Chef Daniel Boulud banks on classic cooking to keep diners returning
The New York-based French chef rebrands the former db Bistro as Maison Boulud in new premises
DANIEL Boulud may be a famous chef, but he’s also a savvy businessman. That combination has helped the Lyon native – who has lived in New York since the 1980s – build his restaurant empire and continue to expand it around the world.
In town to oversee the opening of the new Maison Boulud at Marina Bay Sands last week, the French restaurateur shows no signs of slowing down. The Singapore restaurant is just one of four restaurants he plans to open this year, with one in Riyadh and two more in the US.
His longevity – his two-Michelin-starred flagship Restaurant Daniel in New York recently celebrated its 30th anniversary – is no mean feat given the highly competitive F&B industry. His first restaurant in Singapore, db Bistro, has stayed at the same location opposite the Sands Theatre since the integrated resort opened in 2010. And he’s confident about the newly rebranded Maison Boulud which takes up a double-storey space in another section of the luxury mall once occupied by Justin Quek’s JustIN and Chinoiserie.
Well aware of Singapore’s fickle dining scene, he’s banking on a simple formula to keep diners interested: decent pricing, fine ingredients and updated, fresh flavours – with a focus on French roots.
Boulud says: “People love to go to new, trendy places. But I think our restaurant is really a destination for people to come back to.”
He does not want to be like some hip restaurant that “you may want to experience once but may not go back – it’s just to check the box”.
Being a good chef, he adds, does not equal good business. “The level of talent today is tremendous everywhere. But that does not mean you’re going to succeed. For me, what’s important is to look at the long haul, and make sure that at the end of the day, we do it for our customers.”
Awards season
Boulud, who has four Michelin-starred restaurants in New York in a stable of eateries that span from Manhattan to the Bahamas, understands that the F&B industry revolves around awards, be it Michelin or The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. But he will not be a slave to them.
“Of course it’s important, but it’s not everything,” he says. “You want to go (to the best restaurants) once. You want to go there maybe twice or more. But if it’s too much hassle to get in, you just don’t want to go back,” he quips.
Whether or not Maison Boulud gets a star, “the ambition and goal is to be at that level – whether we get it or not”.
Awards, to him, are not a sure-fire thing. “There are also a lot of Michelin-starred restaurants closing down. It’s not like if you receive a Michelin star or get on the World’s 50 Best list it guarantees that you’re going to last forever in the business.”
New concept
With its spacious two storeys and an outdoor terrace, Maison Boulud is described by the restaurateur as relaxing, comfortable and cosy. “The menu is always driven by seasonality and driven by composition of ingredients like seafood and vegetables,” he says. “We try to have a very fresh presentation. I’m all for flavour, lightness and freshness.”
The move from the original restaurant was a smooth one, he adds. “We had a quick turnaround. db Bistro closed about two weeks before (the move), and we opened (Maison Boulud) right away. The good thing is that we didn’t have to train the cooks from scratch. Everyone – the entire team of db – is here. And they’re very excited because it’s a step up from db in terms of hospitality and cuisine.”
The idea is to have a more similar concept to Le Pavillon or (recently reopened) Cafe Boulud in New York. (Cafe Boulud’s original space closed after the pandemic because the lease was up.) Both have been awarded one Michelin star. Leading the Singapore team are executive chef Remy Carmignani, executive sous chef Vincent Yong and executive pastry chef Mandy Pan.
The restaurateur believes that Maison Boulud will be a place where locals and tourists can enjoy a relaxing and tasty meal made with high-quality ingredients, and at an affordable price. “The menu is maybe 10 per cent above db Bistro’s price, which is not much because db Bistro was quite reasonable,” he points out. “And we have a prix fixe at S$62 for two courses and S$72 for three courses. So it’s fairly reasonable for lunch.”
Staying power
At 68, Boulud says that he has “never felt jaded”.
He adds: “I don’t know how much more I have to prove. But I definitely enjoy what I do. And I definitely enjoy the opportunity to create new things.”
After the Singapore opening, he will launch Cafe Boulud in Los Angeles and Riyadh, and a steakhouse in New York.
“My advice to any young chef who wants to open his own business is: Don’t try to copy the restaurant you work for. Try to be yourself. Try to bring your talent to a level where diners will want to follow you for the rest of your life.”
He reiterates: “That’s why when you do things a little bit more classic, a little bit more predictable, a little bit more expected... and (serve) things that make diners feel good – they want to go back.”
He believes in nurturing young talent and creating platforms for them “just like what we did with Joji in New York (a sushi omakase restaurant which opened in 2022 and just won its first star). He also believes in maintaining existing restaurants such as Restaurant Daniel which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.
Will he take a break at some point? He replies: “I will never retire. I will always be involved. I love the business too much.”
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