A garden-grown fine-dining journey inside Singapore’s Flower Dome. 

When you imagine dining in a garden, perhaps you picture something quaint? A gingham tablecloth, tea and a slice of cake sat under the shade of a tree. I used to picture this too, until I stepped inside Marguerite, a Michelin-starred restaurant, grounded at the base of the Flower Dome at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. 

This isn’t your typical fine-dining experience. It’s a story told through produce, petals, ceramics and the precise placement of microherbs, and it starts with a walk through the world’s largest glass greenhouse.

A world under glass

The Flower Dome is a marvel. A huge, climate-controlled glass shell that houses flora from every corner of the globe. You stroll a winding path, passing plants from the Mediterranean, South African savannahs and even an Australian garden, then hidden at its base is Marguerite, a restaurant that feels like it was grown, not built.

At first glance, the space is minimalistic. The handmade Scandinavian furniture and white marble tabletops are understated, clearly designed to let the food speak for itself. Rather than facing outward to the garden overflowing with orange clivias and camellia trees, our table for two faces inward, toward the beating heart of the restaurant. At the centre, two hand-carved boulders double as the bar, and beyond that, there are three open kitchen islands.

As we sip our welcome drinks, we watch the chefs work quietly and methodically. They don’t mind if you approach the benches for a closer look. I do, and catch Chef Michael Wilson gently placing tiny chive blossoms onto sweet dwarf tomatoes layered over seven-day dry-aged kingfish using a pair of tweezers. It’s precise but not clinical, artful but not showy.

 

A meal that moves with the garden

The cuisine at Marguerite defies easy labels. On paper, it’s called creative cuisine, but it’s also contemporary and nature-inspired, following the European seasons. The gardens surrounding the restaurant inspire the chef’s designs. Each course is presented on a different crockery piece: a ceramic leaf-shaped dish, a flower pot, a raised wooden pedestal that resembles a mushroom cap. There’s a mini wooden bowl and spoon, ceramic plates speckled with natural imperfections.

Even the sourdough has its moment, served on a lipped, hand-crafted plate by a local potter, it’s been custom-shaped to cradle Marguerite’s round loaf perfectly. The glassware is also considered. Coloured-stem glasses, changing with each course, are chosen not only for function but to enhance the visual of the meal. 

Wine, or something else entirely?

Rather than hiding it away on a back page of a menu, Marguerite proudly presents a temperance pairing, handcrafted, non-alcoholic beverages that pair thoughtfully with each course.

Sea Buckthorn & Bay Leaf juice sings with the Obsiblue prawn noodles. Blood Orange & Rosemary pairs with Roscoff onion custard, teardrop peas, tarragon, and lardo. My husband, who chooses the wine pairing, remarks he’s never had such precise pairings before.


The menu grows in this Australian chef’s kitchen

At the helm of Marguerite is Michael Wilson, an Australian-born chef whose food philosophy is as layered as the dome he works in.

Before Marguerite, Wilson earned his first Michelin star in Shanghai within just five months of opening Phénix. With Marguerite, he’s grown something more personal. As he wandered the Flower Dome before opening the restaurant, Michael came across the Marguerite daisy, beautiful and botanical, yet humble and without ego. It embodies the restaurant’s spirit: refined without spectacle. 

You’ll find subtle nods to the chef’s Australian roots.  An Indigenous artwork on the wall, a boomerang resting on a shelf, and a dessert named ‘Marguerite Opera’, his chocolate-hazelnut ode. Complete with a symphony of tuiles, parfait, cake, artichoke gelato, coffee oil, aged balsamic, and a shaving of truffle.

Michael is not one to hide in the back of the restaurant. Over the course of our evening, he visits our table several times, always with enthusiasm, and together we reminisce about growing up in Melbourne’s suburbs.

The people behind the plates

And then, the service. I don’t count the number of staff working, but it feels like a 1:1 ratio. Rather than assigning one waiter per table, every member of the team visit us throughout the evening, sharing insight into the dishes and their design. It’s communal and unforced, much like nature itself.  

While the service is polished, it also has a cheeky touch. When I return from the bathroom, I find my napkin artfully folded into a miniature Sydney Opera House.

This is an experience, not just fine dining

Marguerite doesn’t just serve dinner; it cultivates a full sensory experience. From the ingredients to the ceramics, the climate to the people, everything is in conversation with the natural world around it. And, it’s unforgettable.


The details

Where: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
When: Wednesday to Sunday
Menu: Four- and seven-course meals. Lunch starts at S$148 per person, dinner from S$288 per person. Optional wine, temperance or mixed pairings available.
Extras

• Complimentary entry to the Flower Dome via the restaurant entrance.
• Exclusive limousine buggy service from the Gardens by the Bay main entrance or walk at your convenience.

The writer was a guest of Reymond Communications and Marguerite.