Singapore

Singapore has one of the deepest French dining scenes in Asia, from three-Michelin-star dining rooms to shophouse bistros and crêperies. Much of it sits in the old shophouse streets of Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, around Marina Bay and along the Singapore River, with neighbourhood bistros further out in Katong and Joo Chiat.

At the top end, Les Amis and Odette both hold three Michelin stars, Saint Pierre has two, and Restaurant JAG and Lerouy one each. Claudine (Michelin Selected) serves home-style classics in a former chapel on Dempsey Hill, Bistro Gaston pairs Burgundian cooking with a Burgundy-led wine list on Keong Saik Road, and Brasserie Gavroche cooks family recipes on Mohamed Sultan Road. For simpler meals, Saveur is known for low-priced duck confit and Entre-Nous Crêperie serves Breton galettes on Seah Street.

Book the Michelin-starred rooms well ahead, especially for weekend dinners; lunch is usually the cheaper way in. Smart casual suits most places. The Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown bistros are a short walk from MRT stations, and prices run from casual crêpes to multi-course fine dining.