March 12, 2015
Wealthy investors in Singapore have welcomed West Australians' creativity and work ethic as the island nation continues to secure its place as an international business hub.
Expatriates say cashed-up businesspeople in Asia are keen to support Australians eager to make their mark in Singapore. In return, the investors' financial backing and clout help open more doors in the "business-friendly" city-state.
The country is fast becoming a favourite destination for WA's expat community and the changing face of modern Singapore includes a burgeoning food and beverage scene that has attracted West Australians ranging from coffee experts to ice-cream producers and top-notch chefs.
On a recent trip to Singapore, one of the strangest conversations in a taxi about the history of the country's sex industry was launched by the address given to the driver for Burnt Ends, a restaurant on Teck Lim Road run by Perth ex-pat chef Dave Pynt.
Part of the red-light district in Chinatown, the area has undergone a massive makeover as brothels have made way for trendy bars and restaurants and boutique hotels.
Pynt, who has worked in international restaurants including in London and Copenhagen, moved to Singapore two years ago after business partners approached him to open a "barbecue place", which has been a huge success.
Burnt Ends took out one of the coveted places in the prestigious Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list this week, coming in at number 30.
"Singapore's a gateway city with millions of residents plus a lot of travellers and businesspeople coming through," Pynt said.
"It's one of the places where there's a thriving F&B scene so there are a lot of young people with great ideas moving here.
"But you can't afford to rest on your laurels."
Perth-born brothers Christian and Julian Tan contributed to the transformation of Sentosa Island with Tanjong Beach Club - acombination of restaurant, bar and "urban escape".The concept of Tanjong - just one of the Tans' hugely popular establishments - has proved a hit with locals and expats alike.
"There are a lot of opportunities here, especially in F&B," Christian said.
"You have to be business savvy, but you also have to have passion for what you're doing.
"We operate a hands-on business, so it's not uncommon to see us working alongside our staff and having fun."
The hospitality industry may well be thriving, but staffing - what the Tan brothers describe as a small pool of labour - can be problematic.
WA expat Harry Grover, 34, from 40 Hands Coffee and Common Man Coffee Roasters, said business was good but finding staff was an issue.
"My cafes have never slowed down because of a new generation of coffee devotees in Singapore," Grover said.
"They are more educated, savvy and discerning customers who appreciate specialty coffee.
"But F&B gets harder every quarter mostly because of labour.
"I've had stability and success because I've been able to tap into a foreign labour quota because of my business partners."
Wealthy investors in Singapore have welcomed West Australians' creativity and work ethic as the island nation continues to secure its place as an international business hub.
Expatriates say cashed-up businesspeople in Asia are keen to support Australians eager to make their mark in Singapore. In return, the investors' financial backing and clout help open more doors in the "business-friendly" city-state.
The country is fast becoming a favourite destination for WA's expat community and the changing face of modern Singapore includes a burgeoning food and beverage scene that has attracted West Australians ranging from coffee experts to ice-cream producers and top-notch chefs.
On a recent trip to Singapore, one of the strangest conversations in a taxi about the history of the country's sex industry was launched by the address given to the driver for Burnt Ends, a restaurant on Teck Lim Road run by Perth ex-pat chef Dave Pynt.
Part of the red-light district in Chinatown, the area has undergone a massive makeover as brothels have made way for trendy bars and restaurants and boutique hotels.
Pynt, who has worked in international restaurants including in London and Copenhagen, moved to Singapore two years ago after business partners approached him to open a "barbecue place", which has been a huge success.
Burnt Ends took out one of the coveted places in the prestigious Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list this week, coming in at number 30.
"Singapore's a gateway city with millions of residents plus a lot of travellers and businesspeople coming through," Pynt said.
"It's one of the places where there's a thriving F&B scene so there are a lot of young people with great ideas moving here.
"But you can't afford to rest on your laurels."
Perth-born brothers Christian and Julian Tan contributed to the transformation of Sentosa Island with Tanjong Beach Club - acombination of restaurant, bar and "urban escape".The concept of Tanjong - just one of the Tans' hugely popular establishments - has proved a hit with locals and expats alike.
"There are a lot of opportunities here, especially in F&B," Christian said.
"You have to be business savvy, but you also have to have passion for what you're doing.
"We operate a hands-on business, so it's not uncommon to see us working alongside our staff and having fun."
The hospitality industry may well be thriving, but staffing - what the Tan brothers describe as a small pool of labour - can be problematic.
WA expat Harry Grover, 34, from 40 Hands Coffee and Common Man Coffee Roasters, said business was good but finding staff was an issue.
"My cafes have never slowed down because of a new generation of coffee devotees in Singapore," Grover said.
"They are more educated, savvy and discerning customers who appreciate specialty coffee.
"But F&B gets harder every quarter mostly because of labour.
"I've had stability and success because I've been able to tap into a foreign labour quota because of my business partners."
