The new Michelin list for Singapore just dropped, so now there are more places we'll never be able to eat at again

• Michelin Guide Singapore released its 2023 Bib Gourmand list in June, featuring 17 new hawker stalls.
• Hawkers say that Michelin recognition is good for business and puts Singapore's food on the global map.

Chew KH is 71 and has lived in the same neighborhood for over four decades. It's been years since she last stopped by the Michelin-rated hawker stall that sits just a few blocks from her home.

The stall in question is Chey Sua Carrot Cake in Toa Payoh West Market and Food Centre, about six miles north of Singapore's Central Business District. Manned by two sisters who took over the family business in 1991, the hawker stall has just one item on its menu — white carrot cake.

White carrot cake is a savory dish made with rice flour and white radish that's steamed, cut into chunks, and then fried with garlic, eggs, and preserved radish that's known as "chai poh."

Chew, who prefers to be known by her initials, started patronizing the hawker stall back when the current owners' parents were still operating the outlet. Long lines were not unusual, she told Insider, but they used to require only about 10 to 15 minutes of waiting in the mornings — before the eatery won a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2016.

"The wait times have definitely gotten longer with the award," she said. "Now, they will tell you when you order that the queue is at least 30 minutes long and you will just be sitting there doing nothing."

While Michelin ratings can benefit hawker business, many locals — like Chew — are feeling the negative effects, including longer queues and falling standards.

Instead of the typical street food setup found in many other Asian countries, Singapore has hawker centers.

Beginning in the late '70s, the government started regulating and relocating street hawkers in an effort to have them run in more organized and regulated spaces. With proper kitchen amenities, hawkers could then have a safe and hygienic environment to serve their fare. Fast forward a few decades, and Singapore now has 118 markets and hawker centers across the country.

Eating is a national past-time and hawker food bloggers are aplenty in the country. Seven years ago it was clear that Michelin — known originally for rating fine dining restaurants — wanted a slice of the pie.

The Michelin Guide compiles lists of the top dining establishments in various countries. The guide includes different types of awards: Michelin Stars are reserved for the cream of the crop, while a Michelin Bib Gourmand is awarded to eateries where good food is served at "a reasonable price."

While Michelin started off rating cuisine across Europe, the list of countries has expanded globally over the years. The first guide in Asia was for Tokyo and was published in 2007.

The inaugural Michelin Guide Singapore was first unveiled in 2016. This year, the tire company released an updated Michelin Bib Gourmand list on June 15, with 17 new hawker stores making the cut.

Michelin's controversial decision to judge Asian street food

But the decision for Michelin to start rating hawker food in the country is a controversial one: Their review processes are vague and their inspectors are anonymous, which can make it difficult for the diners to determine if they're truly credible when it comes to local fare.

KF Seetoh, the famed food critic and founder of Singapore's first food travel guide Makansutra, believes that the Michelin Guide doesn't improve the city-state's food scene.

"Almost all of what they've recommended is already in Makansutra. I don't really learn anything new," Seetoh, who also owns Makansutra Gluttons Bay in Singapore and Urban Hawker in Midtown Manhattan, told Insider.

Seetoh's first edition of Makansutra was released in 1998 and included Singapore's best heritage, traditional, and hawker street food.

"Frankly, they should just stick to what they're good at. Let Singaporeans judge our own food," Seetoh added.

But many hawkers disagree — including one of Singapore's most high-profile street chefs: Chan Hong Meng.

Putting Singapore's hawker food on the global map

In 2016, Chan's Chinatown hawker stall Hawker Chan made history by becoming one of just three street food stalls to be awarded a Michelin star. The stall, which specializes in Singapore's de facto national dish Hainanese chicken rice, became famous overnight — and achieved cult status among foodies worldwide.

The dish is made with seasoned rice and poached or roasted chicken. It's often eaten with sambal, a spicy sauce made with garlic and chili, and kecap manis, a sweet and savory sauce.

Chan said that while he initially didn't know what the Michelin Guide was, his life changed completely after receiving the recognition — and so did his business.

"When I first got the star, people lined up for my food for up to five hours. I was shocked at how well-received my food was," Chan told Insider in Chinese.

When the stall was dropped from the Michelin Guide in 2021, it shocked Singaporeans and tourists alike. Just a year later, the fast-casual offshoot of Chan's hawker stall was awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand.

But Chan believes that being named on the Michelin Guide's "budget" list is still good for his food's reputation. The Michelin Bib Gourmand, Chan said, gives the same affirmation to his food as the coveted star — and that ultimately, these lists help raise the profile of local food.

"I feel blessed to have retained the award for five years. The Bib Gourmand gives me the motivation that my food is on the right track, and that we're not losing our way or direction," he continued.

Leslie Tay, who's behind local food blog ieatishootipost, agrees that the Michelin spotlight makes a big difference to the livelihoods of the hawkers who are featured.

"The Michelin Guide is globally known, especially for tourists coming to Singapore. It's something that they can easily get hold of and it's a name that they have a certain level of trust in," Tay told Insider.

While Michelin's ratings of hawker fare have been met with debate in Singapore, they help to enrich the multiplicity of food opinion, Debbie Yong, a restaurant industry observer, told Insider.

"The Michelin Guide's ratings of hawker food are understandably controversial and not unique to Michelin — anyone who has ever tried to voice an opinion on food, hawker or otherwise, is bound to stir up debate in a country that is so madly passionate about food," Yong said.

The struggle with long queues and fallen standards

Some locals believe that the surge in popularity has impacted the overall eating experience at Michelin-recognized hawkers.

"Singaporeans know that good food is worth queuing up for — I am no exception," Jonathan Lee told Insider. "But when my favorite claypot rice at Chinatown made it on the list a few years ago, the line was quite maddening and I just never wanted to go back again."

"It takes around 20 minutes on average to get my claypot chicken, and waiting 45 minutes to an hour is overkill," Lee added.

Waiting time aside, others see a difference in terms of food standards.

"If you catch Mr Chan during his shift at the original stall, you'll find that the food is still great and the price cheap. But the outlets are pretty bad — overpriced and honestly not up to standard," Jeanette Lee, a local whose office is located five minutes from Chan's Chinatown hawker stall, told Insider.

Seetoh said that Hawker Chan's demotion from Michelin star to Bib Gourmand is likely due to dropping standards in quality, as the stall rapidly expanded into a franchise. Today, Chan has expanded his brand to eight countries, including Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

"Your humble mom-and-pop recipe has to be so well replicated. I think they failed because they just cut and paste. The only person who knows the food very well is Chan himself," Seetoh said. On the other hand, he added that the only remaining Michelin-starred hawker in Singapore — Tai Hwa Pork Noodle — has one stall and retains its artisanal qualities.

But few hawkers are interested in expanding the same way that Chan did — and that might be their saving grace.

"When you have one hawker stall, there is the founder and owner, the passionate guy who's been doing it for 20 years," Tay said. "If the hawker stall just remains as one hawker stall, the standard isn't likely to go down."

Hawkers still striving to land on the Bib Gourmand

Apart from generating buzz, it's hard to tell if a Michelin rating accurately indicates good hawker food.

"I think the Michelin Bib Gourmand has been helpful in highlighting cheaper eats, but it is also quite annoying," Jonathan Lee said.

When the demand for a certain hawker's food goes up, that stress on the hawker causes quite a few problems, including longer wait times, increased prices, and a drop in quality, he added.

"But I guess it's the circle of life because I also give other patrons grief when I visit their favorite stalls when it gets published on the list," he added.

Moreover, there are plenty of great eats that are known locally, but never made it onto the list.

"A hawker stall's Michelin recognition doesn't really mean its a better experience and since I know some places without a star that serve amazing food, I see no real difference," Lee said.

But this doesn't stop hawkers from striving for the Michelin Guide's recognition.

Louis Tan, another chicken rice vendor based at Maxwell Food Center in Chinatown, believes that being included in the Bib Gourmand list is something that's highly prized among hawkers.

Tan, who trained as a fine dining chef in London, knows exactly what the Michelin Guide is about. He's been in the food industry for 30 years, and is adamant that a Bib Gourmand plaque is exactly what his stall needs to get more customers.

"Everyone wishes to be famous. Michelin is recognized by the whole world," Tan told Insider, adding that many hawkers he knows want to be awarded the Bib Gourmand — but they don't know how to be noticed by inspectors.

"Hawkers compete for it, and I want my food to be known for its quality," he continued.

But Seetoh said that the list can mislead foreign diners who may not be familiar with Singaporean fare.

"There are people who eat fame. They come here and they don't know any better, and they follow the Bib Gourmand," Seetoh continued. The best way to find food worth trying, Seetoh said, is to simply ask locals what and where they enjoy eating.

As for the Michelin Guide — it should stick to what it's good at, he said.

"Michelin shouldn't short-sell themselves and do hawker food or street food. It's a sell-out," Seetoh added.

Michelin did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.