top of the region’s rankings. It was Singapore’s highest-ranked restaurant on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list, at number two, behind only Gaggan in Bangkok. It was also ranked No. 14 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, the only Singapore restaurant in that top 50.
It opened in October 2010 in a three-storey heritage shophouse, and it won diners over with its French nouvelle cuisine before it earned two Michelin stars in 2016. Chiang and his team built the menu daily around the quality of produce available in the markets.
“It is perfect as it is”
Chiang explained his reasoning in a letter. He had spent 30 years chasing an unrealistic “moment of perfection”, such as three Michelin stars and a place on the World’s 50 Best list. He now realised that, at this moment, it was perfect as it is.
He rejected the idea that awards drove the decision. He told CNN the closure was not related to any awards. He also said he wanted to spend more time exploring his Taiwanese roots and understanding Taiwanese produce.
His plans centred on teaching. He said he wanted to return to his home country and train a new generation of chefs at RAW, his restaurant in Taipei. In his statement he said he had no regrets and that the restaurant had achieved what it set out to do for Singapore and for Asia.
Reservations and a message to diners
The response was overwhelming. A few days later, Chiang posted a message on Instagram asking guests to use the restaurant’s website to request a table rather than contacting him directly. He asked people not to call during service and to read the announcement before sending questions. He also said 14 February was not open for booking, and that other dates were still available.
He ended the message on a cheerful note. He asked fans not to be sad, because he would still be cooking and now had the chance to do more.
What came next
The restaurant served its last meal on Valentine’s Day, 2018. Chiang had said the shophouse would be redeveloped into a more relaxed food-and-beverage concept. He would be a stakeholder, but it would not carry his name.
Chiang’s focus moved to Taiwan. In 2020, a documentary titled “André Chiang & His Olive Tree” was released in Taiwan at the end of August. It took a different angle from the film director’s first plan, which was to chronicle the restaurant’s rise. In September 2020, Michelin described RAW in Taipei as a two-Michelin-star restaurant.
Chiang has since returned to cook in Singapore. A Michelin Guide feature describes a residency in the city, where he has met many familiar faces. Some guests showed photos of their first meal at the restaurant, and for some it was also their last.