Top Singapore Restaurant Will Close, Asks to Return Michelin Stars

Just hours after marking Restaurant André’s seventh anniversary, chef André Chiang unexpectedly announced that his Singapore restaurant’s last day of service would be February 14, 2018, CNN reports. Restaurant André, regarded as one of Singapore’s best, has long been a darling of the restaurant awards circuit: it ranks number 14 on the 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurant list, is number 2 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, and has two Michelin stars — which, Chiang also announced, it would like to return.

"I wish to kindly return my Michelin stars and also request not to be included in the 2018 edition of the Michelin Guide Singapore," Chiang said in a statement on his restaurant’s website, citing a desire to “re-prioritize” his “professional life.”

After André closes in February, Chiang will focus on his Taipei tasting menu restaurant Raw, which ranks number 24 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Knowing that Michelin has expanded its guides into Asia in recent years, Chiang has preemptively asked that Raw also not be included in any Michelin guides covering Taiwan or Taipei. “My hope is that Raw will be the pure place where I can focus on educating, developing others, and cooking after my retirement from Restaurant André,” he wrote in his statement.

A self-described perfectionist, Chiang says that, he has been chasing after “that unrealistic ‘moment of perfection,’” including three Michelin stars and appearing on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, throughout his career. But, he says, “I realized, at this moment — [André] is perfect as it is.”

On Instagram, Chiang responded to the flood of shocked reactions in the wake of the closing announcement, telling André fans, “Please don't be sad, because I'm happy.”

• Restaurant Andre [Official]

• 'We're closing': Restaurant Andre, Singapore's top eatery, returns Michelin stars [CNN]