In Singapore's crowded and competitive dining scene, standing out can mean wearing your heart on your sleeve.

That's what Trinidad and Tobago native Chris Morris, 40 years old, says he's doing with Lime House, a new Caribbean bar and restaurant in the trendy Jiak Chuan/Keong Saik area of Chinatown.

For the Singapore-based business consultant, Lime House is more than a restaurant that serves authentic jerk chicken and rum punch. It's a 'passion project to create a cultural embassy' to showcase Caribbean culture and products in Asia. He's off to a solid start with Caribbean rum varieties numbering about 30 (and growing) and a mix of modern impressions and portraits of Caribbean life sourced from the Tobago Art Gallery.

The restaurant doesn't take its name from the fruit. Rather, it's an homage to the Caribbean pastime of 'liming'-hanging out with friends, an activity Mr. Morris hopes will catch on in Singapore's upscale, often formal, dining scene.

The Chef: To develop the menu, Mr. Morris recruited fellow Trinidadian Hasan De Four, 36, as consultant chef.

Mr. De Four has worked at top Caribbean restaurants in the U.K., including the famed Cottons. He was also sous-chef for Michelin-starred British chef Gary Rhodes on his 'Rhodes Across the Caribbean' television series.

London-based Mr. De Four spent time in Singapore to see what ingredients are available and get an appreciation of local flavors. He was pleased to find that many of the raw products used in Caribbean cooking are readilyavailable in the city-state. 'They are just called by a different name,' he says.

He also trained and mentored local chefs and brought Lime House's Singaporean head chef Tony Seah to the Caribbean, where Mr. Seah spent three weeks working at fine-dining restaurants in Trinidad and in St. Lucia.

Food & Drink: Caribbean cuisine spans a wide range of influences, including African, French, Spanish, Dutch, Indian and Chinese. Lime House narrows it down to a handful of classics and does them well, particularly the jerk chicken (24 Singapore dollars, or US$19), which is marinated overnight and doused in a spicy house pepper sauce on the grill.

'With the unique blend of allspice berries, spring onions, nutmeg, cinnamon, thyme and habanero peppers, it creates a very amazing taste,' Mr. De Four says. Caribbean cooking uses Scotch bonnet peppers, he says, but as they aren't available in Singapore, habaneros are a good substitute.

Another specialty is the curry goat with coconut rice, peas and plantain batons ($S26), marinated overnight in a Caribbean green seasoning of coriander, spring onion, ginger and garlic, and in-house curry powder: a slow-roasted blend of fenugreek, caraway seeds, coriander and cumin. The meat is then cooked with thyme, coconut milk and habaneros.

The baby back ribs with Trinidad barbecue sauce (S$24 half rack, S$34 full rack) are marinated with a spicy dry rub overnight and slow cooked for four hours with an in-house barbecue sauce.

No Caribbean meal is complete without rum, and Lime House's offerings don't disappoint, whether it's the sweet-and-dangerous Classic Rum Punch (S$16) or a glass of premium HSE XO 1998 from Martinique (S$18).

'The goal is if you think of rum in Singapore, you think of Lime House,' says Mr. Morris, whose favorite is a 25-year-old rum by El Dorado from Guyana. 'A lot of people don't realize the range of rums that you can get.'

The Setting: From the outdoor kitchen to the indoor plants, the three-story conservation shophouse combines the airiness of a Caribbean colonialplantation house during British colonial times with the intricate design of historic Peranakan decor.

Dark wood plank floors contrast with white, pastel-colored and floral tile-covered walls. Dividing the ground floor's main dining area is an original restored Peranakan screen that's been restored, providing an interesting focal point.

Colorful plush sofas and salvaged antique furniture from the 1940s and '50s add character to the second-floor rum bar and lounge, designed as 'an extension of your living room' to encourage liming, Mr. Morris says. Caribbean tourism ads from that era dot the walls, adding to the period feel.

The third floor houses private space and leads to a cozy rooftop terrace, available to rent for special events.

Our Tip: Staying true to the liming mantra, reservations aren't necessary to hang out and use the Wi-Fi, though they're recommended for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. No one will push you out or try to turn your table, Mr. Morris promises. Just be open to conversation.

Not hungry enough for a full meal? A 'liming' menu in the upstairslounge (S$6-S$18) offers mini versions of entrees and tapas-style dishes such as coconut breaded prawns and macaroni-and-cheese pie to satisfy your Caribbean craving.