Marguerite

Overview

Fine dining can drift into performance — more chef's narrative, less dinner. At Singapore's Marguerite, Chef Patron Michael Wilson has made a series of choices to dismantle that rigour: an open kitchen that reads like a row of domestic island benches, total accessibility to the pass, and a standing invitation to wander over, ask questions, or simply watch. The atmosphere is notably calm — no barked orders, no theatre for theatre's sake — which makes a long tasting menu feel less like a marathon and more like an unhurried, convivial evening.

The setting is singular. Marguerite lives inside the city's famed Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay — the world's largest glass greenhouse — and the restaurant leans into that sense of immersion. Plants thread through the room and curl around tabletops set with course-specific cutlery and crockery collected on Wilson's travels. In contrast, a ten-seat private room — inspired by mountain peaks and cumulus clouds — is wrapped in deep blue, burgundy, grey and dark forest green.

Singapore's climate complicates strict seasonality. When your pantry can include Australian finger limes, New Zealand lamb and French cream for house-churned butter, "place" becomes a choice. Marguerite chooses freely — loosely French in spirit, but adapted for the tropics with lighter sauces, smaller bites and lucid riffs on classics. Steak frites becomes a bite-sized potato tart filled with tartare and crowned with a fried quail egg; ajo blanco appears as an ethereal foam; and New Caledonian prawn paste is transformed into delicate "tagliolini", glossed with clear spiced consommé and bright aromatics. Course after course arrives like edible sleight of hand — entire plates of flavour distilled into a mouthful.

Pairings echo the kitchen's precision. Alongside a generous, far-reaching wine match, Marguerite's Temperance program offers non-alcoholic pairings — clarified juices and fermented jun tea — designed to deliver complexity without cloying sweetness. A mixed "demi" option straddles both. Service keeps the tone grounded and genuine throughout.

Wilson's path explains the poise. Melbourne-born, he worked with Andrew McConnell and Guy Grossi before earning a Michelin star at Phénix in Shanghai just five months after opening. Marguerite followed in November 2021 and earned its own star within eight months, showcasing what he calls "creative cuisine" — craft, provenance and produce brought into clear focus.

All bookings at Marguerite include a complimentary limousine buggy to and from the Gardens entrance and Flower Dome access for a pre- or post-meal stroll.

Images: Supplied