In 2020, Jimmy Lim sat in the Michelin Guide Taipei and Taichung ceremony, stunned to hear that his modern Singaporean restaurant JL Studio had shot into the list for the first time with two stars.
Last month, it was deja vu all over again as JL Studio, located in Taichung, became one of two newly crowned three-starred restaurants in Taiwan’s Michelin Guide 2023. The other one was Taiwanese-style Tairroir.
“I couldn’t believe it. It is usually the restaurants serving European cuisines that get (three stars), not the ones with southeast Asian cuisine,” said the Singaporean chef in a phone interview with CNA Luxury. “I kept thinking, ‘Wah, is it for real?’”
Lim’s love for cooking was sparked by his late father, who ran a zichar (stir-fry) stall selling dishes such as chilli crab and fish head curry. From a young age, he would help out at the stall, intrigued by the heat and action and absorbing his father’s tenacious spirit.
