Recipe For Success

He’s the cool cat in the kitchen, and now officially also top dog among Asian restaurateurs. Julien Royer, the chef-owner of Odette, which topped the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list, tells Chung Yi why his crew is kin and how they let him be the “good guy” .

- Chung Yi

From farm to city, from boyish talent to a confident, full-fledged businessman-restaurateur. Julien Royer had to sacrifice a lot to get to where he is today. Since he was young, he has always wanted to gain a Michelin star. Now, Odette, his four-year-old restaurant at the National Gallery Singapore, has two of them. If someone had told him 10 years ago that his restaurant was going to be No. 1 in Asia, he wouldn’t have believed it. “We’re happy, but it’s the beginning of our journey. We still have a long way to go. It won’t last forever. I’m very realistic when it comes to my profession,” the pragmatist says.

“This job is demanding. It’s crazy. The days are very long. You sacrifice your sleep, your personal life, your social life. You see your friends go out every night, but you can’t,” the 36-year-old says. “You’re constantly questioning yourself whether we’re good enough. We always try to think of what we can do better every day. If you don’t have this passion that drives you, it’s pointless. If you don’t love this job, you’ll not succeed.”

He notes that it is getting better now though, as he has trained his team and has people who give him support. “But I’m never satisfied with what I do. I’m always constantly thinking that there’s something to improve. Not necessarily just the cuisine, but the atmosphere, the lighting, the music, the tableware. Every little detail counts.”

Odette was named for his maternal grandmother, from whom he learned to cook as a child. Mid-June, Royer will introduce Louise (his paternal grandmother’s middle name) in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. His first overseas restaurant, which takes over the site of the now shuttered Aberdeen Street Social, will have a “bistronomy” concept – gastronomy in a bistro setting.