Candlenut

Candlenut holds the unique distinction of being the world’s first Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant, a title it has retained every year since the inaugural Singapore Michelin Guide in 2016. Situated in a spacious, high-ceilinged former British army barracks on Dempsey Hill, the restaurant is helmed by Chef-Owner Malcolm Lee, whose passion for Peranakan heritage was shaped by his mother and grandmother. Peranakan, or Nyonya, cuisine is the distinctive Straits-Chinese culinary tradition that emerged from the earliest Chinese settlers in the Malay Archipelago, fusing the flavours of China with the spices and aromatics of Southeast Asia. Chef Lee’s interpretation honours this complex tradition while introducing creative seasonal touches and a high level of technical refinement. The restaurant’s signature tasting format, the Ah-Ma-Kase, translates as ‘grandmother’s menu’ and delivers over ten courses that change every two months, drawing from the collective wisdom of Lee’s team of more than 30 chefs who collaborate to create and vote on each new iteration. Key signature dishes include buah keluak black nut preparations, slow-cooked kurobuta pork belly, and inventive takes on classic Nyonya favourites. The dining room is airy and serene, decorated with bamboo, rattan, and local artwork. Candlenut is part of COMO Dempsey, a curated dining and wellness destination on Dempsey Hill, and also operates the nearby Pangium restaurant at the Botanic Gardens.