Michelin-listed Char restaurant to close after a decade, you have until Nov 26 to eat their famous char siew

Cantonese roast meat spots in Singapore are a dime a dozen, but there are a few rare places like Char restaurant that does theirs better than others. 

The establishment, which has been in our local F&B scene for a decade, is known for its sinfully good char siew and was even a Michelin Plate eatery from 2016 to 2018.

The Michelin Plate distinction is given to restaurants, who have not been awarded a star or Bib Gourmand, in recognition of their "very good food". 

It was also listed under Fine Cantonese Food from 2018 to 2019 in the Michelin Guide. 

Unfortunately, we won't get to enjoy their food for much longer as the restaurant will be shuttering on Nov 26. 

This was shared in a press release with AsiaOne on Oct 17.

However, they may not be gone forever. 

"This isn't the end of Char. We may come back one day in a different form, here or in another country," Anthony Ung, co-owner of Char Restaurant, said in the press release. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Karan Low, the co-owner of the eatery and Anthony's wife, shared that they are closing the business because they are making plans to migrate. 

"We have been contemplating this for quite a while and decided that at 10 years, it was a good time to finalise it," she said. 

"In the meantime, we are open to offers for someone to take over the business and expand it to more markets." 

10 years of iconic roast meats

To pursue his dream of having his own restaurant, Anthony, who is trained in computer science and engineering, quit his corporate job to start Char restaurant, he told Makan Kakis at Gold 905 in an interview. 

He and his brother, Alvin - who are both from Birmingham, UK - first opened Char restaurant at Guillemard Road in 2014. 

The duo drew upon Alvin's 30 years of cooking in Chinese restaurants in Birmingham and mixed Asian with various Western culinary techniques to create their signature Cantonese-style roast meat dishes. 

After which, Alvin continued to work as a Chinese chef in Birmingham while Anthony continued to take care of the restaurant in Singapore. 

Eventually, Char restaurant moved to its current location at Jalan Besar. 

"It has been a party every day since we started," Anthony reminisced in the press release. 

"We were newbies in Singapore's vibrant F&B scene, but the journey taught us invaluable lessons and blessed us with wonderful friendships."

The sad news was also announced on Char restaurant's Instagram page on Oct 11. 

In the comments, fans of their food flooded the post and reminisced of their time at the restaurant. 

ALSO READ: Taiwanese eatery Eat 3 Bowls to close first cafe at Crawford Lane

melissateo@asiaone.com 

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.