Restaurant in Singapore, Singapore
Michelin-starred tasting menu, genuinely hard to book.
Whitegrass holds a Michelin 1 Star (2024) for its French-technique, Japanese-ingredient tasting menus inside the historic CHIJMES convent complex. Seats are limited and the venue closes Monday and Sunday, making early booking essential. At $$$, it is one of the most architecturally compelling tasting menu experiences in Singapore's French Contemporary tier.
Whitegrass holds one of the harder-to-get reservations in Singapore's French Contemporary tier. The restaurant operates only four days of lunch and five evenings a week, with Monday and Sunday entirely closed — which compresses availability significantly. If you are planning around a specific date, start the booking process early. This is not a walk-in venue.
Whitegrass sits inside CHIJMES, a 19th-century Gothic convent complex that was converted into a dining and events precinct. The visual experience begins before you are seated: vaulted ceilings, stone arches, and courtyard garden views give the space a weight that most purpose-built dining rooms in Singapore cannot match. Inside, the restaurant is divided into two rooms, one of which has a direct sightline into the kitchen — useful if you want to watch the pass without a chef's counter format. The room is graceful rather than theatrical; it sets a tone of considered restraint that runs through the rest of the experience.
The kitchen operates under a French-technique framework applied almost entirely to Japanese ingredients. Hokkaido scallop, Miyazaki Wagyu, and Mont D'Or cheese feature as building blocks rather than name-drops , the approach is to use sourcing precision as the foundation for tasting menu construction. The result is a style that sits between classic French precision and Japanese ingredient reverence, a combination that has earned the restaurant a Michelin 1 Star in 2024. For Singapore diners familiar with the French Contemporary format at Odette or Saint Pierre, Whitegrass occupies a distinct middle register: technically grounded, ingredient-driven, and more intimate in scale than either of those.
The drinks program at Whitegrass is worth factoring into your booking decision, not just treating as a supplement to the food. At the $$$ price tier, a well-matched beverage pairing can shift the value equation considerably. For a tasting-menu format built around delicate Japanese ingredients finished with French technique, the pairing logic tends toward wines with structural precision , Burgundy, Alsace, and restrained Old World styles generally. What Whitegrass offers in this context is a room that is quiet enough to actually engage with what is in your glass. The two-room layout keeps noise levels manageable, and the kitchen-view room in particular lends itself to an evening that moves at a considered pace.
If you are visiting Singapore and want to benchmark the French Contemporary drinks experience against a broader regional set, it is worth noting how Whitegrass compares to venues like Amber in Hong Kong or Feuille in Hong Kong, both of which operate in the same price-and-technique tier but with more prominent wine programs. For Southeast Asia specifically, Chef's Table in Bangkok offers a comparable tasting-menu-plus-pairing structure. Whitegrass holds its own in this regional context , the Michelin recognition gives you a reasonable confidence floor , but the depth of the wine list itself is not publicly documented, so confirm pairing availability when booking.
Google rating: 4.7 from 679 reviews, which for a Michelin-starred tasting menu venue in Singapore is a meaningful signal. Tasting menu restaurants of this type tend to attract guests who are specifically invested in the format, so the score reflects genuine satisfaction rather than casual footfall. Michelin 1 Star (2024) is the primary trust credential here.
Address: 30 Victoria St, #01-26/27 CHIJMES, Singapore 187996. Hours: Lunch Tuesday through Saturday 12 PM–2:30 PM; Dinner Tuesday through Saturday 6 PM–10:30 PM; closed Monday and Sunday. Booking difficulty: Hard , plan at least two to three weeks ahead for dinner, further for weekend slots. Price range: $$$ (tasting menu format; confirm current pricing directly with the venue). Dress: Smart casual at minimum; the room and setting call for effort. Format: Tasting menus only; not a drop-in or à la carte venue.
Whitegrass is the right call for food and wine enthusiasts who want a Michelin-credentialed tasting menu experience in a setting that has genuine architectural character, without paying the top-tier $$$$ premium that venues like Zén require. If the Japanese-ingredient-meets-French-technique crossover interests you, this is one of the cleaner executions of that format in the city. It is also a strong choice for special occasions where the room matters as much as the food , CHIJMES is a setting that few Singapore restaurants can match on visual terms alone.
If you are less invested in the tasting menu format and want something with more menu flexibility, Jag or Béni are worth comparing. For a broader survey of the French Contemporary category across Asia, see also Robuchon au Dôme in Macau, Alain Ducasse at Morpheus in Macau, L'Envol in Hong Kong, and L'Atelier Robuchon in Geneva for context on what the format delivers at different price points globally.
For Singapore trip planning beyond restaurants, see our Singapore hotels guide, our Singapore bars guide, our Singapore wineries guide, and our Singapore experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitegrass | French Contemporary | Chef Takuya Yamashita’s style is to use French techniques to bring out the best of the mostly Japanese ingredients. The resulting tasting menus are inventive and intriguing and feature delicate and attractive dishes, such as Hokkaido scallop with Mont D’Or, and Miyazaki Wagyu with cognac sauce. The graceful restaurant is housed within a historic converted convent and is divided into two rooms, one of which allows diners to see into the kitchen.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Zén | European Contemporary | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Jaan by Kirk Westaway | British Contemporary | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Summer Pavilion | Cantonese | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Burnt Ends | Australian Barbecue, Barbecue | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Seroja | Singaporean, Malaysian | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, for the right diner. Chef Takuya Yamashita's approach — French technique applied to predominantly Japanese ingredients like Hokkaido scallop and Miyazaki Wagyu — produces a menu that has held a Michelin star through 2024. If you want a tasting format with a clear culinary point of view rather than a generic prestige dinner, Whitegrass delivers that. If you prefer à la carte flexibility, this is not the right venue.
At the $$$ tier with a Michelin 1 Star and a 4.7 Google rating from nearly 700 reviews, Whitegrass sits in a credible value position for Singapore fine dining. Compared to Zén, which operates at a higher price point and two Michelin stars, Whitegrass is the more accessible entry into serious tasting menu dining in the city. The CHIJMES setting adds architectural context that most competitors at this price cannot match.
Whitegrass is divided into two dining rooms, one of which offers a view into the kitchen, so groups can be seated depending on room configuration. The tasting menu format works for groups who want a shared, structured experience. For large private events, the CHIJMES complex itself has private hire options, but confirm directly with the restaurant whether a dedicated private room is available for your group size before booking.
Whitegrass is primarily known for French Contemporary in Singapore.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
