SINCE his days as head honcho of modelling agency Elite, entrepreneur Michel Lu has gone on to make a name for himself as a successful restaurateur as well.
Now Mr Lu, 40, who is behind multi-concept eatery Prive at theMarina at Keppel Bay and Dempsey Road chill-out spot Hacienda, is venturing overseas, with new joints in Kuala Lumpur and Bintan.
His Prive KL rooftop restaurant and bar is set to open in September, while Bintan's The Ocean Club, a 12-villa luxury boutique hotel, will open next year.
In a recent interview with my paper at waterfront establishment Prive, which he says he was 'lucky with', Mr Lu comes across as every bit the confident businessman.
And while his choice to expand now may come as a surprise to some, given the economic climate, Mr Lu, who invested 'a fair amount of cash as well as expertise for both projects', thinks his timing could not have been better.
'Despite what's going on around the world right now, I haven't felt this optimistic in years,' he says, adding that 'everything is just falling into place'.
Closer to home, business has been so 'tremendous' that he is also launching a new bar-restaurant- club concept here in August, the details of which have yet to be ironed out.
Cafe Hacienda, an add-on to the standalone eatery in Dempsey Road, will open next month.
He tells my paper he is in the midst of developing a line of freshly-roasted coffee beans for retail and for use in the outlets under his belt.
Still, it has not always been smooth sailing for the bachelor, who is no stranger to the food-and-beverage and nightlife industries. Over the years, he has helmed many popular establishments, including the now-defunct dance clubs Centro and Lola, and Restaurant 360.
At the onset of the economic crisis last year, business at Prive fell drastically - by 'at least 30 per cent' - and was 'very worrying', he says.
But over the past few weeks, it has shot back up: 'Full house every weekend,' he adds.
The reason for its success?
He thinks it is his passion for the industry.
'What propels me (to succeed) is the challenge and the creativity (of running a business),' he says.
'I'm not saying that without passion you can't do this business, but with passion, you can do it better,' he adds.
With his new ventures, Mr Lu hopes to give Singapore an escape from the stress of the daily grind.
'Now, people are pulling back a bit, but we still have to live life and take a break once in a while,' he says.
'All of us like an opportunity to get out, loosen up and unwind,' he adds with a smile.
