Chef Zor Tan Opens Michelin-Starred Restaurant Born in Chinatown

Singapore has a new fine-dining powerhouse, and it’s housed in a building that once sheltered rickshaws. Restaurant Born, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chinatown, occupies the historic Jinrikisha Station on Neil Road-a 1903 landmark that served as a depot for the city’s former rickshaw fleet. Chef Zor Tan, a Malaysian-Chinese protégé of André Chiang, opened the restaurant in July 2022 as his first independent venture, and it has since earned a spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No. 23 in 2026, alongside its One Michelin Star, awarded in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2023.

What’s on the plate: a nine-course ‘circle of life’

Born’s tasting menu is a nine-course affair priced at S$368++ per person. The meal is built around a philosophy Tan calls the “circle of life,” expressed through nine culinary principles: Birth, Roots, Memories, Craft, Relationship, Vicissitudes, Time, Progress, and Legacy. These aren’t just buzzwords on a menu. They shape the cooking, which blends French gastronomic techniques with Chinese and Sichuan approaches. Dishes shift between delicate and bold, often drawing on Tan’s own heritage and the produce of the region.

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and closed on Monday and Sunday. Reservations are essential; the dining room is compact and the meal runs several hours. Dinner service begins promptly, and the kitchen works through the nine-course progression with precision.

A setting that echoes Singapore’s past

The space itself tells a story. The Jinrikisha Station was originally built in 1903 as a depot for the rickshaw pullers who ferried passengers across colonial Singapore. The building was later restored and now houses Born’s dining room, with high ceilings, exposed brickwork and arched windows that recall its transport-era origins. It’s a far cry from the rickshaw yard of a century ago, but the restaurant’s name-“Born”-also nods to the idea of regeneration and new beginnings, a theme that runs through Tan’s cooking.

For visitors and locals alike, the location puts Born in the middle of Chinatown’s food ecosystem. The nearby Maxwell Food Centre and the hawker stalls along Smith Street offer a cheaper, faster counterpoint to the fine-dining experience inside the old station. But Born is not competing with hawker fare. It’s aiming for a global audience, and its Michelin star and Asia’s 50 Best ranking have already drawn international attention.

Tan’s background includes stints at some of the region’s most acclaimed kitchens, working under André Chiang at Restaurant André in Singapore before striking out on his own. The influence shows: the tasting menu feels both deeply personal and technically accomplished, with dishes that reference Tan’s Malaysian-Chinese roots while employing French techniques like sous-vide and consommé.

For anyone planning a special-occasion dinner in Singapore, Born offers a distinctive proposition: a nine-course meal that traces a philosophical arc from birth to legacy, served in a building that itself has lived through multiple eras of the city’s history. The S$368++ price tag puts it in the upper tier of the city’s fine-dining scene, but the experience-space, story, technique, and service-is designed to match.

Reservations can be made through the restaurant’s website or by phone. The dining room seats about 30, so booking well ahead is advisable. Born is at 2 Neil Road, Singapore, in the heart of Chinatown, a short walk from the Telok Ayer MRT station.