Few things are as Australian as naming your restaurant after a celebrated Tim Winton novel, but that’s exactly the point for Sri-Lankan-born, Australian-trained Rishi Naleendra who takes diners on a culinary journey through his backstory in this two Michelin star restaurant. Located in Amoy Street, Cloudstreet’s omakase-style dishes, including Naleendra’s signature Western Australian marron, and his celebrated Sri Lankan stout and liquorice bread, do the talking, but if there’s one place to say yes to the wine-pairing option, it’s here. The drinks menu is unusually strong, featuring over 350 labels of predominantly independent winemakers. cloudstreet.com.sg

We know. ‘Australian barbecue restaurant in Singapore’ sounds like an unlikely sales pitch, but there’s a good reason why Burnt Ends continues to enjoy a month-long wait list some seven years after it first opened. Helmed by Dave Pynt and built upon a foundation created by his Burnt Enz London pop-up, a table here is entree to a world where produce is cooked within a four-tonne brick kiln, giving each dish – including their much-loved pork sanger burger – a deliciously smokey flavour. Do yourself a favour and book a counter seat by the open kitchen to observe the team in action. burntends.com.sg

Few lists dare to omit Odette, the lauded French fine dining establishment set within what was formerly the side chambers of the Old Supreme Court (now the National Gallery Singapore), and why would they? The three Michelin-starred restaurant – under the stewardship of chef-owner Julien Royer – was crowned 2020’s Best Restaurant in Asia by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants (slipping to sixth position in 2023), and it ranked 8th in the World’s Best Restaurants 2021. Book a table well in advance and prepare yourself for an elegant tasting menu, with two options available for lunch and dinner bookings. Signatures include beak-to-tail pigeon, and charred jade abalone. odetterestaurant.com

Paris, as they say, is always a good idea – particularly if your version of the City of Lights takes place at Les Amis, a decades-old French fine dining establishment where almost all of the ingredients are sourced from chef Sebastien Lepinoy’s homeland. Expect classic – and wholly decadent – French flavours to shine in their four-course menu: blue lobster from Normandy with pearls of crunchy vegetables, a sea urchin souffle with tarragon and dill served alongside a crustacean sauce. As expected, dining at this three Michelin-starred restaurant isn’t exactly what one would call ‘cheap and cheerful’ but those on a tighter budget will find equal parts relief and joy in the venue’s more affordable three-course lunch menu. lesamis.com.sg

CUT by Wolfgang Puck has long been regarded as the spiritual home of carnivores worldwide and this, the first Asian outpost of the celebrated steakhouse, has been winning hearts since it opened in Marina Bay Sands’ The Shoppes in 2010. Sure, it’s dark and moody – the perfect place to work your way through the 700+ wine list, but you’re really here for those mouthwatering steaks grilled to perfection over hardwood and charcoal. Does it have a Michelin star? Of course it does. wolfgangpuck.com

Perched on the 70th floor of the Swissotel, JAAN chef Kirk Westaway could have easily sat back and let the views do the talking. Instead, he went to work at the intimate 35-seater, transforming classic English fare into refined cuisine for modern times and letting the produce of his motherland speak for itself At JAAN by Kirk Westaway, ingredients such as turbot from Cornwall and scallops from Scotland shine in perfectly sculpted dishes reminiscent of a Picasso exhibition. Standouts include ‘English garden’ – an artful arrangement of more than 30 vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, and the quietly unassuming organic chicken with herbed potato. Two stars (not by us, but as awarded by Michelin). jaan.sg

Welcome to the world’s first – and only – Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, a rattan and bamboo-accented world in which traditional Straits-Chinese cuisine is given a modern twist. Located in multi-faceted lifestyle quarter, Como Dempsey, the dishes at Candlenut – be it Mooloolaba king prawn with lemak sauce, luffa melon, ikan bilis sambal, baby sweet potato leaf and green chilli, or a pandan and coconut custard with glutinous rice cake infused with fresh blue pea flower – are based on recipes chef Malcolm Lee grew up with, so so that each menu item reads (and tastes) like a love letter. comodempsey.sg

Traditional Singaporean dishes are brought out of the hawker centres and given a contemporary edge at Labyrinth, a ‘New Singaporean’ dining experience which showcases homegrown produce and flavours dear to chef Han Li Guang’s childhood. Here, seafood-centric tasting menus for lunch and dinner are all about applying fun, creative twists on familiar flavours (think chilli crab, char kway teow and ice kacang) with creative twists, but those with dietary restrictions take note: the restaurant is not able to accommodate vegetarians, vegans or those with allergies. restaurantlabyrinth.com