Movers and shake-outs

FORGET limited-edition sports cars, Centurion credit cards and sky-high condominiums with a private car lift. Judging by the rate of new restaurant openings per day in Singapore, it seems like the new Singapore Dream is to have a slick restaurant-bar to call one's own, so you can knock back cocktails with friends as you watch the crowds - and cash - roll in.

Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam spotlighted Singapore's potential to tap on regional demand to become one of Asia's top culinary capitals and a "distinctive destination" for dining.

After all, who in Singapore doesn't think and talk about food, oh, just about 24 hours a day? His call, it seems, is already being heeded. Recent statistics from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority show that 686 restaurants were opened last year. The nett increase of 149 restaurants was double that of 2011.