Bago

Bago

If you're already a fan of Caribbean restaurant Lime House at Keong Saik, then you'll be glad to know that they've recently launched their extended bar, Bago, which specializes in rum-based cocktails served in a laidback and intimate tropical-themed space. The bar has an extended list of over 150 types of rum, ranging from Caroni (from $17) and Mount Gay (from $16 per glass) to the Diplomatico (from $16 per glass), Havana Club (from $16) and Clement (from $19 per glass), along with much fancier stuff. The cocktails aren't to be missed either: Bushfire (Mount Gay Black Barrel mixed with burnt lavender and herbs, $22); Kingston ($35) which has Appleton 21-Year-Old rum, port, Amer Picon and smoked cherry wood, among others. Or order Bago Build ($25), which lets you customize your own drink. The menu also features bar bites jerk chicken skewers ($12) and jerk beef sliders ($12) in Jamaican sauce. For more information, check out their website.

Cin Cin

Dramatic, vertical garden-covered downtown hotel Oasia has a first floor, lofty-ceilinged lobby bar with a 1950s secret agent theme (their website requires you to crack a code before you can get in) and a huge focus on gin and gin cocktails made with specialty ice cubes and homemade shrubs. The decor includes an all-mirrored open bar with teal leather seats, but we're excited about the tea-infused take on the Negroni, the Earlgroni, where the gin is infused with earl grey tea. Bar snacks include elevated after-school comfort food like truffled grilled cheese with cheddar tomato soup. 

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

The Coffee Break stall at Amoy Street Food Centre isn't your average drink stall at a hawker center. This family-run business has a long history—about 81 years—and has been passed down for generations. Coffee Break was first opened in 1935 along the old, now-defunct East Reclamation Road, until they had to relocate because of the '60s port development plans at Tanjong Pagar. Jack Sai and his sisters Faye and Anna are the third generation in their family to be operating this humble store. Unlike the usual cafe fare that serve $6 lattes and an elaborate and Instagrammable menu, Coffee Break is a straight-forward hawker stall that offers traditional coffee—a blend of robusta and arabica coffee beans—with interesting twists. Think pumpkin-spiced lattes, sea salt mint lattes and more (from $3.80). Apart from the usual kaya toast routine, they also offer homemade spreads like taro, matcha coconut, rum and raisin creme, black sesame and more (from $2.50). The family has plans to expand the business, starting with a new standalone outlet in a new office building next to Kent Ridge MRT Station by end-September.

Dassai Bar

Perhaps one of the most exciting venues at the newly launched Japan Food Town (see below) is a pop-up bar by the Dassai sake people, known for premium junmai daiginjo sake from the Asahi Shuzo brewery in Iwakuni, Japan, the first of its kind in Singapore. They've brought in the exclusive Dassai 23 Centrifuge, a machine that separates completed sake from its lees, giving the sake a "cleaner" finish. The premium Dassai beyond is also available ($170), along with a sake cocktail called Sakura Sling ($28), and sparkling sake. Food wise, you'll be able to chow down on a Dassai cheesecake ($6) made with sake. The bar also retails a Dassai sake tasting set of three 20 ml junmai daiginjo for $20, which is available by the bottle. The Dassai Bar at Japan Food Town at Wisma Atria is open at #04-52, 11am-11pm daily, for six months.

The Other Room

The Other Room

The Other Room is a new establishment under the FOC Group, the people who do the bustling tapas restaurant on HongKong Street. This 700 sq. ft. intimate bar located at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza can seat up to 30 people. The space is furnished with custom-made decor with wooden bar seats, a candle-lit black marble bar and trompe l’oeil mirrors, bringing chic and sleek under the same roof. The spirit selection is some 150 labels strong, covering rums, whiskys, gins, vodkas and mescals that have been blended and aged to their taste. There are over 30 cocktail creations classified by eras such as Pre-prohibition, Prohibition, The Other Classics, as well as drinks like The Southern New York Sour ($21) layered with black tea and French oak smoke, The Bloody Grail ($21) which has a mix of sour, savory, salty and umami flavor from kimchi, and more. You can even try their two-drink cocktail which includes Bourbon and rye whiskey ($28) served separately with Californian pale ale.

Japan Food Town

The fourth level of the former department store has been revived recently as the 628-seater food hall specializing in authentic Japanese cuisine has finally thrown open its doors. It houses 16 casual-dining eateries from Japan's various prefectures and cities such as Dassai Bar (Iwakuni), known for their fine sakes; udon specialist Inanwa Yosuke (Tokyo), famous for their handmade udon that uses a 150-year-old technique; Osaka Kitchen (Osaka), popular for teppanyaki and okonomiyaki, and Sushi Takewaka, a 36-year-old sushi specialty shop originally from Tsukiji market. Diners can also opt for healthier choice Kinme Mai rice (available at half of Japan Town's eateries), which has the nutritional value of brown rice. 

PizzaExpress

PizzaExpress

This pizza chain at Scotts Square has over 500 other outlets across the globe from the United Kingdom, Europe, Hong Kong, India to the Middle East with their signature chefs in stripes. Its first outlet in Singapore promises a gourmet menu of handmade pizzas and authentic pastas. Their selection of pastas include the Spaghetti Fruitti di Mare that has prawns, clams, mussels, squid, spiced pomodoro sauce and cherry tomatoes and a few vegan options. Pizza-lovers can pick from their choice of pizzas with highlights like the La Reine, with mushrooms, olives, ham, mozzarella and passata, their "American Hottest" with with hot peppers, spicy Italian sausage and buffalo mozarella, the Calabrese with Calabria-style sausage, jalapeno peppers and more. They also offer other veg options for their pizzas like the Veneziana, which has olives, capers, onions, sultanas and pine kernels, mozzarella and passata.

A Poke Theory

Hawaiian poke (raw fish chopped salad) isn't going anywhere. The latest to join the trend is this sleek 60-seater establishment at 27 Boon Tat Street offering healthy salads. Bowls come with a choice of four bases (sushi rice, lemon herb quinoa, jasmine brown rice and romaine lettuce), topped with one of four toppings (original Japanese-grade shoyu tuna, spicy garlic sesame tuna, spicy mayo salmon and avocado miso salmon). You can also add toppings like nori flakes and cherry tomatoes. A regular 100g bowl is priced from $11.50 while a large 150g bowl is priced from $15. There are also smoothie bowls ($6) with names like Maca Nutter (banana, raw maca, soy milk topped with coconut, dark chocolate and roasted cashews), Cacaoholic (banana, raw cacao, soy milk topped with coconut, dark chocolate and quinoa puffs) alongside cold-pressed juices and Melbourne’s popular T2 tea infusions ($2.50)—a first in Singapore. They also do deliveries in the CBD area.

Tok Panjang Peranakan Cafe

Tok Panjang Peranakan Cafe

Restaurant group House of Peranakan, which owns establishments in East Coast, Frankel Avenue and Eng Hoon Street, has opened yet another traditional Nonya eatery in Katong called Tok Panjang Peranakan Cafe. This 40-seater cafe offers Peranakan, Nonya and Straits Chinese cuisine from as early as 9am. The cafe features an all-day dining menu, with simple breakfast options such as mee siam ($7.90), a Peranakan-style nasi lemak set ($10.90) with ingredients such as assam pork and baby squid, and Bob's pork bun ($8 for two), braised pork sandwiched in a Chinese bun. The dessert selection may be small, but it's worth your time—items like durian chendol ($6.50), gula melaka sago pudding ($4), ubi kayu ($6), pulot hitam ($3) and bubur terigu ($3) are affordable and indulgent options.