Sip and savour your way into another world at these local bars
Sip and savour your way into another world at these local bars
NEW YORK MINUTE
Ever just want to make like Carrie Bradshaw and order a “cheeseburger, large fries and a Cosmopolitan” in one breath? Slip on your Manolo Blahniks, because a trip to Grand Hyatt Singapore is in order. The hotel’s revamped Martini Bar serves up seriously toothsome grilled Black Onyx beef sliders with aged cheddar and seaweed fries. And, of course, a martini or two. The swanky, Manhattan-esque joint offers 33 variations of the American cocktail alone, with fun new flavours like gummy bear and apple truffle that will leave you spoilt for choice. If you are still thirsty, there is the all new gin and tonic bar in mezza9, Party Room, housing over 60 different premium gins from around the globe.
MELTING POT
An urban loft in Brooklyn? An underground club in Berlin or a hole-in-the-wall bar in the back streets of London? Kilo Lounge can transport you to all these cool watering holes, without ever leaving the +65. It does so with four key elements: Firstly, the space is designed like a cool, unfussy concrete living room where you kick back on plush loungers. Secondly, the menu provides all the pre-party fuel you need in gourmet fashion—think Chili Prawn Flat Bread, Zucchini Pancakes and Octopus Ceviche. Thirdly, its cocktail line-up provides much-needed post-work reprieve. Then, there’s the music, powered by producer-DJs who will take you on an audio trip of hip-hop, house, reggae and dubstep beats all night long.
The Great Unknow
At The Other Room in Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, where there are flights of whisky, there are also frequent fliers. Their privileges? Loyal “travellers” get a drinking passport that, once completely stamped by imbibing the entire menu, will grant you a Golden Key to unlock a series of secret cocktails. The first multi-sensory drink on the list is inspired by the beach, with tropical flavours, a punch of cilantro and a wave of rum, all served in a conch shell in a treasure chest. Dashing pirates not included.
TOKYO DRIFT
A three-storey shophouse dressed in neon lights, anime murals and kitty cartoons with a karaoke room on the top floor, Chikin is a yakitori bar that will transport you to the heart of Tokyo… Straight from Bukit Pasoh Road. This novel nightlife concept fuses Japanese skewered snacks with concoctions that also take notes from the land of the rising sun: Roast & Rooster is a sake-genmaicha-passionfruit explosion, while the Mojito here is shaken up with sake, kyoho grapes and mint. However, while most of your senses say “Japan”, your palate will also scream “China”—traditional tare marinade is replaced with a signature Szechuan peppercorn sauce that coats succulent meat from 13 parts of a chicken, best enjoyed with plates of quail eggs, meltique beef with leek, shiitake mushrooms and unagi garlic fried rice with fish roe that promise to hit the spot every time.
By Dana Koh
