Celebrity chef deathmatch: Resorts World Sentosa reveals its own line-up

While we reported on Marina Bay Sands' six brand name celebrity chefs some time ago, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) has fired the next foodie salvo in the race between the two yet-to-be-opened integrated resorts. Joël Robuchon, the world’s most Michelin-star decorated chef with 25 stars under his belt, will launch his eateries in May 2010, along with fellow star chefs Kunio Tokuoka, Scott Webster and Susur Lee.

The first and only chef to be titled ‘Chef of the Century’ by the Gault Millau guide in 1990, Robuchon is one of the most recognized names in the eating business, and the clincher for RWS is that he's debuting not one, but three restaurants featuring his French haute cuisine -- Joël Robuchon Fine Dining, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and The Pastry Shop & Lounge. The three joints will be located at Resorts World Sentosa’s FestiveWalk waterfront.

The other three superstar chefs are also working with RWS to launch their own brand of culinary experiences. Four Michelin-star chef Kunio Tokuoka will launch Kunio, his first restaurant outside Japan in the all-suite hotel, Crockfords Tower. The chef-owner of Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama and Hana Kitcho Kyoto in Japan, Tokuoka-san is passionate about showcasing the traditional haute Kaiseki cuisine to the world. In 2008, he was the first Japanese chef, handpicked to showcase his culinary prowess at the Masterpiece Dining series, an event organised by the James Beard Foundation in New York and in the same year, he catered for the main dining of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Japan.

Australian chef Scott Webster is re-inventing his famous London restaurant Osia, also in Crockfords Tower. He is the main powerhouse behind Australian Culinary Consultants (ACC), which has planned and developed dining concepts for some of the world’s major hospitality projects including Hyde Park Corner in London for the InterContinental group and the Westin Hotel in Sydney on the former GPO site.

Chef Susur Lee has teamed up with the Tung Lok Group to open Chinois by Susur Lee in Resorts World Sentosa’s boutique Hotel Michael. He's been dbbed as one of the ‘Ten Chefs of the Millennium’ by Food & Wine magazine in 1999, and Lee is regarded by food critics and gourmands around the world as ‘a culinary genius’, quoting the Zagat guide. He made waves as the Executive Culinary Consultant for the Tung Lok group in Singapore during the late nineties and in particular, expanded the culinary repertoire of Club Chinois to one of world-class standards.

All in all, RWS will more than 60 F&B outlets across a spectrum of tastes, flavors and dining experiences, in one destination. Out of the entire spread, ten will open on 20 January when the four hotels first open. They include Fiesta at Festive Hotel, a family-themed restaurant, Boulangerie, a modern dessert patisserie showcasing Pastry Chef Alain Herber’s creations from Europe and Asia, Starz Restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel, a stylish buffet-style dining restaurant designed in contemporary style, Rang Mahal at Hard Rock Hotel, by the award-winning Rang Mahal Group with classical Indian favorites, and Palio at Hotel Michael, which showcases authentic Tuscan cuisine with a variety of traditional Italian recipes and seasonal ingredients air-flown from Italy.

But what's really gotten our juices flowing is that with so many brand name restaurants and superstar chefs flocking to Singapore, the level and range of gourmet cuisine will exponentially expand. It's always a good thing for consumers and foodies when the competition heats up, just as long as the prices don't.

What do you think? Is the dining scene in Singapore going to get more exciting or remain same-old, same-old?