Most people are looking north for business as their bottom lines head south. Chef Calvin Yeung, though, is looking south for business and to the north for inspiration. Bucking the belt-tightening trend, the culinary whiz behind Water Margin and Yun Fu has a new restaurant at Singapore's iconic Clifford Pier, and its name alludes to Shanghainese glamour. The Hong Kong restaurateur opened his One On The Bund last week. As with his other ornate joints, Yeung designed the decor and fashioned the food, which is described as contemporary Chinese cuisine with a creative twist. 'Like Hong Kong, Singapore's cosmopolitan diversity has always appealed to me,' Yeung said. 'The idea of starting a restaurant in Singapore was cemented when I saw the Clifford Pier. When I set foot there, it was as if I had travelled back to the days when early immigrants and other sea passengers sailed their way to Singapore. It retains this old architecture, but the glitz of the bygone old Shanghai era is reflected in the interior, highlighted by my personal art collection. We'll serve traditional northern Chinese food.' Yeung knows the importance of adding a little entertaining pizzazz to a place. 'I put in for special features a noodle bar in a show kitchen, where guests can witness the skilled chefs in action preparing handmade noodles, and an open-flame roast duck kitchen which will illuminate a chill-out bar surrounded by the panoramic view of Marina Bay.' Now, if only he could transport his Aqua Luna junk down there, the old China chic look will be complete.
