Boasting carefully sourced ingredients, white-glove service and intricate food displays, these French restaurants will have you coming back for seconds and more

Characterised by sophistication and excellence, the French fine dining scene in Singapore is more than just foie gras and pate. Here’s a quick list of our favourite French places across the city.

Gunther’s

Gunther’s, founded by Gunther Hubrechsen, has been around since 2007 and for good reason. Voted ‘Best Dinner Experience (Western)’ by the 2018 G Restaurant Awards, a meal here is always comforting, down to earth and executed with great finesse. Enter its elegant, contemporary home, and be introduced to an array of raw meats and vegetables before the meal begins. The chef is a stickler for quality ingredients and “natural cuisine”. Make sure you try the Tomato-Infused Rice, made with roasted Carabineros, but do not leave without his iconic cold Angel Hair Pasta, topped generously with Oscietra caviar.

Gunther’s
#01-03
36 Purvis Street
Singapore 188613
Tel: +65 9010 3075

Jaan

If what you’re looking for is a bird’s eye view of the city and really good grub, this is it. Head up to the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford, where Asia’s 32nd best restaurant sits. The 40-seater restaurant, headed by chef Kirk Westaway, brings in a fresh perspective towards French cuisine through his British palate. Everything is sustainably sourced (mostly from his homeland in Devon) and small, punchy plates are the order of things here. So whether it is simply an egg or a slice of beef, it is sure to leave a lasting impression. Order the signature Eggs in an Egg dish, an ostrich-sized egg that houses a cured organic egg yolk on a bed of pickled mushrooms, onions and cauliflower puree.

Read the full review here

Jaan
Level 70
Equinox Complex
2 Stamford Road
Singapore 178882
Tel: +65 6837 3322

Les Amis

Welcome to Les Amis, where classic French is met with an Asian twist. As the city’s first independent fine dining restaurant and with two Michelin stars to its name, it starts you off with cubes of Le Ponclet butter — a rare treat from the very elusive herb-fed cow in Brittany – and will have you reeling from Boeuf Japonais, a pan-roasted Omi tenderloin available all year round. Opt for chef Sebastien Lepinoy’s tasting menu for a full overview of his signatures.

Les Amis
1 Scotts Road,
#01-16 Shaw Centre,
Singapore 228208
Tel: +65 6733 2225

Odette

Currently ninth on Asia’s Best 50 Restaurants but easily top five in our books, it is headed by Julien Royer, the former chef of Jaan who has also worked for heavyweights like Michel Bras and Antonin Bonnet. His style revolves around seasonal ingredients and artisanal produce, with flavours lighter than your traditional French. His four- to eight-course menus change regularly, but mainstays include his famous 55° Smoked Organic Egg and Trout with Grilled Octopus and Miso Caramel. If you’ve ever been to Odette, you’ll know what the deal is. But if you haven’t, know that you’ll need to book your table at least a month in advance, as the wait is no joke.

Odette
1 St Andrew’s Road #01-04
Singapore 178957
Tel: +65 6385 0498

Rhubarb

With space for just seven tables, it is worth trying your luck here for a seat at this one-Michelin-starred restaurant. Opened by two Au Petit Salut alumni, it stays true to French classical cuisine, modernised but without the bells and whistles. Staples include the French Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Pumpkin and Vanilla, and the Wagyu Onglet with Smoked Garlic and Potato. And opt for a bottle or two of French wine if you know you can’t leave quite yet.

Rhubarb
3 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089589
Tel: +65 8127 5001