Lee Bennett to leave Le Pont de la Tour and move to Swissôtel the Stamford in Singapore
Lee Bennett, executive chef at Le Pont de la Tour, is to leave the London restaurant to move to Singapore and join the Swissôtel the Stamford.
Bennett, who has been at the helm of the D&D London owned restaurant near Tower Bridge for more than three years, will depart for Singapore at the end of August.
He will join the five-star Swissôtel the Stamford as executive chef of its Equinox Complex, which includes five restaurants and bars as well as four private dining rooms with a total capacity of 900 covers.
In his new role Bennett will be in charge of the Equinox restaurant, which includes three private dining rooms, as well as the New Asia nightclub, which also serves food.
Commenting on his move, Bennett said: "I've been at Le Pont de la Tour for three-and-a-half years and in that time have had lots of offers, but it had to be something really special to get me to leave the restaurant.
"This offer came out of the blue and it's a fantastic opportunity for me."
Nigel Moore, director of food and beverage service at the Swissôtel the Stamford, added: "The Equinox complex has always been an icon that has contributed to the growth and development of the food and beverage scene here in Singapore. With chef Lee Bennett heading up the Equinox Restaurant, he will inject new life and creativity into the cuisine of the restaurant."
Bennett, who joined Le Pont de la Tour in 2008, has worked under three-Michelin-starred chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Pierre Gagnaire and Alain Ducasse. His first head chef position was at the Michelin-starred Savoy Grill, under executive chef Marcus Wareing, where he won the Craft Guild of Chefs ‘Restaurant Chef' award in 2007.
Bennett said: "My initial focus will be to make Equinox a success, both financially and in reputation. Swissôtel is growing its property portfolio in the area so there may be other opportunities further down the line.
"Singapore is an incredibly vibrant city; there's so much going on and so many big chefs are now running restaurants there and Michelin is rumoured to be launching a guide."
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By Kerstin Kühn
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