The other hawker to score a Michelin star when the guide kicked off in Singapore − Tang Chay Seng’s Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle − has at his peak had three-hour queues to eat his famousbak chor meeor noodles with minced pork.
With none of Singapore’s several thousand other hawker centre stalls having been given a Michelin star in subsequent guides,the elevated status of two is accompanied by a healthy portion of cynicism.
“It will always be insane to me how the Michelin model of going into Asian countries entirely revolves around giving one star to some kind of ‘street food’ for the free local press,while giving three stars almost exclusively to French restaurants,and people just go along with it,” celebrity Australian chef Adam Liaw remarked on social media in May.
In Singapore,the two three-star recipients in Michelin’s most recent guide in 2019 − the 2020 edition was abandoned because of COVID-19 − were indeed high-end French restaurants,as was the only other to have scaled such heights,Joel Robuchon Restaurant on Sentosa Island,which closed in 2018 shortly before the revered chef’s death.
When it spread its south-east Asian footprint to Bangkok three years ago,Michelin also awarded a star to Jai Fai,Supinya Junsuta’s popular street food shop in the Samran Rat neighbourhood that takes her nickname and draws crowds for offerings like her 1000-baht ($41) crab omelette.
Singapore’s “red book” also includes dozens of hawker market vendors with either a Bib Gourmand designation for high-quality food under $SGD45 or a Michelin plate,the least prestigious title in the company’s rating system.
KF Seetoh,a food critic and television presenter in Singapore,doesn’t disagree with Liaw on Michelin’s approach,saying that the inclusion of hawkers is a publicity exercise by the company that in the island nation has served well the interests of the Singapore Tourism Board,a commercial partner.
“I was disappointed that[Michelin] could actually support the interests of tourism groups[by allowing them] to borrow their name in the name of promoting street food culture ... they’ve done it in Japan,Hong Kong,here,” said Seetoh,whose Makansutra guide reviews hundreds of stalls and operates food safaris in Singapore.
“And if you want to walk the integrity route,seriously,after three or four books,you can only find two hawkers? And no one can earn anything beyond a one-star ranking?”
Singaporeans,he said,didn’t put much stock in the Michelin stars for street food.
“But for tourists here it’s a big deal,” he said. “The tourism body got it right.”
Chan,who grew up in a kampong in Malaysia and started his stall in Chinatown in 2009,sees it differently.
“At the time[Michelin awarded one star] I was really shocked and surprised.[I thought] ‘how could such an award be given to a hawker’?” he said.
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“I thought it was only given to high-level restaurants and higher-level kind of food and beverage.
“But after receiving the award,I feel that the Michelin star is not about whether you’re a hawker or not,it’s about what you serve and how you produce your food and how you keep the consistency of the food.
“The number of people we are serving every day is more than a[top-end] Michelin restaurant,so it is very important to keep the quality,sustainability and consistency of your food.”
As he and his business partners eye off further expansion in China and look towards opening up in the United States as well,Chan would just like to see others enjoy some of the magic dust that has been sprinkled on him by receiving a star when the guide is next published in Singapore.
“I hope that a lot more hawkers will get this award eventually.”
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