THE Tung Lok restaurant group's Club Chinois restaurant at Orchard Parade Hotel is now ranked along the likes of New York's Jean-Georges and Spain's El Bulli, after winning the International Star Diamond Award this year.

It is the first Singaporean restaurant to receive the award given out by the New York-based American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

The award, started in 1949, recognises establishments in hospitality industries around the world that offer exceptional service, including restaurants, hotels, airlines and cruise ships, as well as outstanding chefs. Two other Tung Lok restaurants in China - My Humble House, at the Oriental Plaza, Beijing, and Jin Lu - The Chinoise Story in Shanghai - were among the 500 restaurants conferred the award. The group's director of kitchens, chef Sam Leong, received the International Star Diamond Chef Award as well.

Rounding off the restaurant group's wins is executive chairman Andrew Tjioe's lifetime achievement award.

The 49-year-old said: 'When I learnt of the news late last year, I felt on top of the world. The awards show that the modern Chinese cuisine our restaurants offer has caught the attention of the international community.'

As for his lifetime achievement award, he joked: 'I'm beginning to feel like an old man.' He was previously given a lifetime achievement award in 2005 by the World Gourmet Summit.

So far, awardees for this year include Criterion, a restaurant serving continental fare in Bogota, Columbia, and Zazu, a New Latin-cuisine eatery in Ecuador. Chef Christopher Lee of Gilt in New York City was also awarded in this year's chef category, joining at least 50 others.

The awardees are selected by the Academy's board of trustees - including three-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck of La Pergola in Rome, Italy, and Mr Duan Qiang, chairman of the Beijing Tourism Group - from nominations sent in by world travellers, industry professionals, as well as by the establishments themselves.

Mr Tjioe said he did not nominate his restaurants or chef for the award, so news of their wins came as a surprise.

The awards were presented to Tung Lok at My Humble House in China Central Place, Beijing, yesterday. Present among the 90-strong crowd were Mr Joseph Cinque, president of the Academy, as well as Miss Universe China 2007, Wei Zi-ya.

In a phone interview, Mr Cinque, 66, said the judging panel was impressed by the Tung Lok restaurants' artful packaging of service and fine food.

Mr Tjioe said Tung Lok's challenge will be to continue offering creative and unique dining concepts.

'There are many restaurants in China copying our menu and style of cooking so we need to keep evolving.'

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Feb 27, 2008.