“I tell my staff, make sure you keep your feet on the ground. And try even harder. There’s no such thing as perfect.”
Australian-Japanese chef Tetsuya Wakuda is still focussed on what matters despite doubling down on his Michelin stars, after being awarded two for his restaurant Waku Ghin in the latest edition of Singapore’s Michelin Guide.
Awarded in a ceremony in Singapore earlier this month, the Michelin stars – up from one in 2016, when the Michelin guide launched in the island city-state - can be added to a hypothetical trophy cabinet groaning with 30 years’ worth of accolades across a career spanning both his eponymous Sydney flagship and his Singapore newcomer, which he opened at the upmarket Marina Bay Sands complex in 2010.
Perhaps the real significance of the Waku Ghin accolade is that it comes at a time when Singapore dining is booming.
“In Singapore, eating is like a sport. It’s an obsession,” he says. “We don’t have beautiful beaches or mountains so the national sport is eating, drinking and shopping. More and more young chefs are opening restaurants so there are exciting new places to visit all the time. Japanese food is huge here – there are more than 1300 Japanese restaurants in Singapore.”
For anyone with plans to eat at Waku Ghin – the name, incidentally, derives from the Japanese words “waku”, meaning “to arise, and “ghin”, meaning the colour silver, Wakuda’s favourite – the bad news is that at a tight 20 seats, it’s necessary to book ahead. And at around AUD$450 per person, it’s also expensive. As the latest Michelin citation says, “Gather up all your winnings at the casino - for you will need them - and head to this sophisticated Japanese restaurant from Tetsuya Wakuda, known for his eponymous restaurant in Sydney. The restaurant comprises four rooms and only a tasting menu is offered. There is no doubting the exceptional quality of ingredients, in dishes like Botan shrimps with sea urchin and Oscietra caviar, and Japanese Ohmi Wagyu beef with wasabi and citrus soy.”
The marinated Botan shrimp with sea urchin and caviar (left) and the bar at Waku Ghin Source: Waku Ghin Singapore
It’s singular fine dining, in true Wakuda style – a Japanese-European degustation-only menu of 10 courses, with diners ushered into small rooms of around four seats where they sit at a counter to watch their designated chef prepare the meal. For dessert, they move back to an open area where they can take in the view of Marina Bay.
After only seven years in Singapore, Wakuda’s influence on its food culture is palpable. The executive chefs at three single Michelin-starred restaurants are former Wakuda mentees, including Nishi Raleendra at the modern Australian restaurant Cheek By Jowl, who previously worked at Tetsuya’s.
After three decades’ worth of experience, Wakuda knows to treat awards with circumspection. Tetsuya’s, for instance, represented Australia in the first World’s Best Restaurants list in 2002, at number 10 and last appeared on the prestigious list in 2012. “We’re happy to do what we do. It’s like saying how fast can you run 100 metres? After more than 30 years in restaurants you just do every day what you do and if people walk away smiling then you’re happy,” he says.
Recipes from Tetsuya Wakuda
Tasmanian Huon salmon in sake marinade
