Born in France, Les Amis Chef de Cuisine Sebastien Lepinoy is a protégé of legendary chef Joël Robuchon.
Widely recognised as Chef Robuchon’s right hand man, Chef Sebastien first joined the Les Amis Group in 2010 as the Head Chef of CÉPAGE in Hong Kong where he helped maintain the restaurant’s Michelin star.
Chef Sebastien had his first peek of Singapore’s food scene back in 1997, when he and Chef Robuchon worked for a week at the luxurious Raffles Hotel. It was a wonderful experience for him which speared him to jump at the chance in September 2013 to relocate to Singapore and helm Les Amis kitchen as their fifth Chef de Cuisine in almost two decades.
Chef Sebastien uses classical French technique with Modern aesthetics when he cooks. He always tries to incorporate elements of what he has seen and tasted during his stay in Asia into his menus so that it will complement the local climate and palates.
Prior to joining the Les Amis family, Chef Sebastien has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants since beginning his career in 1990 at the one-star Chateau de Noirieux in Briollay. This was followed by his stint at the three-star Jamin (renamed as Joël Robuchon in 1994) that marked the beginning of his chapter with Chef Robuchon. He has also cooked at restaurants such as Restaurant LAURENT in Paris before coming back to work closely with Chef Robuchon at Societe de Gestion Culinaire. In 2002, Chef Sebastien was sent to to Le Grand Café in Ukraine where he was awarded the “Best Chef in Ukraine”. During his stay at Hotel Metropole Monte Carlo in 2006, in collaboration with Chef Robuchon, the restaurant received 2 Michelin stars in 2007. At the end of the year, Chef Sebastien moved to Hong Kong to hold the fort as Executive Chef at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. The restaurant attained 2 Michelin stars in 2008 and was later ranked 55th Best Restaurant in the World by San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.The restaurant was also later awarded Best Restaurant in Asia by Miele Guide in 2009.
Describe your culinary philosophy in4words…
Tradition; respect of ingredients; technique of cooking; fine-dining.
What is your greatest inspiration?
I find old cook books a good source of inspiration. One example would be The Escofier.
If you could take a plane ride to anyrestaurant in the world, just for one meal, where would you go?
Restaurant de L’Hotel de Ville Crissier in Switzerland.
What four things would you take to a desert island?
Cold Cut, cheese, great wine, ice-cream.
- #86 | The World’s Best Restaurant,2014 | Les Amis
- #14 | Asia Best Restaurant,2014 | Les Amis
- 1 Michelin star | Cepage|Michelin Guide Hong Kong-Macau
- #97 |The World’sBest Restaurant | Cepage
- 2 Michelin stars | L’Atelier deJoël Robuchon|Michelin Guide Hong Kong-Macau
- #53 |The World’sBest Restaurant |L’Atelier deJoël Robuchon
- 2 Michelin stars |Hotel Metropole|Michelin Guide
1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208
+65 6733 2225