The innovative dining and entertainment complex that has replaced the rather stuffy Compass Rose at the top of the Swissotel Stamford Singapore was designed by owners Raffles International to make a bold, cutting-edge culinary statement that is on a par with anything else in the world.

It is, if you like, the latest contribution to tourism from Raffles International's chairman and CEO,  Richard Helfer, who was recognised for his outstanding contribution to tourism at last year's Singapore Tourism Awards.

His wish for Equinox is for it to further seal Raffles International's role and image as a creator of lifestyles, providing guests not only with what they want, but what they don't yet know they want.

"We have the knowledge to produce cutting-edge dining and entertainment options, such as those found in other international global cities,� he says. 

�Yet, nowhere else in the world can you find several different concepts, all under one roof, each tied back to the region. This is the perfect East-West blend that Equinox has."

For 15 years, the Compass Rose was a staple of Singapore's F&B scene, catering to the well-heeled and offering spectacular views of the city and neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia. 

The only thing that remains the same is the view. Everything else has been conceptualised to fit changing tastes, modern times and the need for the owners to make more effective use of the space and draw in more than just one set of customers. 

As a result, the multi-dimensional Equinox has greater depth and breadth than its predecessor. With more or less the same space (3,700sqm), it offers five restaurant and bar options, each contributing to the explosion in the dining and entertainment scene that has taken place in Singapore in the past few years.

Heading the Equinox management team are GM Ronald Loges, who was hired from London's famed Quaglino's and Mezzo, and operations manager Philipp Mosimann, son of world-famous chef Anton Mosimann. 

Executive chef Vladimir Scanu oversees a team of 65 chefs in producing the wide variety of cuisines for the whole complex. His experience includes one-, two- and three-star Michelin restaurants in Italy and Switzerland and prestigious hotels in Mauritius, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and, most recently, Bangkok. 
But this list of top names is coincidental � Equinox does not want to be another Quaglino's or Mosimann's. Instead, it wants to carve its own destiny, as a perfect blend between East and West. 

The "perfect harmony" that is inherent in the Equinox name is reflected in the design of each outlet, and in the way they interact with each other to offer a complete option for the young and old, romantic couples and close-knit families � or, indeed, groups and FITs.

At the ground-level Introbar, cocktails are mixed in front of guests, who can relax - as in a first-class airline lounge - before their "flight" up to levels 68-72.

Once up, there is the French/Cambodian restaurant, Jaan, for an intimate evening designed to "wow", which can be followed by after-dinner drinks at City Space.
Guests preferring a more casual ambience can head for the New Asia Bar & Grill, or the Equinox restaurant, which serves either pure Asian or pure Western food. 

Space has also been carved out for private functions for up to 400 people.
There is a sense of arrival to each outlet � a clear separation of interrelated units, which ingeniously draws the curious to further explore the whole complex once they are done with one.

There are many talking points, from the free-form Murano crystal chandeliers at Jaan and crystal bubbles at City Space, to the exotic Asian montage that graces the wall on entry to the New Asia Bar & Grill.

Besides employing managers who are familiar with the ins and outs of running top notch restaurants, Helfer says the interior design is also cutting edge. The concept and planning consultants were from New York-based Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman, whose other high-profile projects include the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel Los Angeles, the Regent Sydney and Hotel Arts Barcelona.

The design architects, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (HHPA), have been involved in a number of technically complex and culturally vital buildings, including libraries, museums, theatres and performing-art centres. 

A recent project was the BAMcafe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, in collaboration with Sir Terence Conran, and it is currently redesigning restaurant space at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

Singapore-based Architects 61, which worked on the restoration of Raffles Hotel, provided professional services related to the planning and design of the architectural elements.

"There are parts about the Equinox complex that are New York or London, but its heart-and-soul is Singapore, the New Asia,� says Helfer. �And I believe we can set new standards.

�Through its 15-year history, the hotel has built some strong business foundations and this, together with the new team, will pave the way for new standards in quality and creativity in the dining and entertainment scene."

This is nothing new for Raffles International, which has been involved in about 30 restaurants and bars at the Raffles City complex and Raffles Hotel. 

As a gauge of the group�s success in the area, F&B provides at least 60% of revenues at Raffles Hotel, with about 80% of patrons being locals. 

Helfer expects the same strong support from the local community for Equinox, as well as from in-house guests and convention participants.

Construction costs for top-brass restaurants in Singapore, such as Shangri-La's Blue and Grand Hyatt's Mezzanine, range from S$300-$500  (US$163-$273) per square foot. 

Equinox cost just over S$300 per square foot - and Helfer is looking at a four-year return on investment.