The party season may be over, but drinking never stops in Singapore, thanks to these eight new bars in February.
Wine is very present this month. [email protected] is a new on-site beverage concept from Bottles & Bottles that promises retail prices, wine bar hospitality and no service charge. Aether Wine & Spirits, which opened a chic French bistro and bar called ethereal house.
Neil Road Restaurant Iko has undergone a revamp since it opened last year, and the new team brings together modern Japanese dishes with sake and natural wine. Revolver hits the mark with contemporary Indian flavors cooked on the grill and highly allocated wines designed to excite oenophiles.
In cocktails, Entrance offers a doorway into the world of beverages inspired by molecular gastronomy, and Last Word brings the Japanese pursuit of perfection to classic beverages. Sol & Luna offers a liquid tour of Western Europe, and Wanton Seng serves solid highballs alongside noodle dumplings. See below for more.
8 new bars in Singapore to visit in February:
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8 Bottles & Bottles in Great World City
Wine and spirits retailer Bottles & Bottles is opening a second on-site beverage concept that sells wine at bottle shop prices, lets you bring your own food, and doesn’t add a service charge. Offerings cover both Old and New World wines, lesser known varietals and sake. Glassware and ice buckets are provided at no additional cost.
For food, either order from one of the many options in the mall and eat there at no extra cost, or at their partner Tajimaya. The Japanese charcoal grill restaurant offers a QR code menu on each table and the dishes are delivered directly to your seats.
Address
1 Kim Seng Promenade, #01, K101 Big World, 237994 Google map
Live out your “Emily in Paris” fantasies at Aether House, a new wine bar and bistro along Robinson Road. Inspired by Parisian sensibilities, this chic all-day eatery offers lunches (S$32-38) including a salad, sandwich and éclair, while dinner includes bar bites and omakase menus for five or eight. mains including wine (S$138 to S$168).
This being an extension of retailer Aether Wine & Spirits, the wine list is extensive. There is a strong presence from Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, as well as Alsace and the Rhône. If you’re quitting the booze, wine-inspired teas like Riesling tea or Pinot Noir tea are a guilt-free indulgence.
Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Address
35 Robinson Rd, #01-05/06/07, Singapore 068876 Google map
You may have trouble finding the entrance to Entrance, a restaurant and bar hidden along Tanjong Pagar Road. Dining here is ippin-ryori, or a la carte, and Japanese-European dishes range from small plates of scallop aburi to sharing portions of seafood paella.
To drink, turn to their range of cocktails inspired by molecular gastronomy. Caviar Lime Bed relies on a tequila base with Chambord, grapefruit and fish roe, and Yogin Dark Sea Salt Crumble mixes gin with yogurt, saline and cocoa. Chocolate reappears in Caramel Cage with single malt and brown butter, and Matcha Trance is bright, creamy sake, yuzu and matcha.
Tuesday to Sunday, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Iko is a modern Japanese restaurant and bar that opened on Neil Road in 2021. They have gone through some changes since then and started 2022 with a new kitchen team led by Chef Dylan Ong.
The food menu revolves around binchotan grilled items, sashimi and sea bass bites meant to be shared, including stuffed jalapeno tempura, chilli scallop carpaccio, wagyu sukiyaki and a fish kaisendon from Japan and a tonkotsu broth made with yuzu.
Iko also offers a selection of sake in 720ml and 1.8L formats, including seasonal styles. Each sake is listed with its SMV (Sake Meter Value) for an index of how sweet or dry it is, along with tasting notes. A tight selection of wines is also available, ranging from classic styles to natural producers.
Monday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Last Word is a new restaurant and cocktail bar created by the team behind Nutmeg & Clove. Located just above the latter, the concept is named after the classic cocktail (gin, chartreuse and maraschino, if you don’t know), and aims to serve traditions well. The vibe is quintessentially Japanese, from the minimalist decor to the purposeful execution of drinks, and bar bites such as karaage and shishamo continue the theme.
Tuesday to Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Revolver is a contemporary Indian restaurant that pulls from the grill. It offers tasting menus (either six or eight courses during dinner, five at lunch) that take diners on a culinary adventure across India – from the big cities of Delhi and Mumbai to remote areas, including a small village outside Kolkata.
Paired with the food is a wine list heavy on small producers and natural styles. There’s a Pet Nat from Slovenia, English Pinot Noir, a cuvée from cult Loire winemaker Nicolas Joly, Italian skin wines and a Japanese Merlot. Joining them are cocktails like basil and garlic salt tequila, and local craft beer from Brewlander.
Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Thursday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sol & Luna is one of the five concepts of 1-Arden, which is part of the 1-Group. Located in CapitaSpring, the bistro brings together flavors from Italy, France, Portugal and Spain and turns them into dishes like grilled Radicchio with taleggio, smoked duck rillette and foie gras, piri piri chicken thigh and white gazpacho.
The drinks also reflect each country’s drinking culture, with a base alcohol widely enjoyed in each region. Sensation De Poire is a tangy French cognac with Williams pear and apple-pear fennel syrup, while Dolce Ibisco draws inspiration from Italy with Aperol, apricot and orgeat. Spain is represented by the sangria-like Cidra Morada Y Vino, and Raizes Natives, a nod to Portugal, is a concoction of cachaca and beirao.
Monday to Sunday*, 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
* Monday to Saturday until the end of March 2022
Wanton Seng’s is a remix of a stand that started at Dunman Food Center in 1968. The original has since closed, but friends Benson Ng and Brandon Teo secured the recipe and updated the concept by combining street food with 90s hip hop and reliable drinks.
The signature is a classic example of what a free mee should be: springy noodles, tender char siu and textured dumplings. Other items range from Mala mince noodles – a riff on bak chor mee – to cold seafood noodles.
The cocktail list is short but well curated. The Jasmine Sangria is fragrant and the Oolong Sour omits the egg white for a clean, punchy serve. There’s also local craft beer from District Brewers and gin or whiskey highballs.
Every day, from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
