A new restaurant and cafe will open at the Asian Civilisations Museum in the later part of next year, and it will be run by established restaurant operator The Prive Group.

The group beat out five other food and beverage and nightlife operators to acquire the rights to run the museum's restaurant and cafe in Empress Place, which overlooks the Singapore River.

The other bidders for the space had included seasoned F&B and nightlife operators such as The Butter Factory; Tadcaster Pubs, part of Tadcaster Hospitality which manages bars such as Molly Malone's and BQ Bar in Boat Quay; and AR Restaurant Group, which owns modern European restaurant Bacchanalia.

Mr Yuan Oeij, 45, chairman of the Prive Group, says it is too early to reveal details of his plans for the museum, but says it will be a "flagship concept that will bring something new and exciting to Singapore, and will be a progression from what we are currently doing".

The Prive Group runs contemporary restaurants Prive at Marina at Keppel Bay and Chijmes; The Green Door bar and Roadhouse restaurant in Dempsey; and co-owns nightclub Bang Bang and restaurant Match at Pan Pacific Singapore.

The space, which covers about 1,490 sq m, was formerly occupied by restaurant IndoChine Waterfront. The alfresco eatery closed in June (2014) to make way for a revamp along the Singapore River.