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Almost 10 years ago, Danny Chua quit a hospitality course he was doing at local educator Shatec Institutes when he was working in a restaurant of a five-star hotel. And now, he is the owner of trendy Quarubar at Demspey Hill.
When he looked at setting up the bar two years ago, close friends advised him against opening his outlet in an 'ulu' location such as Dempsey Hill.
The former Pasir Ris Secondary School student says: 'At that time, there weren't many F&B outlets in Dempsey Hill. But I saw the potential of this quaint district and how the new space would suit a jazz bar concept.'
He adds: 'I wanted to do something different. I realised there aren't many live music bars that play crossover jazz and bossa nova, which appeals to a wide audience.'
In 2007, Chua, along with a silent partner, sank $400,000 into setting up Quarubar. The rundown 222 sq m premises was transformed into an elegant watering hole with a minimalistic decor of white walls and dark furnishings.
It is popular with yuppies thanks to its decor and because it features an impressive line-up of both home-grown and foreign jazz and bossa nova singers.
The club's success follows several leisure ventures by Chua.
In 2000, the then 26-year-old left his cushy hotel job and borrowed a six-figure sum from his family to open Pool Junction cafe and pool bar in Marine Parade.
He later relocated the outlet to 101 Plaza in Middle Road. Fourteen months later - and at the height of the pool craze - he opened his second venue, The Labyrinth, in Prime Centre in Middle Road.
Married with two boys aged four and one, he tells Life!: 'I reinvested everything I made from the initial venture into the new outlets. But I subsequently sold Pool Junction in 101 Plaza and closed The Labyrinth last year when the rentals doubled.'
On future plans, he says: 'I want to slowly build Quarubar as the home for jazz and bossa nova music.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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