Where to Find Michelin Star Street Food in Singapore (2024)

FAQs

Which street food vendor has a Michelin star in Singapore? ›

The world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal can be found at a humble hawker stall in Singapore. Chan Hon Meng, born to farmers in Malaysia, opened Liao Fan Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle in a Singapore hawker center in 2009.

Still, each single-meal served at Hawker Chan will set you back less than US$4, a true value compared to other restaurants helmed by a chef with Michelin honors.

MICHELIN's inspectors use 5-point criteria to award Stars to deserving dining places. The criterion includes the quality of the ingredients used, mastery of flavour and cooking techniques, personality of the chef in his cuisine, its overall value for money, and the consistency between visits.

How many Michelin Star restaurants in Singapore? As of 2023, there are 55 Michelin-starred restaurants in Singapore. 5 newly minted restaurants with one Michelin star, bringing a total of 46 one Michelin star restaurants in Singapore.

But five years later, Michelin dropped Chan's stall from its list. It came as a shock to many foodies around the world — but not Chan. He knew his time in the limelight, Chan said, would eventually come to an end. "When I lost the star, I didn't give up," Chan said.

1 – Tokyo, Japan – home to 194 Michelin-starred establishments.

Its famed soya chicken with rice — simply known as chicken rice — costs S$3 ($2.25). But Hawker Chan did not make it onto the 2021 Michelin food guide, which means Tai Hwa now holds the title of the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal.

But in a shock loss in 2021, Hawker Chan was stripped of its one Michelin star. The awarded eateries are reassessed yearly by anonymous Michelin inspectors. “Nobody knows how they operate. When the guide was first launched in Singapore, I thought it was only for high-class restaurants,” said Chan.

“They do tend to be often middle-aged gentlemen who are well-dressed and polite. One will go to the bar and order a drink and wait for the other one. One will order a tasting menu and the other one will order a la carte; that's absolutely true,” he said. And they do order a half-bottle of wine when it's available.

How do you know if a restaurant has a Michelin star? ›

If a restaurant has one or more Michelin stars there will be a star or stars beside its entry in the Michelin Guide. A Michelin star restaurant in France. The personality of the chef is a particularly interesting measure.

Michelin remains secretive about the criteria and evaluation process used to award stars, but certain factors are known to be key, including: the quality of the products; a chef's mastery of flavour and cooking techniques; the chef's ability to imbue the cuisine with his or her culinary “personality;” and consistency ...

Not quite a star, but most definitely not a consolation prize, the Bib Gourmand - named after Bibendum, the friendly Michelin Man and the official company mascot for the Michelin Group - is a just-as-esteemed rating that recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.

Singapore's MICHELIN Star dining scene elegantly mirrors the city-state's rich and multifaceted culinary legacy. With its status as a cultural melting pot, Singapore draws influence from Chinese, Malay, Indian, and various other ethnic cuisines, all flourishing within its dynamic dining landscape.

In 2016, Chan was catapulted into the celebrity world when his stall was included among three street food restaurants awarded the Michelin star – a recognition usually reserved for the finest names in haute cuisine. The media dubbed his signature dish, priced at $2.25, as the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal.

In a country teeming with street food, it's surprising — and disappointing — that only one street food vendor has been awarded a Michelin star so far and just one star at that, said José Ralat, the taco editor at Texas Monthly.

Jay Fai is one of only two street-food vendors in the world that currently holds a Michelin star. I've also eaten at the only other Michelin-starred street-food stall, Singapore's Tai Hwa Pork Noodle.

Singaporean chef Hawker Chan on life and business after his rice and noodle stall received a Michelin star.