Emmanuel Stroobant has lived and worked in Asia for more than half his life. He’s spent the past 25 years pouring his soul and culinary philosophies into Saint Pierre, his beloved restaurant that’s held two Michelin stars for over seven years now. If there’s something he’s learnt during his time cooking, it’s that a dish is never only a dish. It carries the farmer who grew the ingredient, the cook who first showed him how to use it, and the tradition that’s followed him his whole life.
To mark 25 years of Saint Pierre, the restaurant is leaving the Marina Bay skyline behind for Saveurs des Saints, or "Flavours of the Saints"—a three-stop series of dining experiences at St. Regis hotels in the Maldives, Kuala Lumpur and Osaka.
The idea is simple: at each stop Chef Stroobant keeps Saint Pierre's guiding philosophy, but lets the destination rewrite the menu around it. Classical French technique stays constant, but the produce, the local cooks and the flavours change.
At the time of writing this, he’s already completed his first stop of the tour at the Maldives, where he collaborated with the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort to build a plant-based menu, as well as a four-course dinner at Alba. Highlights included his signature foie gras terrine, paired with compressed green mango, young coconut gel, lime leaf oil and pandan tuile, sat alongside lobster with cider beurre blanc and a gel made with kakum, prized for its bright acidity, and curry leaf.
His upcoming stop will be in Kuala Lumpur, at The Brasserie at The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur on 2 and 3 October. Over five courses, the flavour and textural interplay of rojak will be explored, but the focus here will be on Malaysia’s produce. His signature foie gras terrine will be paired with kedondong, a tropical fruit often eaten in rojak, plus pomelo, Japanese ginger flower oil and a crisp gula melaka tuile. The lobster, on the other hand, keeps its cider beurre blanc but picks up charred baby corn, torch ginger oil and macadamia.
There’ll also be a special vegetarian edition called “Plant & Palate: A Vegetarian Brunch” for non-meat lovers to still enjoy Chef Stroobant’s produce-led approach. Think artichoke with coconut and truffle, handmade noodles with limau kasturi oil, and cep mushroom with torch ginger beurre blanc and pandan oil.
The tour ends at Brasserie RÉGINE at The St. Regis Osaka from 20 to 22 November, where Chef Stroobant cooks alongside RÉGINE Chef Takatoki Minagawa, under the supervision of two-MICHELIN-starred Chef Ryuta Iizuka. Here, the lobster meets shogoin daikon chawanmushi and sudachi, and the foie gras terrine is paired with Tottori pear, yuzu and a chestnut tuile. There is also manakatsuo, a seasonal fish known for its clean, buttery flesh, served with charred negi, wild mushrooms and sansho peppercorn oil. The final day is an exclusive caviar workshop for just 12 guests, with a guided tasting of three varieties and Dom Pérignon.
