All about the bars

Things have changed a lot since I last wrote about a cocktail bar. I have changed as well. Through new friends made and new places frequented, I have learnt many new things that changed my perspective on cocktails totally.

It all started on 31 December 2014, I was ushering in the new year with a staycation at marina bay sands. While looking for dinner options, we were very lucky to have gotten seats at Cut for the night. If you follow me on Instagram (@stephsiau), you would already know of my Cut obsession.
I fell in love in an instant. Before I knew it, I was back at Cut the next day. Then I was going once to twice a week. And then I guess you can say the rest is history.

My experiences at Cut have taught me a lot about food service and standards. And this rings true for their bar as well.

The things I look for are no longer limited to a strong kick or gimmicky ingredients. I find joy in picking out all the ingredients in the drink (is it laphroaig whiskey?) and understanding the balance in a drink (that jalapeño goes really well with the tequila!) and the reason for each ingredient (egg white adds a texture that allows flavours to shine). Of course all this is impossible without a good bartender to help.

I have come to learn that a good cocktail and bar experience is heavily dependent on a good bartender. Good bartenders offer a wealth of knowledge and experience. The way they carve that ice block (Manhattan @ Regent Hotel even stamps each individual ice cube with their logo), stir your glasses with ice till they are chilled, and even the way their hands are gripping their tools, or where they place their measurements. Everything counts towards being a good bartender. Under a good bartender, nothing goes unnoticed.

Bartenders, when you engage them, can teach you a lot. I have tasted so many whiskeys and learnt my favourite gins thanks to bartenders who like to share their knowledge. I’m deeply grateful for the lessons!

Nowadays, I value being a regular at my favourite bar over checking out hip new bars. I’m never disappointed and I enjoy having my favourite bartenders as a part of my night. I find that many new bars are heavy on concept but fail to deliver on quality. It’s disappointing and a waste of time and money. But I’m always happy to find a good surprise. My next destination is Operation Dagger on bukit pasoh; I have heard that their drinks are simple but their techniques and knowledge are remarkable.
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A few notes on Cut:

Cut Singapore has among the longest cocktail lists in all Cut restaurants worldwide. The head bartender is invited to Bahrain, Dubai, to train the new bartenders in the new Cut establishments. Trust me you are in good hands. They would bend over backwards for all their patrons, and they only put out their best.

They only open for dinner, but everyone’s clocked in as early as 10am to get the ball rolling. I have not met a more cohesive and dedicated team. Everyone I have spoken to absolutely love their jobs at Cut. This says a lot.

It also says a lot when the restaurant/bar is filled with regulars. Everyone pretty much knows each other. It’s love all around!

I am very happy that another Wolfgang puck restaurant, Spago, is opening at marina bay sands hotel this year!

Bam! Tapas Sake Bar @ Tras Street

I do enjoy a good sake every now and then, but realize it is never consumed outside of japanese cuisine. Whereas wine and beer are universally accepted.

I guess the founders of Bam think so too – executive chef of now defunct Santi at Marina Bay Sands worked together with sake expert Derrick Lim to start Bam, where tapas plates are recommended to be paired with their extensive list of sake. The choice to serve sake in wine glasses is also a symbol of fusing two different cultures.

The adventurous concept does not stop there. Dishes incorporate fine ingredients from Japan, Spain and around Asia into Spanish style dishes. The results were impressive – creative, refined, and tasty.

The first dish we had was “kampong egg with baby sotong and chorizo ($16)” This was great, but to be fair, you really can’t go wrong with a runny egg. But to add, everything on the plate was so refined, even baby sotong. It was a perfect deep fried golden down, crispy and flavourful. The textures of the crispy + runny + ham = winning formula.

Next, we had “uni with burrata, salicorn and chicken soft bones ($33)”. This was foodgasmic. With every bite I put into my mouth, I closed my eyes and imagined a better world. Creamy uni mixed with milky buratta, why has this never been done before? They are a match made in food heaven and I still remember the explosion in my mouth today. I will go back just for this dish.

“Pasta a la plancha with prawns and sake butter ($26)” was a bit less revolutionary, but comfort food at its best. Fresh and plump shrimp!

We ordered a bottle of sake to accompany our food. And all in all it was about $200 for everything. Prices are a bit steep here, considering the portions. But if you are in a group of friends and you are sharing it, it isn’t that bad. Plus it is deffo quality food.

I really like the concept, and am happy that sake is growing more popular in Singapore.

Bye!

The (New) Library @ Keong Saik

If you haven’t been to the library recently, it’s time to revisit. 3 months ago, it underwent a change in bar manager, and with that, a change in menu and concept.

It is still a secret bar, so you still need a password to enter. Most times, you can find it on their Facebook page if you know where to look. Otherwise, it isn’t hard to get in if you are game enough. The door bitch will give you a task and if you complete it, you are free to enter! We had the password, but we had fun making friends with the door bitch – and even gave her a mini concert because we wanted to do a task.

The difference between the library now and the library before, is that they have downsized their menu from the previous list of over 40 complicated drinks, to a shorter and simpler menu. So now, they spend less time shaking and stirring, and more time chatting and giving you a friendly and memorable experience.

This change was driven by the understanding that customers just want to enjoy a good drink, they do not want to wait 30 minutes especially on weekends for bartenders to mix 20 different ingredients and then blowtorch the damn thing before serving.

As a result, they now pre make all their drinks before the bar opens, and put them in tumblers. When someone orders the drink, they pour it out and add the finishing touches and serve. This cuts down on prep time and everybody is happy.

I realize this is a departure from many other bars who pride themselves on showmanship and freshness. But does it really make a difference whether they prepare it 15 minutes earlier or 15 minutes later, since you are not actually involved in prep anyway? If you are curious, ask them about their techniques and methods. They are more than willing to share. If you want them to show you prep from start, I’m sure all you need to do is ask. But for the sake of the majority, they will premake all drinks.

Personally, I am among the minority. I badger the bartenders to know every detail and ingredient. Otherwise, I would have nothing to write after paragraph 1.

The first drink I ordered, “butter rye effect”, contains burnt butter rye whiskey, fernet branca, fresh lemon and maple syrup. Great recommendation from my bartender aloysius. This drink is prepared by first melting the butter over heat, then adding whiskey and freezing it again. When the fat solidifies on top, remove the fat. Then add maple and lemon.

My companion chose “rumford and sons” purely for the name. She is a Mumford groupie. And so is the bar manager! He even has the beard going on. Name aside, many people choose this drink for it’s homemade caramel raspberry jam. But I find it’s ginseng liqueur content more intriguing. I was surprised that a western company, Kamms and Sons, created this liqueur. Ginseng is usually preferred by Asian palates. Aloysius noticed my interest and gave me a tasting portion of the liqueur. It was medicinal yet degenerate in one.

At this point, our friendly bartenders aloysius and armin decided to shower us with shooters. Thank you! When I asked what they were made of, they gently informed me that the name of the drink is “shut up and drink”. To encourage customers to just drink! But I guessed the ingredients and aloysius confirmed that the main ingredients were Pisco, aperol, lemon juice and grenadine.

I was seduced by “the silver screen”, which is their twist on the old fashioned. But I decided to be adventurous and aloysius gave me their strongest. It’s called the “Mai o Mai” – containing homemade pineapple juice infused beer, passion fruit, lemon, green chartreuse, absinthe, a blend of Caribbean rums including 55% abv rum, 60% abv rum and a 78% abv rum. This is so strong that they have a limit of 3 of these per guest. Through out my drink, aloysius kept checking on us to see if we were okay. I was. In case you’re curious. When chatting to another customer, he informed me that this used to come with dry ice and stuff.

We were very lucky, because the people next to us returned their drink (there was a mistake) so we benefited and gained a free drink. It was the “bloody Andy”, which is obviously a twist on Bloody Mary. It contains roasted tomatoes, horseradish infused vodka, yellow peppers, tobasco, Worcester sauce, and celery bitters. Spicy drinks don’t sit well with my tummy, so this was a nono for me. But I’m sure it has its fans.

One of the first questions I asked when I realized the menu changed was, “is there still the bath tub drink??”. The bath tub is still around, but now serves a different drink from before.

All cocktails are $23, while the Mai I Mai cost $35.

Cheers guys.

The Beast @ Jalan Klapa

The poster child for southern cuisine is undoubtedly fried chicken, the ultimate comfort food. Lesser known southern classics include pulled pork, bacon, mashed potatoes, grit, cornbread, etc. Note that it’s definitely not for anybody on a clean-eating diet. Here’s what we had when we visited Singapore’s first ever southern restaurant & bourbon bar in the arab street area:

Started with happy hour beers – $10nett per pint.

Chili Concarne $14 is a no-brainer when it comes to sharing food among friends. It is hearty, tasty and easy to eat. It was served piping hot and we enjoyed the savoury start to the meal. However we realized later that we were served nacho chips instead of cornbread, that was stated in the menu. We wonder why?

Chicken & Waffle $20 – Here, half a chicken is deep fried but without the sickening oily feel. The blend of sweet and savory when eaten with the waffles and maple bourbon syrup was perfectly on point. The gluten-free waffles were soft yet crisp. Quite mind blowing and finished this as quickly as it was served. MUST order!

Jack & The Beast Stalk $12 – if the previous dish was mind blowing, this was definitely earth shattering. In this dish, green beans are deep fried with a SECRET seasoning. We tried getting it out of the waitresses, but they refused to divulge. If we had to hazard a guess, my dining companion said sugar while I say plum. So you can guess that it is sweet. MUST MUST order!

Portions are big, and I would recommend ordering one dish at a time, as southern food is best enjoyed hot. Only move onto ordering the next after you have finished the previous dish. They cook pretty quickly anyway. Not forgetting the free flow salted popcorn that the waitresses were very happy to top up voluntarily.

Onto the drinks – All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. The main difference between whiskey and bourbon is that bourbon must be made entirely in the USA. The distinctive flavors are often attributed to the spring water used.

If you are a bourbon beginner, do try their flights. These are sampling platters that allow you to taste three different bourbons. There is an introductory flight ($34) for beginners, or low/high-rye ($34) if you have more specific tastes. We went for the small batch ($36) flight because we wanted something exclusive, followed by a single barrel flight ($38) for a more premium experience.

With flights, there will definitely be hits and misses but it’s a good way to expose yourself to various spirits, and understand the difference in tasting notes, aromas, palate, aftertaste, etc. If you need guidance, they provide notes for you to study as you drink.

I also tried a couple of cocktails; the Beast Smash, and the Scarlet Sour ($20 each). I requested extra sour for both, and made them doubles. Meanwhile, my dining companion progressed down the bourbon menu, one glass after another ($20 each).

We also ventured to get shooters ($12 each)! Being a sister bar of Chupitos in clarke quay, they have similar daredevil shooters mixed from the weirdest ingredients. We ordered one of everything from the menu. And I would say Pickleback was the weirdest! It made me feel like snooki! It is bourbon mixed with pickle juice and I absolutely underestimated the intensity of the pickle because it was really overwhelming. It’s like eating a Macdonald’s cheeseburger and you want to pick out the pickles but you can’t in this case!

Service was stellar – we made friends with every one of the waitresses. They were outgoing, friendly and funny. Bartender was knowledgeable about bourbon, not just about the taste but also the background stories of each distillery. She gave spot on recommendations everytime we requested for a specific type.

Chalks are provided in the bathroom to encourage customers to draw on the walls. No rude messages spotted as far as I know, and shows that the crowd is really decent. LOVED the adventure time cameo.

In the southern states, it’s never about pretenses. It’s about carelessly over-indulging in too much fried food and good bourbon. And that is exactly what we did one fine Monday night after a hard day’s work. Swap out your heels for some cowboy boots and get ready for a really good time!

The total damage was $330 for 2 people, because we drink too much for our wallets’ good.

There is live music most nights but they failed to sing my song – “Why’d you only call me when you’re high?”

Jekyll and Hyde

Aptly named because of its split personality; both a cocktail bar and a nail parlour. That’s as bipolar as it gets.

I would not have paid the nondescript entrance a second glance if I wasn’t actually looking out for it. Looks like a restaurant that’s closed for the day or still under construction.

Upon walking in it was dark, but very very crowded. Without a doubt, Jekyll & Hyde is the newest and hottest bar in town right now. We spotted Ann Kok and celebrity stylist Marty Wong among the other patrons.

Their incompetence in handling crowds is going to be their downfall. When we entered we were not greeted by anybody, shown to a table or told to wait.

So we walked around the room trying to get the attention of someone, anyone. Everyone was really busy. But anyway when we finally did we were told to sit at the bar near the wall. However there were not enough stools so half of us had to stand while the other half sit.

I saw empty tables left vacant because there were no chairs. It’s kind of retarded. What a waste.

And another thing. Can you read this menu. Besides it being too dark, the menu is  impossible to read because they used this burnt out font. We gave up halfway and ordered everything off-the-menu because they do custom drinks too.

The drinks took forever to come….

Saw quite a lot of people order something that looked oriental. Asked what it was. It’s an off-the-menu item. Beancurd, Kaya, Sago, Gin. Tasted like nothing alcoholic. Tau Hway! For something that almost everybody ordered, you’d think it’s their signature drink, but I was left disappointed. That said I would recommend you try it for yourself tho 1) cuz it’s so instagram worthy 2) it has a seriously unique flavour just lacking in alcohol.

Off the menu too – My friend wanted something with green tea. There’s a bit of whiskey in here too. Ha Ha.

So I asked for a whiskey based drink with kaya. They gave me a pocky stick too. This is a really good dessert if you’re having after dinner drinks.

Infinite Bar List: Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall

Everytime I bring up Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall with friends, their reaction is most probably “uh we’re at newton, can’t we just drink at muthu’s cold drink stall” *points at stall number 48 at newton food centre*. The name throws people off a bit, sounds like somewhere tiger aunties would roam, or maybe wher you’d order a milo dinosaur. So it’s a pretty cool idea for a bar name. Creative, tongue in cheek, kind of fun.

I think they have a very interesting concept going, and if they had invested a bit more in their appearance, ah sam could go a really long way, especially with hipsters. Currently the tables and stools are kind of restaurant style seating, very basic tables and chairs. But if they can maybe install those small tables with attached benches that you get in hawker centres, it would really highlight their whole local coffee shop drink stall concept. Maybe put those little table numbers on the tables too. This way the bar would be serious eye candy and instagram candy too.

Drinks are all classic cocktails. Which is cool because it’s an old world selection of drinks in a hip/hipster bar. They’ll come over and ask you what you want without even giving you a menu. When you ask for a menu they will say something so hipster and pretentious that I just LOLed. “We don’t have menus, but we have references.” Ok big boy. So they call their menus: references.

I pretty much know what I want, got my all time favourite cocktail Side Car. And a whisky sour. And switched things up a bit with a Paper Plane. They were all faultless but most remarkably their Sidecar is one of the best I’ve tasted in Singapore so it really is a must order, and a repeat order for me.

Will I go back…? I would if I’m craving a sidecar, god knows they make a mean one. They really got their drinks going for them. Ah Sam is one of those bars that have real substance. They keep you hooked not because of their gimmicks, but simply because the drinks are that good.

There is potential to grow if they make some tweaks to their design, which would attract hipsters and a bigger crowd of curious cats. And then rope them in further with their kick ass drinks.

Paper Plane (Redemption Bourbon, Aperol Amaro, Lemon Juice)

Whisky Sour

Side Car (Remy Martin VSOP, Cointreau, Lemon Juice)

Infinite Bar List: Black Swan

Black Swan is a 1920’s inspired space by the ever visionary Lo & Behold Group. I was expecting it to be pretentious and lacking in substance. Like wannabe-Gatsby and more design-focused than quality-focused. I’m happy to report I have been proven wrong.

Firstly I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into their massive 2-storey space, that the dining room was well-lit. (I have issues with dim restaurants.) It was almost full with merrymakers wining and dining. Big groups of friends seemed to be the main demographic for the night. Which I believe is ideal company to visit Black Swan with, to share the good food and drinks together. It’s more of a merry place than romantic place.

I took a seat at the visually arresting bar while waiting for my friend to arrive. It was so classy, and beautiful, yet the quote at the top of the bar gave it a cheeky twist. “Here’s to the rose-coloured glasses of life.” It’s very seldom you find a bar in Singapore that feels like those in Crazy Stupid Love, or Lost in Translation. In Singapore it’s usually either hipster or boring.

We proceeded upstairs to The Powder Room. No, not the toilet. Their drinking lounge is aka The Powder Room. 9pm on a Saturday night. Empty! We were the only ones there. When we left at 1am it was STILL empty. How happening lol. It didn’t matter to us but it might to some people. Also, while the Powder Room is comfortable, I would suggest sitting at the dining room downstairs because it is brighter, music less loud, and more crowded/better ambience.

OK are you ready for the drinks ….. Everything looked so damn good so… we ordered one of everything save for the pisco cocktail. Many of the drinks here are whisky/bourbon based so it became my heaven for a few hours. My kind of cocktail bar!

Golden Parachute ($19). A smooth 15 year old single malt whisky stirred with fragrant vanilla bean, pure maple syrup and livened with mandarin zest.

Escape to Amalfi ($19). Fine bubbled prosecco excited with vodka and topped with a refreshing sorbet of organic lemons from Italy’s Amalfi coast.

Half Dozen Escargot ($21) seasoned with bone marrow, brandy, parmesan, garlic, parsley. Bone marrow and brandy enticed us to order this. It is very unlike the common garlic/herb escargots. This tasted very buttery and creamy.

Silver Lining ($19). A velvety combination of Amaretto and peaches shaken with egg white and garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Moral Hazard ($19). A bold take on the Old Fashioned, crafted with apricotinfused 15 year old bourbon, honey water and refreshed with orange zest.

Cecil Sour ($19). 15 year old single malt shaken with vanilla, mandarin peel and egg white.

Cajun Cut Fries ($9). Staple bar food.

I shall not review each cocktail but give a general view that all are good cocktails and reasonably priced. Not super strong but decent enough that I would not complain.

Home

19 Cecil Street

Infinite Bar List: Ding Dong

I’ve not paid Ann Siang a night-time visit in close to a year – and how things have changed. There are now barriers and the roads are closed off so revellers can walk freely at night without the risk of being run down by cars, and operators can put up more tables on the road for more business and victimize more consumers.

One new establishment in the hood is Ding Dong, a fun Asian-influenced drinks and tapas bar. Paid it a visit on a Saturday night largely because I am drawn to Asian themes. And of course, cocktails.

The neon signboard. The shopfront looks dark in pictures below, because I was focusing on the signboard. It’s actually well-lit.

The party only gets poppin’ on levels 2 and 3. As you can see there’s a sticker on the spiral staircase saying “Proceed to Level 2”. It’s not super crowded but music was very loud, gotta raise your voice a bit for conversation. Types of people observed at Ding Dong: yuppies, expats and hipsters.

Very cute chopstick rest! Love the dice.

Pirates of Malacca – House spiced rum, garcenia gomme, clamansi, pineapple, falernum.

Our very friendly bartender was so cute, he served the drink and awkwardly announced that he was going to set something on fire, for aesthetics purposes. He was pretty shy about it and we all had a good laugh. While the lime was on fire, the cup was frozen and ice cold. The drink was sweet, as with most white rum drinks. Easy to drink if rum is your thing. It’s not mine.

The Sign of Four ($22) – Don Julio Reposado, toasted sweet rice, coconut cream, mango. I was trying to steer away from my usual whisky sour -ish drinks, and out of all the cocktails this appealed to me most, mainly because I had absolutely no idea what it was. So it would come as a surprise. Yeah that’s my style of ordering.

Anyway the bartender I ordered from said that it is sweet, but very very strong. He’s seen some people finish it up and walk out swaying. OK, sounds promising, I thought. Asked him what “Don Julio Reposado” was, he said it’s D.O.M., the old man’s drink. Oh, cool, good for health. Asked him if it was creamy, he said, not at all. Ordered it in a heartbeat.

As you can see from the picture below, the bartender clearly does not know his stuff. The drink is so viscous it travelled up my straw at 1mm/second. How is this NOT creamy?? And a quick google search later showed that the alcohol used is actually not D.O.M. but a tequila. Whut. I was tricked into ordering tequila (my nemisis), I might as well have been spiked. Nonetheless I found the bartender very cute and likeable so I will not hold this against him. Looks do matter after all.

That said, the cocktail was a very sweet, creamy dessert that reminded me of chendol (hmm). You can hardly tell it’s tequila because any trace was masked by the thick and rich flavours of the other components. My companion loved it. And it was interesting to taste. But it’s a one off thing for me, will not order this a second time.

It’s interesting that their kitchen is on the ground floor, made to be an attraction at their entrance, instead of hidden out back. It looked very clean and I must admit the menu looked very interesting – asian inspired tapas that I would love to try one day. (Only if Lolla across the street was full because face it, Lolla over Ding Dong for food any day)

Address
23 Ann Siang Road
Phone
65570189 (book a table here)

Infinite Bar List: The Spiffy Dapper

Take a walk down boat quay and you’ll find plenty of seafood restaurants (along with their touters) lined up in a row, waiting for tourists to fall into their trap. But those in the know will know that some hipster joints have set up shop here… if you look carefully.

One of them is The Spiffy Dapper, a hole in the wall bar located on the second floor of a shophouse, above an Indian restaurant. With a name like that, it’s clearly catered to some dapper dudes, one would think. Sure enough, when we entered, there was a party of five guys enjoying their tipple. I think it’s a great idea to build a bar focused on the men. Give them a less girly space to hang out with their bros over some less girly drinks.

The place is small and dim. Dark wood furniture is basic and dare I say kinda old? Even the stairway leading up looked quite rundown. From a lady’s point of view this is a thumbs down for the bar. I’m not a fan of what they did with the space. Especially when I’m used to fancy decor in cocktail bars. But I’m quite sure spiffy dappers wouldn’t mind this.

I went for a “hard boiled torpedo”, which is basically a changed up old fashioned. Bourbon blended with The Spiffy Dapper whisky sour mash. If brown is your liquor colour of choice this is great. I ordered a second round of this.

My friend wasn’t a fan of it though. She got a bespoke vodka cocktail from the bartender, which was good. Can’t remember what was in it exactly but I think it’s flowery. So yeah if nothing on the menu suits your tastes then ask for something special!

She also got a Bellini type cocktail (on the menu). I can’t remember what it’s called exactly but it clearly says on the menu it is Bellini like, so shouldn’t be hard to spot. If youre looking for something easy to drink, this is it.

All the drinks on the menu are priced at $20 nett which is great because its easy to keep track. And a nice round number to pay at the end. Very friendly and personalized service because its such a small space. Everyone seems to know each other.

I see this as a great alternative watering hole to your usual neighborhood Harry’s. Serving better quality drinks at a reasonable price. I say this because its very unfussy and no frills.

OR if you’re a group of friends looking to do a theme night then yeah this will add character to your night.

I will go back if I’m in the area for dinner.

Level 2, 61 boat quay.

Club Kyo

Singapore has been picking up on the trend where a dinner spot makes the transition into a club as it gets later into the night. So that diners don’t have to change venues if they’re looking to party after dinner. Drinks are kept flowing during dinner to keep energy high, as music gets louder through the night. It’s a great concept, my main gripe being that it gets expensive. Many such establishments are high-end, targeting the affluent.

We checked out one such establishment, Club Kyo, for this experience. It is located in the basement of one of the oldest, most nondescript buildings in Raffles Place – you’d never guess that kyo was there. For being labelled the newest ‘it’ club about town, Kyo was quiet when we visited on Wednesday night at 7.30pm. By quiet, I mean we were literally the only people in the house. None of the ‘party’ ambience one would expect at a resto-club. Disappointing.

The grub at Kyo is modern Japanese, tapas-style/portions for sharing. Some hits and misses, but the quality of ingredients and novelty in some dishes were remarkable.

Salmon and Tuna Tartare ($24) – Avocado-wasabi-tuna-salmon tartare coated with roasted sesame and topped with wasabi sprouts.

Kimchi-BBQ Pork Belly Slider ($16). Definitely order this.

Hokkaido scallop slices in spicy coconut and mango foam, topped with Julienne veggie salad. ($18) Kinda fishy.

Chipotle-Tuna Crispy Ball ($16). Not a fan of the rice ball.

Soy marinated salmon roll ($18) – soy marinated salmon asparagus, chives, shallots, tempura flakes and wasabi mayo. Average.

Prawn Ravioli in Sake Butter ($16). Probably my fav dish of the meal.

See below for the cocktail list. Shockingly I did not order anything from here. I was drawn to the butterscotch sidecar, because sidecars are my go-to classic cocktail and very few places do sidecars. But the price ($25) turned me off. I had a normal bourbon-coke instead. Otherwise the cocktails do look interesting and very Japanese-influenced.

Since we were the only table at Kyo, there were 10 waiters hovering around us at all times. A handful were European and could barely understand/ speak English through the thick accents. Major communication breakdown here, and so we found them proactive but very incompetent. The last straw for me was when one did not know how to operate my foolproof point-and-shoot digital camera. I almost steamed.

The music was also questionable, though it was arguably still very early. My friend commented that the DJ was transporting us around the world, with a spanish song one minute, an english pop song the next, and suddenly throw in an oriental tune. Hmm.

In the end, we left to party at another venue. So this dinner-to-party at a resto-club thing was an epic fail.

Some tips on kyo: They have a 25% promotion for selected food items from now until 31 July. Book your tables now! I would suggest dining on a Thursday, because there’s free flow vodka cranberry for ladies between 10pm-1am on that night. Try to have a late dinner, about 9pm – hopefully the place is a bit more happening by then.

133 cecil street, keck seng tower

#B1-02, singapore 069535

reservations@clubkyo.com or call 6222 5001