So Hip, It Hurts

Tired of going to the same old places? Switch things up with some new kids on the block.

bySophie Hong April 2017

Tired of going to the same old places? Switch things up with some new kids on the block.

FOR MORNING COFFEE

Teepee Bar & Restaurant

First thing you should know about Teepee Bar & Restaurant is it’s super inconspicuous. There’s absolutely nothing that indicates its presence along Hong Kong Street, so just keep your eyes peeled for its glass facade and steel-rimmed doors.

Second thing you should know about this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it joint is it’s a very peculiar operation – it opens from 8am till “very, very late” (or 2am, according to their Facebook page), from Mondays to Saturdays, caters to the breakfast, lunch, and dinner crowd. For food, there are burgers and rice bowls, and if you fancy a tipple, the bar has an interesting selection of cocktails. But what really caught our attention was the Slutty Ice Latte, $6 – frozen espresso cubes and milk – which is a real pick-me-up on sweltering hot mornings.

Teepee Bar & Restaurant is at #01-02, 31 Hong Kong Street.

FOR WEEKDAY LUNCH

Crackerjack

The F.R.I.E.N.D.S gang had Central Perk. The How I Met Your Mother gang had MacLaren’s. For those of us not living in an American sitcom? Well, Crackerjack sounds like it can be the local equivalent. The all-day dining venue aims to be your “Third Place”, i.e.: a home away from home and an ofﬁce away from work. Just as well that they have long communal tables here – all the better to ﬁt all your friends. We love the concept of their “Trays”, $18 to $25, which are inspired by school lunches designed to provide a well-balanced meal, only it’s for adults. Just FYI, breakfast and dinner menus are also available. And since Crackerjack is brought to you by the team behind speakeasy 28 HongKong Street, you can expect some pretty fun cocktails, like the Fro-Zay, $19, a frozen rose wine. Oh, and did we mention there’s a shufﬂeboard table, free Wi-Fi, and charging stations?

Crackerjack is at 43 Tanjong Pagar Road.

FOR AFTERWORK DRINKS

Court Martial Bar

Sometimes, the only remedy for a stressful day at work is to wind down with a really good cocktail. Enter Court Martial Bar, a new cocktail concept by JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach. We’re already sold on its super chic location, but the real star of the show here is their spin on cocktail classics. Try The Heritage Sling, $22, a recreation of the Singapore Sling, or the Margarita, $22, that comes with an umami black salt rim. Or you can order one of their “Barrel-aged Classics” – cocktails that have been rested in American oak barrels for two weeks to a month. Go for the Negroni, $23, which has the addition of sweet vermouth-infused raisins, or the Rum Ol’Fashioned, $23, which comes with a homemade barley syrup.

Court Martial Bar is at Level 1, 30 Beach Road.

FOR DATE NIGHT

Greenhouse

OK, so Greenhouse isn’t exactly new, but its new menu is the perfect excuse to make a return visit. Nestled in the lush foliage that’s Rochester Park, this al fresco dining destination aims to serve as a brief reprieve from our concrete jungle. We felt a lift in our moods the minute we sat down at our table on the colonial verandah, underneath a canopy of stars and ambient lighting in the form of rustic hanging light bulbs. If that doesn’t sound incredibly romantic to you, we don’t know what will. Some of our favourites from the new menu include the Iberico Jowl, $17, which is coated in a sweet and savoury stout glaze that complements the tender pork slices perfectly. Also try the locallysourced Pan Roasted Barramundi, $30, which comes with a side of insanely addictive taro chips. And what’s date night without some cocktails? We recommend the Lanai, $19, an absolutely yummy mix of house-infused apricot and vanilla rum, housemade pistachio orgeat and fresh lime. Greenhouse is at 9 Rochester Park.

Drink, Drank, Drunk

The happiest hours that won’t drain your bank account faster than you can say, “gin and tonic”.

DING DONG

WHAT: Every Wednesday, Ding Dong hosts their Glitterbomb ladies’ night, where there’s a free ﬂow of pink Prosecco from 8pm till 11pm. The deal also comes with a complimentary plate of carbon-battered prawns, but hey, you might as well try the modern Asian fare that the bar is known for while you’re there.

HOW MUCH: $50 per lady, every Wednesday night from 8pm to 11pm.

Ding Dong is at 115 Amoy Street.

GINETT RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

WHAT: This one’s for the wine lovers. Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar serves more than 15 varieties of tipple, and happy hour lasts all day long. As if that’s not enough, you can also get bistro-style food, like cold cuts, cheese, freshly-shucked oysters and charcoal grilled meats to go with your wine. Mmmmm.

HOW MUCH: Prices start from $6++ per glass and $30++ by the bottle.

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar is at 200 Middle Road.

What the Crab

Move aside, ramen, it’s tendon’s turn in the limelight. The latest contender to serve the marriage between tempura and donburi is Don Meijin, located at the Ramen Champion dining enclave at Bugis+. Of the more than 10 rice bowl dishes on the menu, the standout is Chilli Crab Tendon, $14.80. It features battered prawns, ﬁsh ﬁllet, eggplant, asparagus and pumpkin drenched in a spicy chilli crab sauce. If you can’t handle your chilli, go for the Signature Tendon, $13.80, which is the same dish, but with a drizzle of tempura sauce instead. While great on its own, we recommend going for the Ochazuke Set, a $2 add-on that throws rice crisps, wasabi and a teapot of warm dashi sauce into the mix. The result is a bowl of rice steeped in a soothing broth.

Don Meijin is at Ramen Champion Bugis+ at #04-10 Bugis+.