Where have all the fine diners gone?

BANGKOK. Tokyo. Bali. Favourite travel destinations for Singaporeans, but also the bane of fine-dining restaurants here, which are going through their worst year since Covid-19: They are losing their once-loyal customers to more exotic – and arguably cheaper – countries overseas.

Travel, high costs of living and changing tastes are just some factors making it tough-going for the F&B scene here, particularly Michelin star and equivalently-priced restaurants. In a highly-saturated dining scene, a star or being placed in a top restaurant guide is no longer a sure-fire route to success. In Friday’s edition of BT Lifestyle, we assess the high-end dining scene, and the direction it is headed.

Elsewhere, get ideas on how to maximise space in a tiny apartment as we visit a 65 sq m HDB flat that has been transformed into a studio apartment that looks much larger than it is. In Arts, find out what’s in store at this year’s Night Festival. Finally, in Dining, take a deep dive into Filipino cuisine at the newly opened restaurant Hayop in Amoy Street.

Catch up with the latest lifestyle news and more in this Friday’s issue of The Business Times.