Not letting Singapore go gentle into that good night is South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's English newspaper of record.

On Thursday, July 26, SCMP published an article, "Singapore 0 Hong Kong 6 in three-Michelin-star restaurants league", pointing out the dearth of Michelin stars here:

Fewer total number of stars in Singapore

On Wednesday evening, July 25, the 2018 Michelin Guide Singapore was unveiled at Resorts World Sentosa.

And it was announced no establishment in Singapore had earned a three-star ranking in 2018.

Hong Kong, in comparison, has six restaurants with three Michelin stars.

Therefore, in SCMP's eyes, Singapore is not as good as Hong Kong, which is the darling of the world.

SCMP wrote:

The standard of a city’s cuisine goes a long way to determining the esteem in which it is held internationally, and this year’s results put Hong Kong in the Champions League of food, while Singapore is struggling to even score.

This is not even humblebragging anymore.

What happened to Singapore's stars?

Singapore previously had one three-star restaurant by French chef Joël Robuchon. But the restaurant, named after the chef, closed in June 2018.

A total of 44 stars were awarded to Singapore restaurants in the third annual Michelin Guide: Five two-star restaurants, 34 received one star.

This is down from 47 stars in 2017.

Five restaurants in Singapore earned their first Michelin star, and five others retained their two-star ratings.

More stars for Hong Kong

Hong Kong was awarded a total of 63 Michelin stars.

Retaining their three stars are:

Bo Innovation,

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon,

Lung King Heen,

8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana,

Sushi Shikon, and

Tang Court.

And keeping their two-star ratings are:

Amber,

Pierre,

Caprice,

Ryu Gin,

Shang Palace, and

Tin Lung Heen.

Eight restaurants also gained their first Michelin star in Hong Kong, including a few that had only been open for a few months when the 2018 Michelin list was published.

Pitting Hong Kong with Singapore

SCMP has little qualms holding Singapore up as Hong Kong's competitor all the time.

Coverage on Singapore has become unflattering and routine for the English Hong Kong press, which has led to audiences noting the deliberateness of such comparisons and the value they add:

Here's the official Michelin Guide Singapore 2018:

One Michelin Star Recipients

New entrants:

Burnt Ends

Jiang-Nan Chun

Ma Cuisine

Nouri

Sushi Kimura

Existing:

Alma by Juan Amador

Bacchanalia

Braci

Beni

Candlenut

Cheek By Jowl

Chef Kang's

Corner House

Cut

Crystal Jade Golden Palace

Garibaldi

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle

Iggy's

Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew Cuisine

Jaan

Labyrinth

Lei Garden

Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

Meta

Putien (Kitchener Road)

Rhubarb

Saint Pierre

Shinji by Kanesaka (Bras Basah Rd)

Shinji by Kanesaka (Tanglin Road)

Summer Palace

Summer Pavilion

Sushi Ichi

The Song of India

Whitegrass

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Two Michelin Star Recipients

There are no new entrants in this category this year.

Existing:

Les Amis

Odette

Shisen Hanten

Shoukouwa

Waku Ghin