Smashing tipples, tasty food: 21 drinking spots that won’t leave you hungry

Finding a good bar that score on the food front as much as the spirited selections used to be akin to searching for a needle in the haystack. No longer. Bars have noticed that patrons linger longer when there is proper food (read: not burdock chips and truffle fries). Fura, which won this year’s Sustainable Bar Award at Asia’s 50 Best Bars, expanded its a-la-carte menu of sharing plates because “everyone wants more casual, fun, light and low commitment experiences with options and storytelling,” said co-founder Christina Rasmussen. If anyone can make us happily eat mushrooms and zucchini in the same mouthful, it is Fura’s King Belote dessert of warm chocolate zucchini cake and porcini ice cream. Other moreish plates include fried kale with pickled shallots, local oyster mushrooms with nutmilk dashi, and pasta from local Italian restaurant Fico tossed in a romesco made by lacto-fermenting tomatoes with monosodium glutamate.
The tipples are marked with bright acidity and natural flavours. Make Local Tomatoes Great Again uses lacto-fermentation to ramp up the umami factor in the organic mezcal, parsley and basil concoction. Pick Me Up is an espresso martini riff with toasted burdock and malts for the coffee reference and After Eight orange-chocolate hints.
Natural wine bar Le Bon Funk’s chef-owner Keirin Buck entices diners to their Holland Village and Club Street outlets with “unexpected uses of ingredients with new flavour combinations” and a mash-up of accessible and adventurous wines. Crowd-pleasers range from creative appetisers to satisfying mains such as a kaya toast riff showered in frozen cognac-cured foie gras; thin crispy chips that were fermented overnight for an extra oomph, and juicy, tender lamb saddle slow-cooked over fire and served with pilaf.
Ian Lim, co-founder of gastro-wine bar RVLT, finds that rising costs have led to fewer people going out for drinks and food. When they do, they are eating out earlier and are drawn to “less extravagance, more tasty and well-executed food, and less long-drawn or lengthy meals that most fine dining places offer,” said Lim. The bar has a Chef’s Feed Menu at S$78 per person for eight courses and affordable wine options in the S$78 to S$98 range that goes well with dishes such as the lobster pasta with XO sauce, beef tartare with smoked egg yolk and mustard ginger sauce, and a duck combo dish of breast meat and crispy boudin in duck and orange garum.
Liling Ong, who is the founder of The Cicheti Group that runs the Cicheti, Bar Cicheti, Wild Child and Forma restaurants, shared that there has been more diner interest in native grape varietals, winemaker stories and wine-making techniques. She said: “They intentionally seek out small-batch producers and sustainable wineries with philosophies aligned with their own drinking ethos. They are genuinely inquisitive, adventurous and so much more receptive to elegantly made wines with interesting stories told by passionate winemakers.”
When pasta and wine bar Bar Cicheti re-opened in March this year after a renovation, the wine list took on a more adventurous edge with labels organised by movie quotes. For example, wines made from Italian native grapes are headlined by Dorothy’s quote in the Wizard of Oz (1939) “There’s no place like home” while an Oppenheimer (2023) saying boldly announces wines that defy expectations.
Standout dishes include prosciutto-wrapped veal tenderloin in marsala wine; clams and mussels in chilli and butter lemon broth; and fresh-made pasta like the chef-kissed smoked rigatoni cacio e pepe sprinkled with Sarawak black pepper.
Restaurants that already have a strong beverage programme are also upping their game. Kotuwa’s head bartender Ashaka Harith had observed that in their previous location in Little India’s Wanderlust Hotel, diners wanted to stay on after their meals to finish their drinks, but the Sri Lankan restaurant didn’t have the capacity to do so.
Harith said: “Now at New Bahru, we saw the opportunity to have a dedicated bar area, which allows us to expand our drinks programme and include a greater selection of Sri Lankan-inspired cocktails and arracks.” Cue also irresistible street-style snacks like Dallo Baduma, crispy fried calamari tossed in chilli butter and spring onion; mutton rolls; and gravy-mopping kottu rotti in chicken, crab and baby jackfruit variations. Power-packed cocktails include Uncle Percy, a concoction of white rum, Ceylon arrack, soursop and coconut served in a tiki mug, and the punchy Headspinner of pisco, guava, tamarind and chilli.
Here are 16 more places that score high on fabulous drinks and dishes for fun nights out.
ANALOGUE INITIATIVE
The OG in sustainable bar dining, Analogue Initiative keeps up the game with crowd favourites such as fried broccoli served with chive kimchi and burnt nori relish; jackfruit tacos; and plant-based nuggets that comes with a cracking house-made curry sauce. Creative tipples include Wabi-Sabi, which uses by-products like peach and soursop pulp and pumpkin seed distillate, and the Faux Espresso, a dessert-like cocktail that uses toasted barley, coconut nectar and carob, a Middle Eastern legume commonly used as a chocolate substitute.
DEADFALL CANTINA
Night owls rejoice: Deadfall Cantina has re-opened as a agave-centred neighbour bar and is now serving tasty Mexican-Singaporean plates along with playful margaritas and cocktails ‘til 3am on weekends. Kick back with easy sippers like the Codigo Tequila Frozen Watermelon and Horchata-Rita, which blends mezcal with a vanilla-spiked almon and rice milk or dive straight to the heady tipples like the Pasilla Mole Negroni with mole fat-washed gin. Hearty dishes include a 48-hour Hainanese Chix Rice Burrito and a 48-hour braised beef rendang stuffed inside a smoked poblano (chili pepper). And if you’re particularly hungry, ask for the off-menu, decadent-but-so-good beef rendang nachos with unlimited cheese.
DIRTY SUPPER
At this Hua Bee noodle house by day and grungy whole-animal-cooking spot by night, former Sago House Group executive chef Peter Smit successfully makes you devour stuff you might usually balk at, such as pig head nuggets, roasted duck heads and duck heart sausages. But don’t worry, there are also normal dishes here at Dirty Supper that score on the taste front such as aged duck breast with beer pickled figs, lamb tartare with cured egg yolk and rice pudding with brown koji ice cream. Daily specials such as red mullet appear according to market produce availability. Cocktails incorporating savoury elements from the kitchen, such as the Pickled Lemon Martini and Wagyu Boulevardier, are priced from S$18 and have no more than three ingredients each for a no-fuss-no-muss night out.
EAST47
This new bar-in-bar concept by Manhattan Bar in Conrad Singapore combines mixology and culinary creativity in one cosy 12-seater space with Andy Warhol Silver Factory studio vibes. The quirky SBAAAAAM!! is a bourbon fat-washed with yoghurt and popcorn while Miss Brown uses lavender-and-cinnamon-infused coffee for a sweeter take on an espresso martini. A must-have at East47 is the Tomato Sauce, a brilliant take on tomato gazpacho with a frozen tomato sorbet atop a mezcal-banana liquer-champagne syrup concoction. Food options include a wagyu hanger steak, prawn croqueta and a hotdog-wannabe in the form of a sake balsamic-glazed foie gras torchon between brioche buns. Order a la carte or have a degustation experience of three food and cocktail pairings at S$140 per pax.
FOOL
The Michelin Bib Gourmand wine bar in Boon Tat Street has revamped their wine menu with geographical classifications and whimsical illustrations by local artist Jessica Yeo replacing the previous esoteric themes. Newbies and regulars can easily zoom into their preferences with head sommelier Davis Tan adding on-point recommendations, including those by emerging producers and biodynamic vineyards. Top food picks at Fool include the squid arancini, chicken liver eclair and Argentinian grass-fed Angus striploin. Pair these with intriguing wines by the glass such as the Italian Col del Lupo Notae, which was unusually fresh and crisp for a colfondo-style refermented prosecco, and a unique French rose Clos Cibonne 2021 that features 90 per cent Tibouren, a rare red grape variety primarily grown in Provence and Liguria.
JUNIOR THE POCKET BAR
The hospitality at the 25-seater Junior The Pocket Bar is as cosy as its space, whose theme changes every six months. The drinks are creative yet balanced, with cocktails ranging from savoury martinis and plum-infused Korean soju to whisky mixed with house-made Chinese pear and green apple cordial. Complementing them hand-in-glove are hearty and appetising dishes such as egg noodles and truffle mushroom dumplings in 48-hour simmered beef broth and a salad of molluscs drizzled with Shanghainese soy dressing.
MILLIM BAR
Como Orchard’s Korean steakhouse Cote has opened its foliage-encased Millim Bar and you can order everything on Cote’s main menu and have most beef cuts cooked for you in the kitchen. The only exceptions are the Butcher’s Feast and Steak Omakase sets where the first-hand grilling experience comes highly recommended. The bar’s glowing round tables and counter are perfect for naturally lit shots of the extensive beverage menu, which ranges from low-ABV cocktails to soju and over 600 wine labels. Signature cocktails include the whisky-based Crystal Clear with peach and toasted oat notes and a refreshingly fruity Hypnotized mixed with vodka, watermelon and lemon. Classics vary from martinis to the Cote-style Singapore Sling with Korean red ginseng and pineapple. The tables are small so bar menu options like the Korean Oyster Omelette, chicken nuggets and house-smoked pork belly with pickled jalapeno would fit better. Cote’s comforting Naengmyun of buckwheat noodles in cold beef consomme though, will make you squeeze the bowl in somewhere, somehow.
NATIVE
Native, the older sibling to Analogue Initiative, is ranked No. 31 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 and spotlights local and regional ingredients such as betel, turmeric and curry leaves through innovative fermentation and flavour extraction. The second-floor bar offers classics and specials such as the Peranakan, which features jackfruit rum, laksa leaves and goat’s milk; The Black Rice, a concoction of rice whisky, toasted black rice, coconut and wild berries; and Pho-resh, which mixes rice gin with Thai basil, mint, coriander and roasted ginger. The ground-floor restaurant serves hearty fare like Nose to Tail Chicken Pao Fan, where organic chicken thigh is dunked in collagen broth, and starters such as the Indian Charred Chili Chaat and Thai Miang Kham with wild pepper leaves, pineapple shoyu and tempeh crisps. It has its own cocktail menu with an Asian spin such as Keluak Martini that uses buah keluak distillate and chickpea miso and the Jasmine, a concoction of rojak gin, kaffir lime leaves and sour plum.
NOU NOODLE BAR
At this cosy Craig Road hangout, Petrina Loh, the queen of fermentation and acidity at Morsels in Dempsey, is the maestro behind the menu. Expect delicious unconventional plates like beef tongue spam with mentaiko mayo and Australian lamb char siew, and get ready to slurp up Asian noodle bowls like the Chicken Mazemen in rich, creamy tori paitan broth and the umami Duck Kut Teh Mee Sua. Robust cocktails at Nou Noodle Bar include the Tomato Tomato, which repurposes leftover tomato brine from the in-house hot sauce; the rum-pineapple-mint 3 Star Swizzle; and fruity-sour Garibaldi using Campari, grapefruit, tarragon and Greek yoghurt.
PODI & PORIYAL
Rarely does one find delectable South Indian vegetarian fare with equally solid tipples, but it’s all here at Podi & Poriyal, located in a quaint Little India shophouse unit. Hang out in the indoor dining room or chill cocktail-and-sharing-plates style at the alfresco bar. Indian spices and ingredients are deftly woven into punchy cocktails such as the refreshingly herbal Betel Leaf Whisky Sour and sarsaparilla root-infused Nanari Old Fashioned. You can point at anything on the menu and not regret your choice. The peckish can pick at the likes of Edamame Sundal (tossed salad with coconut and cashew nuts), the Podi Idlis (spiced rice cake) and Adai Bite (lentil pancakes with jaggery). If you’re ravenous, add the flavourful Chakka Biryani and Double Decker Parotta (flatbread), which is layered with vegetable curry and steamed in a banana leaf.
REPUBLIC
Imbibe the spirit of trailblazers and icons at Republic in the Ritz-Carlton Millennia, Singapore. Their latest Volume 3 menu is a snazzy selection of punchy lookers from the team led by head bartender Kelvin Saquilayan and the curation of 1960s vintage spirits is as stellar as ever. Stand-outs include Fool’s Gold, which blends American whiskey and banana rum with peanut butter, and Headliner, a sweet-savoury spin of an Irish Coffee but with a brilliant topping of cream cheese foam. The new food menu levels up with the likes of grilled eggplant hummus, salmon crudo, chicken satay and kueh pie tie.
SETSURI
With owners chef Chi Pin Han and his wife, sommelier Janice Chi at the helm, there is no compromise on food quality nor the beverage selections, especially when it comes to Japanese craft spirits at Setsuri. Their latest Ishinomaki Group concept, located in Beach Road’s Guoco Midtown, features four types of grill: Genshiyaki (wood ash grill), warayaki (straw grill) as well as the robatayaki and rogama slow cooking over binchotan. Get sharing dishes such as Mentai Dashi Maki Tamago (spicy cod roe over omelette), straw grilled tuna, and Nasu Dengaku (Japanese egg plant with red miso) and pair it with one of the 50 craft shochu labels — one of the largest restaurant collections in Singapore — available by the glass, each priced from S$12.
SIDE DOOR
The combined magic of husband-and-wife team Tryson Quek and Bannie Kang is comfort food with deceptively simple but well-balanced drinks that fit together like a glove. Their gastro bar Side Door in Tanjong Pagar has launched new cocktail pairings with tapas such as a negroni twist playing off creamy foie gras terrine sandwiched between potato duck crisps, and a rum with pickled radish, yuzu and omija berry matching a duck rillette. Other winners include the handmade gnocchi in butter cream and desserts like earl grey madeleines and osmanthus yuzu cheesecake.
SOSPIRI
Located in CBD’s IOI Central Boulevard Towers, Sospiri, a Southern Italian restaurant-bar, brings breezy dishes together with an Italian-focused beverage menu of wines, beers and signature cocktails in a stylish space with soaring ceilings. Dig into sharing dishes like blue fin tuna tartare in herb sauce and capers, oxtail ravioli and roasted duck with purple artichokes and end off with desserts of tiramisu and lemon custard millefeuille. If you fancy a less formal but still romantic setting, sidle up to the bar counter at sunset for drinks and snacks like smoked buffalo mozzarella nuggets in tomato aioli and crab croquettes.
SUGARHALL
The rum-focused cocktail bar and restaurant at the corner of Cecil Street is a lively music hall perfect for all kinds of meetups from pre-dinner snacks to late-night suppers. Besides rum flights and signature punch bowls, tuck into hearty plates like the Pu Pu Party Platter of sour plum-glazed pork ribs, spicy wings and beef murtabak, and the Indomie Mi Goreng with ayam penyet. Thirst quenchers from Sugarhall’s latest menu Cocktail Getaway range from a Passion Fruit Daiquiri using aged rum, passion fruit and green tea to a creamy Makgeolli “Mai Tai” with fruity-smoky notes of beetroot, pineapple and mezcal to rice wine.
WHITE SHADES