Chef André Chiang opens up about giving back Michelin stars, calling it an easy decision after feeling he’d reached perfection
41-year-old whose eponymous Restaurant André in Singapore will close in February says he wants to spend more time learning about Taiwanese culture and Chinese cuisines, and to help young Chinese chefs get to the top
Top Singapore chef André Chiang says the decision to close Restaurant André and give back his two Michelin stars – which has shocked the culinary world – was an easy one to make.
Opening up about his October 10 announcement, Chiang told the South China Morning Post there was no single reason behind it.
“It’s a personal decision. I was born in Taiwan and left when I was 13. So the past 30 years I have been away in Japan, South Africa, France and Singapore.
Top chef in Singapore Andre Chiang is the latest restaurateur to hand back Michelin stars
“I always feel there’s a part of me missing that I don’t know much about Asia. It’s important for me to know more about where I came from.”
The 41-year-old was speaking in Hong Kong, where he will serve his signature dish Memory on Friday evening to guests at the Master Chef Dinner, part of the Wine&Dine Festival on the Central harbourfront.
Featuring warm foie gras jelly with black truffle coulis, the dish he created 20 years ago will soon be a memory itself. A couple of thousand lucky diners from among the 7,000 who swamped Restaurant Andre’s website with reservation requests in the days following his announcement will get to savour the dish before last orders are called on February 14.