Restaurants at famous art galleries whose dishes are also masterpieces, from Odette at the National Gallery Singapore to Mosu at Hong Kong’s M+ museum
- These restaurants operate under the same roof as artistic institutions of global renown – and have dishes to match
- Several of the chefs say they are inspired by the collections they work beside, and even how some of the galleries highlight local art
While social media platforms may serve as virtual galleries for chefs to display their edible masterpieces, some restaurants operate under the same roof as real galleries – those of museums and artistic institutions of global renown.
Surrounding it are galleries housing a collection celebrating two centuries of Southeast Asian art, with works by artists including Georgette Chen and Chen Chong Swee.
“Having a restaurant within a museum is meaningful and special for us,” Royer explains. “We are surrounded by art in different forms, such as paintings and sculpture, in a building that itself is a true jewel. It definitely excites and inspires.”
Much of what Royer and his team serve arguably belongs in an art gallery, even the amuse-bouches: such as the “modern version of a gougère” (an intricate, mathematically constructed rectangular shell filled with 24-month aged Comté cheese), the stunning crispy tartelette filled with Cévennes onion and licorice, and the taco of smoked saba fish with radish and a zesty citrus lift of sudachi.
Then of course there’s one of Odette’s signature dishes, Le Pigeon Fabien Deneour En 3 Services, where theatrical presentation and plating celebrates the whole bird, notably the incredible breast crusted with Kampot pepper from Cambodia.
