Aux Trois Poissons in Le Petit Venise is very good on both, Chez Hansi for food but less so on wine. L'Epicurien and Rendezvous de Chasse were recommended to me by some winemakers but I cannot offer a personal view on them.

I found it quite easy to book a taxi to get to the surrounding villages (which do have some excellent food), so please do not restrict yourself to the town.

On a side note, Bigos' recommendation of Atelier du Peintre is an interesting one - its chef Loic Lefebvre previously appeared on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (UK version) and was aiming for a Michelin star at his then-restaurant in Inverness, Scotland. Very good to see that he has his star now!

Great post, Phil, captured my thoughts far more eloquently that I could have done.

Because labour is quite cheap and widely available in Asia, I think Cantonese food (thinking of Dim Sum as a particular case in point) is an absolute bargain for the quality of craftsmanship and ingredient. Ironically, that introduces some distortion on how the pricing is perceived outside of Asia.

And I am just as guilty as a victim of that distortion. I was in Paris when Shang Palace first opened its doors, and when I learned that the banquet menu was in the order of 90+ euros a head, my first reaction was "forget it". But this is because excellent Cantonese food is available far cheaper elsewhere, even at the "haute cuisine" level. I'm here in Singapore and I would be hard-pressed to spend that much on a Cantonese meal unless I went crazy on sharks' fins, abalone and the like.

That said, I don't think you and Ptipois' views are mutually exclusive. While I enjoy birds' nest and wok-fried lobster just as much as the next person, this is also the food of my childhood so I very much empathise with her views also.

Gastrobuck, I'm not sure what you mean when you say the "Haikanese" food culture has undoubtedly affected Indonesia and Malaysia.

Being of Malaysian origin myself and still a regular visitor to Malaysia, I can tell you now that Malaysians in general do not have a particularly high opinion of Singaporean cuisine and often take pains to distance themselves from it when discussing Malaysian food with foreigners.

Yes, Malaysia and Singapore share common influences and dishes, but that is due to their common history (indigenous Malay Muslim population, British colonisation, Chinese immigration), trade routes, available produce and racial mixes, not Singaporean influence.

I would look at the Balestier area, where I used to live. On the Whampoa end, you have some decent hawkers and a good wet market, and Balestier Road itself is full of excellent eating options (Boon Tong Kee chicken rice, Cafe de HK, Founders' bak kut teh, Tandoori Corner, even a 24 hour prata joint in Fayidha's!).

It is also walking distance to Little India, and a short bus trip to Geylang, where more excellent food awaits.

Transport-wise, the 145 plies Balestier Road with some regularity, and it's a 10-minute ride to Lavender MRT on the green line.

I think Barbot is a genius. I haven't tried Colagreco.

Comparing your photos, I can't see how Gunther's portion is larger than Les Amis or the others. It may have more surface area, but it looks as thin as a slice of ham in the photos. The others look thicker, which would also help the diner appreciate the texture of the meat.

As to what I think...quality of ingredients, creativity (not critical but this is an absolute positive now at Les Amis and Jaan) and a distinct lack of generosity (part of which is portion size) are good places to start.

I can't agree with you there, BPS. For me, Gunther's is simply not batting in the same league as Les Amis (or Jaan, for that matter).

There seems to be a bit of "nickel-and-diming" going on, judging from your photos. If someone served me a sliver of wagyu like I see in your photo, I would have asked them if they were taking the piss. That's not a main course-sized serve, even in a degustation. That's a topping for my sandwich.

That said, I know you are partial to Passard's cooking style, so à chacun son goût.

I don't think there is anything rebellious in selling blends, is there? Edelzwicker, Gentil and the like are traditional blends that are many years old. Deiss attracts cynicism because he practices complantation; I'm not sure Pfister is doing the same (although please correct me if I'm wrong).

Completely agree with your post below re the quality of Weinbach, although I am not sure if Colette is in fact still running the show? There is a new generation coming up in the family, and I think it is Catherine's son Theo who is now in charge of the vineyards.

The tasting menu at Guy Savoy has been $290++ for a while now. I think at that price, it overdelivered in terms of food and service, and certainly outclasses a lot of other restaurants in the same class. The wine list was undoubtedly a monumental rip-off, but it otherwise provided a top-notch experience.

Personally, I will be extremely sad to see it go. I like David Thompson's food, but I am saddened to see that there is declining demand and/or appreciation for higher-end dining (Santi disappeared and was replaced by a relatively casual Northern Chinese restaurant). Some people call it a return to authenticity sans frills, but I am not sure I share the same optimism.