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.

Five years after opening on Dempsey Hill, Claudine continues to champion familiar French dishes, attentive hospitality and a relaxed dining experience. (Photo: Claudine)

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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.

For Julien Royer, dishes such as chou farci are meant to be enjoyed time and again, rather than constantly reinvented. (Photo: Claudine)

“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.

Chef Julien Royer. (Photo: Claudine)

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

Vol-au-vent. (Photo: Claudine)

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.

Chefs Julien Royer and David Rathgeber. (Photo: Claudine)

“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.

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随着食客们在不牺牲美食品质的前提下寻求更大的灵活性，这位法国厨师反思了 Claudine 餐厅经久不衰的魅力以及帮助塑造这家餐厅的友谊。

位于登布西山的Claudine餐厅开业五年后，依然秉承着经典法式菜肴、周到服务和轻松用餐体验的理念。（图片：Claudine）

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Julien Royer最为人熟知的身份是新加坡国家美术馆米其林三星餐厅Odette的主厨，这家餐厅巩固了他作为世界顶级厨师之一的地位。然而，如今他的一些最有趣的作品却发生在高级餐饮领域之外。

2026年7月，他为蒂芙尼 (Tiffany & Co.) 的 Blue Box Cafe 推出了菜单，这标志着他首次正式与该品牌建立长期合作关系。与此同时，他的新式法式小酒馆 Claudine 也迎来了五周年庆。这位和蔼可亲的法国人告诉 CNA Luxury：“从商业角度来看，这是自开业以来最好的一年。”

这或许与当今的注意力经济有关。随着餐厅运营成本不断上涨，食客们也越来越注重把钱和时间花在哪儿，克劳迪娜餐厅凭借其精湛的厨艺、灵活的服务方式和轻松自在的待客之道，终于迎来了它的黄金时代。

对于朱利安·罗耶来说，像炸酸菜这样的菜肴应该让人反复享用，而不是不断地进行创新。（图片：克劳迪娜）

“Claudine餐厅的构想是在新冠疫情期间我们推出Odette At Home外卖服务时萌生的，”Royer回忆道，他指的是餐厅在封锁期间推出的外卖菜单。“我当时意识到，人们正在寻找一种更简单的高品质餐饮方式，也就是从那时起，我脑海中开始萌生开设一家法式小酒馆的想法。”

他的想法是打造一家像米其林星级餐厅那样，以同样的尊重和精湛技艺对待食材，但提供价格更亲民的单点菜单的餐厅。当位于登布西山（Dempsey Hill）的已歇业的白兔餐厅（White Rabbit）的店面空置出来时，罗耶和Lo & Behold集团的创始人魏腾文抓住了这个机会。

主厨朱利安·罗耶。 （照片：克劳丁）

以罗耶的母亲命名的克劳迪娜餐厅于2021年11月在经过精心修复的原埃比尼泽教堂内开业。餐厅的菜单颂扬了罗耶从小吃到大的丰盛法式菜肴，从法式泡菜卷和酥皮盒到他青少年时期与祖母一起制作的泡芙，应有尽有。法国行政主厨朱利安·梅西耶掌管着克劳迪娜餐厅的厨房，这家餐厅介于日常小酒馆和高级餐厅之间，既拥有高级餐厅的品质和稳定性，又摒弃了后者冗长的流程。

如今，这种定位比以往任何时候都更加重要。“我们正处于一个人们追求灵活和舒适的时代，”罗耶尔观察到，“我认为克劳迪娜餐厅恰好满足了这种需求。食客的习惯正在改变。这与金钱无关；更重要的是，他们的时间变少了。他们不再想坐下来用餐三四个小时了。”

就连奥黛特餐厅也做出了调整，推出了四道菜的午餐菜单，可以在一小时内上菜，以满足喜欢快速用餐的客人的需求。“而且非常受欢迎，”他补充道。

美食，好友

Vol-au-vent。 （照片：克劳丁）

法式小酒馆的精髓在于提供始终如一的美味佳肴。“对于这种餐厅来说，不改变就是改变，”罗耶说道，“五年后，你依然会想来这里，吃到上次一样的炒酸菜或鞑靼牛排。我们的发展应该体现在餐厅的成熟度和顾客群体上。就像你去巴黎一家真正好的小酒馆，那里的菜品很少变化一样。”

为了增添新鲜感，餐厅推出了“克劳迪娜之友”系列客座主厨活动，邀请罗耶的朋友和来自世界各地的厨师同行掌勺。此前的合作者包括安纳西“林间旅馆”（L'Auberge Sur les Bois）的丹尼尔·巴拉蒂埃、巴黎小酒馆“L'Assiette”的大卫·拉斯格伯，以及被公认为巴黎最难预订的咖啡馆——“部长咖啡馆”（Cafe des Ministeres）的让和罗克珊·塞韦涅夫妇。

主厨 Julien Royer 和 David Rathgeber。（摄影：Claudine）

罗耶说：“这些人都是我的朋友，他们都拥有共同的价值观：美食、热情好客、美酒和欢乐时光。他们要么是我敬佩的人，要么是我过去共事过的朋友。他们通常个性鲜明，魅力十足。我们希望人们来这里不仅是为了品尝美食，更是为了享受轻松愉快的氛围和欢乐时光。”

因此，Claudine餐厅将于2026年11月6日至8日再次举办“Claudine之友”活动，以庆祝其五周年纪念，可谓恰逢其时。此次，Royer将迎来他的老朋友、法国拉克鲁瓦圣旺Auberge du Bac餐厅的Thomas Lefebvre。两人相识已有20年，早在20岁出头时就曾共事。此次重聚，Lefebvre将负责Claudine餐厅的零点菜单，为餐厅注入他独特的烹饪风格和个性。

庆祝活动将于 11 月 8 日达到高潮，届时将在 Claudine 阳光明媚的露台 La Terrace 举办一场热闹的派对——烧烤和小酒馆派对，其灵感来自 Lefebvre 在 Auberge du Bac 举办的河畔烧烤活动。

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