Asia’s Second Best Chef is Closing His Restaurant, Wants to Give Back His Michelin Stars

Taking the number 2 spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant for 2017 and awarded with two Michelin stars rating, Restaurant Andre

Owner and Head Chef Andre Chiang made the announcement on Wednesday at around 3:41 a.m., according to Her World. In his statement, the chef requested to return the Michelin stars he received and he wishes to be excluded from next year’s edition of Michelin Guide Singapore.

Dear all, my phone, email and social media burst as you probably expected… here are some things to take note: 1. Please don’t book through me 😆 there’s Restaurant ANDRE website to book, simply drop a request (don’t call) 2. Don’t book 14th Feb (cuz other dates we are open too… 😑) 3. Please don’t call me during lunch & dinner service (I’m still working…😅) 4. Media issue please contact [email protected] 🙏 5. Please read the announcement carefully before asking me questions 😜 (because most of the answer is in there) and I wrote it… 6. Please don’t be sad, because I’m happy that I could phisically do more than before; I’m still around and Andre is still cooking, I simply realised I have bigger responsibility to leverage chef’s social status and environment for Asia I love you all

A post shared by Andre Chiang (@andrechiang_sg) on Oct 10, 2017 at 8:45pm PDT

“I’m a perfectionist and for the past 30 years of my career, I’ve been looking for that unrealistic ‘moment of perfection’; Three Michelin stars, World’s Top 50 restaurant… until now I realized, at this moment- It is perfect as it is,” the chef wrote on the restaurant’s official website post.

Aside from Singapore, Chef Chiang also has a restaurant open in Taipei, Taiwan, which he named RAW. He also requested not to include RAW in Michelin’s guide.

“I understand that Michelin will soon launch new editions in Bangkok and Taiwan (where my other restaurant RAW is located in Taipei),” he said. “As 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 ANDRE, I also request that RAW not be included in the Michelin Guide Taiwan (or Taipei).”

Chiang, who was born in Taiwan, started his fascination for cooking at the early age of 13, Channel NewsAsia reported.

His journey in the culinary world only began when he trained under Jacques and Laurent Pourcel at Le Jardin de Sens in Montpellier, France, where he became the head chef nine years later. He also worked under many other world renowned chefs such as Pascal Barbot, Michel Troisgros, Pierre Gagnaire and Joël Robuchon.

In 2010, Chiang opened Restaurant Andre at Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore.

In his statement, Chiang made it clear that he had no regrets with the decision to switch his priorities.

“Although Restaurant Andre’s legacy will soon become a fond memory to the world’s gourmets, I have no regrets, as we have achieved all that we have wanted to for Singapore and for Asia,” Chiang wrote. “Now, it is time for me to go home.”

Images via Instagram / andrechiang_sg

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