The Rig Restaurant and Lounge is the newest liming spot in San Fernando.

A design said to be unlike any other establishment, The Rig aims to rejuvenate the southern city, manager Donny Basdeo has said.

The Rig is one of several businesses owned by Anand Ramnarinesingh, including Playdium, Gulf View Fitness Centre and Anand Low Cost Supermarket.

Ramnarinesingh cut the ribbon to open his latest venture on June 1.

"The initial idea started with Anand himself. He wanted to create some place to rejuvenate South. He wanted to bring back life to South Trinidad," Basdeo told the Business Express.

Basdeo said the name was selected, following the recent oil discovery off the Soldado field in the Gulf of Paria. In March Petrotrin president Khalid Hassanali announced that an estimated 48 million barrels of oil was discovered in the offshore acreage.

"The oil industry is being rejuvenated, so we tried to capture that theme, we never heard of that anywhere before," Basdeo said.

The restaurant is designed to resemble to an offshore rig - with pipelines coloured to identify different gas lines. There is a covered area outside and an upper deck.

"It was a small idea that developed into this grand business. Anand always spoke about opening a restaurant. We have Playdium, but that is more like a food court. He wanted something like fine dining where people can come and relax, with music (just) loud enough for you to sit and have a discussion," he said.

The restaurant is located downstairs Gulf View Fitness Centre, South Trunk Road, La Romaine.

"We decided on this location because we already own the property. We didn't want to go somewhere to rent," he said.

 Basdeo said the ambiance was attracting mature customers, looking for an after work lime.

"Since we opened business has been good, I hope it remains like this. We have invested a lot of money and effort in this business," he said.

The menu lists a variety of Chinese and grilled dishes.

"We have a wide range of drinks as well. And very soon we will come out with a new drinks list with industrial names pertaining to a rig," he said.

Basdeo said the chefs were locals - among the best in Trinidad and Tobago.

"The staff are all trained. We are concentrating more on the kitchen. We want to have an exquisite taste, something with a difference. We want people to come here and taste food they have never experienced before," he said.

The large screens set up inside and outside the establishment are for sporting events.

And soon amateur singers and comedians will also have a venue to showcase their talents at The Rig, open seven days a week.

"We want to have young talented people to come in and showcase their talents. We will have nights for karaoke, comedy and other entertainment. Customers can come and make their debut here," he said.

"This is one of Anand's dreams come true and I am hoping it is successful and our customers appreciate the hard work we have been putting into this business. And as time goes by and we expand the business, we hope to open another one like this in north Trinidad," he said.