ACCLAIMED Singapore chef Jereme Leung, who runs the successful Whampoa Club in Shanghai and Beijing, is opening a Chinese restaurant here.

It will sit on top of Mount Faber at the site occupied by the Altivo Bar.

In a phone interview with Life! from Shanghai, Chef Leung, 36, said the restaurant concept is being worked out but the food will be closely related to Chinese cuisine in Singapore.

'It will likely reflect foods from different Chinese dialect groups. I hope to bring back a piece of Singapore's culinary heritage,' he said.

I hope to bring back a piece of Singapore's culinary heritage' - Jereme Leung on his special menu

The Hong Kong-born Singaporean chef, who used to helm Jiang Nan Chun at the Four Seasons Singapore, will cook at the new restaurant at least four times a year.

He is partnering Mount Faber Leisure Group to open the restaurant, which will be his third after the ones in Beijing and Shanghai.

The Altivo Bar will be torn down to make way for a two-storey building and Chef Leung's 120-seat restaurant will take up the second storey. A 200-seat alfresco restaurant with a timber deck serving local and international cuisine will be on the ground level.

Mount Faber Leisure Group's chief executive officer Susan Teh said the new building is the second phase of a three-stage redevelopment plan.

'We're in the leisure industry so we need to ensure that we constantly have something new to offer visitors,' she said.

The first stage of the redevelopment in 2005 saw the rebuilding of the cable car station for $4 million. It was renamed the Jewel Box and includes four theme food and beverage outlets - Altivo Bar, Glass Bar, Faber Rock and Faber Hill Bistro.

Ms Teh said business has been good and the number of visitors exceeded two million in the past year.

She brushed aside the suggestion that the revamp is prompted by competition from the Singapore Flyer, which offers panoramic views of the entire island.

She said: 'We offer a different experience from the Flyer. The Flyer is a ride that confines the viewer to a capsule. Here at the restaurants, visitors can stroll around and take in the view at their own pace.'

The new $7.5-million building housing Chef Leung's restaurant is designed by local architectural firm KYTA.

Its most prominent feature will be giant arcs of Japanese hiba wood pieced together that curve majestically over the building. Hiba wood is usually used to build Shinto shrines in Japan.

The floor-to-ceiling glass windows in Chef Leung's restaurant will afford diners a view of southern Singapore. The Teflon shelter that extends over the entire building will be lit with LED lights to simulate fireflies dancing around the building. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.