Cuisine & Wine Asia — May-June 2017

G

roup general manager and chef de cuisine,

Sylvain Royer (pictured) hails from the island

of Corsica – where pride in food traditions and

authenticity holds true. His father was a chef, and

Chef Royer decided to follow the same path. He

shares with us how he feels about the opening

of Ginet, “Opening a restaurant in Singapore

was quite a challenge. I’d say it is one of the most

difficult countries in the world to open a restaurant

with the amount of eateries in such a small place.”

Chef Royer is also the chef behind the immensely

successful Scarlet in both Bangkok and Hong

Kong – both restaurants share a similar concept

with Ginet. “ We want people to break away from

the idea that wine is exclusively for the wealthy.

We have up to 380 percent tax on our wines in

Bangkok. It was not affordable for the Thais. We

would rather sell two botles than one and that’s

how we decided to take a different approach

with our business here.” What Chef Royer says is

atested by the price of some wines sold by glass

• a mere SGD$6. With over 70 French wines,
  there’s always something on offer. His aim for
  the restaurant though is to be full everyday with
  satisfied customers that return. “We would rather
  have 100 guests that enjoy themselves than just 30
  that order expensive wines and food.”

We want people to

really feel at home

here by inviting

their friends with no

formalities required.

Sylvain Royer

With doors literally wide open, Hotel G’s Ginett

welcomes all: from the hotel guests in the morning,

the hasty lunch crowd, the hearty eaters and

especially the wine lovers. The spacious bistro-style

restaurant and wine bar is artistically designed

and is located in a central location which makes

it a great spot to catch up with buddies or just to

get a sip of wine after a trying day at work. The

name was conceptualised when the team wanted

a glamorous and feminine name that can be

pronounced by the locals. Just like two-Michelin-

starred-restaurant, Odete, Ginet is named after

the owner’s grandmother. The trendy dining setting

allows diners to really breathe and relax without

the need for formality.

Following a farm-to-table philosophy, Chef Royer

sources for fresh ingredients and his simplistic

cooking style is reflected in the menu. “I will keep

the menu fresh by keeping the favourites and

introducing new products when possible.” Trying

to include the local palate in his menu creations,

Chef Royer noticed that his local team was always

drinking the same beverage – teh tarik (literally

pulled tea). His curiosity got the beter of him and

after trying it, he decided that it has to be on the

menu. After a few trials, the team came up with a

teh tarik tart.

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Lyonnaise salad