Five years on, Julien Royer’s Claudine is having its best year yet. What’s behind its success?

As diners seek greater flexibility without compromising on good food, the French chef reflects on Claudine’s enduring appeal and the friendships that have helped shape the restaurant.

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29 Oct 2026 06:13AM (Updated: 29 Oct 2026 06:21AM)

Julien Royer is best known as the chef behind Odette, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant at the National Gallery Singapore that has cemented his reputation as one of the world’s leading chefs. Yet these days, some of his most interesting work happens away from the world of fine dining.

In July 2026, he introduced the menu at Tiffany & Co's Blue Box Cafe, marking his first official, permanent brand partnership. Meanwhile, his neo-brasserie Claudine is celebrating its fifth anniversary and, as the affable Frenchman told CNA Luxury, “It’s been the best year, business-wise, since its opening.”

This might have to do with today’s attention economy. As restaurants contend with rising operating costs and diners become increasingly selective about where they spend their money and time, Claudine’s combination of accomplished cooking, flexibility and relaxed hospitality is finally meeting its moment.

“The idea for Claudine came during the COVID-19 pandemic when we did Odette At Home,” Royer recalled, referring to the take-out menu the restaurant introduced during the lockdown. “I realised then that people are looking for quality in a simpler way, and that’s when the idea for a brasserie concept began germinating in my head.”

His idea was to create a restaurant that treated ingredients with the same respect and technical precision as a Michelin-starred establishment, but offered an a la carte menu at more accessible prices. When the premises of the now-defunct White Rabbit on Dempsey Hill became available, Royer and The Lo & Behold Group founder Wee Teng Wen seized the opportunity.

Named after Royer’s mother, Claudine opened in November 2021 in the beautifully restored former Ebenezer Chapel. Its menu celebrates the generous French cooking Royer grew up eating, from chou farci and vol-au-vent to the profiteroles he remembers making with his grandmother when he was a teenager. French executive chef Julien Mercier heads the kitchen of Claudine, which sits in the space between the everyday bistro and fine dining restaurant, offering the quality and consistency associated with the latter, without its long-drawn rituals. 

This positioning is more relevant today than it’s ever been. “We are in a period of time where people look for flexibility and comfort,” Royer observed. “And I think Claudine really fills that want. Diners are changing. And it’s not about money; it’s more that they have less time. They don’t want to sit and dine for three to four hours anymore.”

Even Odette has adapted with a four-course lunch menu that can be served in an hour for guests who prefer a shorter meal. “And it’s been super popular,” he added. 

GOOD FOOD, GOOD FRIENDS

Brasseries are built to be standard bearers of reliably good, simple food. “With this kind of restaurant, no evolution is the evolution,” Royer said. “This is where you want to come back to in five years and eat the same chou farci or steak tartar that you had last time you were here. Our evolution should happen in terms of maturity and clientele. It’s like when you go to a really good bistro in Paris, the dishes rarely change.”

To keep things interesting, there’s Friends of Claudine, the restaurant’s guest-chef series featuring Royer’s friends and fellow chefs from around the world. Previous collaborators include Daniel Baratier of L’Auberge Sur les Bois in Annecy, David Rathgeber of Parisian bistro L’Assiette, and husband-and-wife team Jean and Roxane Sevegnes of Cafe des Ministeres, widely regarded as the toughest reservations to secure in Paris.

“These are friends and people that share the common values of great food, hospitality, good wine and good fun,” Royer said. “They are people I admire or friends I’ve worked with in the past. And they are usually big personalities, larger-than-life. We want people to come not only for the good food but also the good fun and easy-going atmosphere.”

It is fitting then that Claudine will mark its fifth anniversary with another edition of Friends of Claudine, from Nov 6 to Nov 8, 2026. This time, Royer will welcome his longtime friend Thomas Lefebvre of Auberge du Bac in Lacroix-Saint-Ouen, France. The pair go back 20 years, having worked together when they were in their early 20s. Their reunion will see Lefebvre take over Claudine’s a la carte menu, bringing his own cooking and personality to the restaurant.

The celebrations will culminate on Nov 8 November with Barbecue & Guinguette, a lively party at La Terrace, Claudine’s sunny extension, inspired by the riverside cookouts Lefebvre is known for hosting at Auberge du Bac.