Will Singapore’s fine dining scene go the way of Noma? Top chefs weigh in

IN EARLY January, chef-restaurateur Rene Redzepi sent shock waves through the global dining community when he announced that he was closing his renowned Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, in 2024, calling it “financially and emotionally” unsustainable to keep producing cuisine at such a high level.

His decision prompted global media to immediately predict the death of fine dining in general.

With the residual effects of Covid-19, economic uncertainty, surging costs and notoriously thin profit margins, it will only get harder for upscale restaurants to survive, even at their pricing levels. So if Noma – five times named the world’s best restaurant – can’t make it, what does it say for restaurants of similar ilk?