What are some of the hottest things to buy, know and eat? Here are TAN MIN YAN’s favourites.
What are some of the hottest things to buy, know and eat? Here are TAN MIN YAN’s favourites.
EAT: Kitchen by Food Rebel – more than just a health food cafe
Like many of its eatclean fellows, bistro Kitchen by Food Rebel (www.foodrebelsg.com), conceptualised by owner and certified health coach Elika Mather, offers salads, smoothies and sandwiches. What it does far better than most others, though, is its dedication to using only organic, hormonefree, sustainable or locally sourced ingredients. Processed sugar is a big nono, and natural sweeteners like raw honey, cinnamon and rice syrup are used instead. Sauces and salad dressings are made from scratch, while cakes are gluten-, dairy- and sugar-free. What we really love are the robust flavours. Head chef Yuliya Tyshchenko, though Russian-born, amps up the Asian influences with local spices, as in the case of the fiery Chilli-padi Chicken sandwich. The Rebel Chicken Burger comes with baked sweet potato fries while a panseared fillet of barramundi is milky-sweet and tender, paired with bak choy in a fragrant sesame sauce. More than just a health food spot, the bistro is where Elika conducts workshops to educate interested customers on making their own meals at home. She also plans to hold more small-scale farmers’ markets for local suppliers to show off their fresh produce to consumers. In the meantime, we’ve got our eye on her after-hours menu: we hear organic wines and tapas are in the works.
RETREAT: Myanmar’s Sanctum Inle Resort
Myanmar is hardly anyone’s top choice of a relaxing vacation spot – that is, if you use economic centre Yangon as your sole reference point. However, two hours by car from the commercial city lies Inle Lake, with its shimmering waters and stilt-house villages which seem to have been transported through a time warp. This month, Inle Lake’s first upscale hotel, the monastery inspired 94-room Sanctum Inle Resort, will welcome visitors and, consequently, the area’s inevitable commercialisation. But for now, this is still one of the few sanctuaries in South-east Asia where you can admire the spoils of nature and escape from the tourist bustle – go before Instagrammers and tourists from all over the world get wind of it. Rooms start from US$284 (S$380) a night, but bump it up to US$372 a night and you get a suite with sweeping views of the lake, complete with modern creature comforts like airconditioning and Wi-Fi. You can go for one of the hotel’s tours – the half-day cycling tour that takes you across villages to the Red Mountain Winery for a sampling of what’s been touted as the country’s best wines is our top choice. Or retreat to the spa for a signature Tamarind Scrub (using tamarind harvested from the property, of course).
VISIT: The Other Room – our favourite new bar of the year (so far)
This bar is obviously a labour of love – behind the counter are more than 150 bottles of rum, whisky, gin, vodka and mescal of various brands that have been further matured, aged and blended meticulously with herbs, spices and fruits for a staggering array of new taste profiles. But master bartender (and resident self-dubbed “wizard”) Dario Knox is amusingly coy when asked about the amount of work that goes into it every day. “A typical day in our beautiful profession is like a typical day for an actor before the show – you spend all day getting ready and [then] enjoying every moment of it,” he says. And the show here at The Other Room (www.facebook.com/theotherroomsg), the latest watering hole in town at the unlikely location of Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, begins when you uncover the secret entrances (there are two), get cozy within the darkened space, and acquainted with the menu and Dario himself as he flits from table to table like the consummate host. It is here that Dario isn’t shy about belabouring the finer details of how he finishes the spirits – but only if you ask, of course. Then there are the drinks. Should the spirits not interest you, the cocktail menu with more than 30 options (classifled according to bygone eras in libation history such as pre-Prohibition and Prohibition) should work its magic. Look in the aged-cocktails section of the menu for a Sherry Cask Fashioned, which mixes two rums that have been aged in sherry wine casks in the style of an Old Fashioned, if you want an incredibly smooth and well-balanced finish. Alternatively, one of the bartenders will be happy to whip up something according to your specifications. Ultimately, Dario is insistent that the bar should remain a comfortable and relaxed place for tipplers, never mind the labourintensive work that goes on behind the scenes. “Come over, feel treated like you were visiting a good friend, and be happy,” says Dario. “We’ll make sure to take care of the rest.” In this era where speakeasies care more about how cool they look, The Other Room’s hospitality-first modus operandi is refreshing.
