August 01, 2006
Food writing: Tiger Tales
Client: Tiger Tales (produced by INK Publishing)
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RESTAURANTS & BARS SINGAPORE
On this cosmopolitan island of culinary delights, there's a bite and bar to suit everyone. By Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Graze
4 Rochester Park
+65 6775 9000
6pm to midnight (Tue-Sun); 9am to 2.30pm (Sat-Sun)
The Rochester Park neighbourhood of colonial bungalows is the perfect setting for Graze. With its inviting, spacious couches, it is the perfect place to chill out over a few aperitifs.
For dinner, choose from the grazing menu, which carries smaller portions of the restaurant's signature dishes. Eat in an outdoor dining pavilion or move indoors to enjoy the full a la carte menu.
Try the Soy-Drowned Beef Tataki or King Prawns Three Ways (tempura, chilled and pan-tossed with coconut coriander sorbet). Signature dishes like the Crispy Hand-rolled Pork Hock with Salsa or the Soy-lacquered Wagyu Ox Cheek show off Chef Matthew Lawdorn's art at blending flavours from the East and West.
There is also a vast BBQ menu of choice cuts and seafood, including Wagyu cuts done to perfection. Excluding drinks, dinner will likely set you back SGD70-100 per person.
After dinner, head to Mint, the second-floor lounge bar where cool beats and comfy sofas await.
Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen
98 Amoy Street
+65 6223 4538
11am to 10pm daily
Thai food is common enough in Singapore, but at Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen, you'll find authentic Thai cuisine without having to pay an arm and a leg.
Besides typical favourites like Tom Yum Seafood Soup, Papaya Salad, Pad Thai and Pineapple Rice, their specialities include Claypot Olive Rice, Minced Pork with Basil Leaves and Chilli, and Deep-fried Crabmeat Rolls with Minced Pork.
Portions are generous, and a meal can cost as little as SGD4 per person. Beware though - the chillies and spices have a real kick!
Skin
Red Dot Traffic Building
28 Maxwell Road #01-05
+65 6327 4638
Happy Hours: 4pm to 10pm daily, one-for-one for all cocktails
With such an evocative name as Skin, this is a place to see and be seen. Housed in the re-invented Red Dot Traffic Building, this bar is everything you'd expect of an urban hideaway - chic yet playful decor and stylish furnishings, backed by ambient house music.
It all comes together to create a snug and intimate setting that is perfect for a few pre-clubbing drinks with friends or more lively shenanigans into the night.
Deejays spin some happening tunes here every evening, drawing to the bar its share of beautiful people, as well creative types and bankers from the area.
All night long, martinis (SGD15) are one-for-one; and for the more adventurous, try the house special, the Sarong Fly - a potent kaleidescopic cocktail concoction that’s a secret recipe - so don't bother asking what’s in it. Sold in a one-litre bottle (SGD48), this is the drink that'll keep you going all night!
Loof
Odeon Towers Extension Rooftop
331 North Bridge Road, #03-07
+65 6338 8035
Happy Hours: 5.30pm to 8.30pm daily with 30 per cent off all housepours
Since it opened last December, this rooftop bar has been abuzz with activity, playing down-tempo electronica, funk and soul. You won't find the typical deep-fried chicken wings or calamari on its revamped menu. Bite into Baby Squid served on Cabbage Leaves, or Cannelloni Chicken, generously doused with chicken mushroom gravy. Even bar snacks like potato wedges have been dressed up, accompanied by a dip of the chef's own pesto mayonnaise.
Written by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
Previous Restaurant Bar Guides: May 2006, Feb 2006