Chef Alvin Leung’s next act: Reinventing fine dining at Singapore’s most exclusive club

“It’s three times as difficult,” says celebrity chef Alvin Leung, of the new restaurant he is conceptualising as the centrepiece of Vanta, touted as Singapore’s most ambitious private members’ club to date.

The $30 million SGD venture is slated to open at MacDonald House on Orchard Road in December, following two years of development to transform the 16,000 sqft space into a sophisticated destination of refinement narrated in a tapestry of Italian marble, quartz finishes, and bespoke materials across two levels. 

At its heart, a new dining concept by the three-Michelin-starred chef and TV personality notorious for delivering savage, Gordon Ramsay-style critiques in his decades-long stint as MasterChef Canada judge. 

Left: All images are artist’s impressions by Vanta of the new restaurant, set to open in December 2025. Right: Michelin-starred chef Alvin Leung.

“This one is special,” Leung continues. “This project has its difficulty because it’s in a private club and not open to the public, which means my audience is restricted. So, I’ve got to create something really unique, but it has to be comfortable so club members don’t just come once but they come back, bring their friends here and brag about it—and also make it envious for a lot of other people who will not have access.” 

Indeed, epicurean envy is as real a concept as Leung’s larger-than-life personality. Thankfully, though, I quickly discover that the TV persona is largely reserved for the cameras, despite Leung’s self-styled ‘Demon Chef’ moniker. 

In person, the 64-year-old, Hong Kong-born Canadian chef is quite the self-professed “teddy bear”, clad in a white Ghostbusters t-shirt featuring a full-sized ‘Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’ from neck to waist, as we chat inside the Writer’s Bar at the Raffles Singapore. 

“There’s nothing out there that anybody has not seen,” Leung acknowledges. “The club is going to be a visual sensation, and I have to bring food that involves a bit more sensation than just cuisine,” he says. 

Club members can therefore look forward to a bold culinary programme that reflects Leung’s signature playful approach to genre-defying Chinese cuisine, alongside investment-grade whiskies, storied wine vintages and coveted junmai daiginjo sake sharing the spotlight at the club. 

While he’s reticent on divulging details, Leung says menus will evolve seasonally, not necessarily rolling in tandem with the four seasons, but when inspiration strikes. And members won’t be limited to only fixed tasting menus; he plans to create “a library of classics”—comforting dishes as everyday staples. Expect to be treated to the lost art of tableside service, too: “I want to bring it back where it’s fun.”

The future of fine dining

Leung’s creative vision for Vanta, therefore, revolves around an ever-evolving culinary philosophy that reflects the dynamic dining landscape. 

“It’s very tough right now,” he concedes. “Lots of restaurants are closing and it’s pretty hard to make a profit. All the things that contributed to it being profitable aren’t as lucrative as they used to be; tourism, alcohol sales, etc.”

According to Leung, diners are now looking to spend money on their own terms, rather than for the sake of trying to keep up with the Joneses. 

“Dining concepts don’t last long now, maybe a year or less, and then it’s no longer relevant. So I’ve got to adapt; I’ve just got to be more creative and more efficient,” says Leung, a self-taught chef with an engineering background who made a name for himself in molecular gastronomy and a unique brand of “X-treme Chinese” cuisine. 

Despite never having been formally trained in culinary arts and never having worked in a professional kitchen, Leung established his first F&B venture, Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, at the age of 40 in 2003. It received two stars upon its debut in the 2009 Michelin Guide for its fearless spin on beloved Chinese favourites, and earned its third star in 2014. 

In the quarter-century spent building his modest F&B empire, which includes Forbidden Duck and 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung in Singapore, Leung has witnessed every manner of trend and foodie fad with the latest being a shift away from the typical trappings of fine dining. 

“The trend in fine dining is that people don’t like to do fine dining anymore,” Leung proclaims, attributing this to a post-Covid world having emerged from the pandemic both culturally transformed and more mindful of spending habits. 

“Getting dressed up in a nice suit and tie, elaborate tasting menus, three- to four-hour dinners designed for others to see you experiencing… right now, you’ve got to make people as comfortable as possible and give them something they’re familiar with,” he explained. 

So what’s next for the Demon Chef? This December will be an extra busy one with the opening of Vanta and Leung’s third restaurant in Toronto, as well as filming for a new TV series. A second F&B venture, which joins Demon Duck in Dubai, is planned for sometime next year. “It’s gonna be Asian, it’s gonna be Alvin Leung, but the price range may differ,” he hints.

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