DINING Mel's Place On the far end of East Coast Road, this place is known for their Kurobuta pork rack and steak burger, but we don't discount their rustic beer garden vibe with live music on weekends. 2A Kuo Chuan Ave., 6440-3573, www.melsplace.com.sg. Open daily.
East Side Inebriation
Next Door Cafe This Mediterranean spot serves pizzas and pastas, as well as an impressive drinks selection with over 100 beers and ales. 699 East Coast Rd., 6291-1351, www.nextdoorcafe.sg. Open daily.
Rabbit Carrot Gun This kitschly-named joint does dishes like chicken liver parfait and onion tartlets, but the drinks are more interesting with options like buckshot ales and Australian wines. 49 East Coast Rd., 6348-8568, www.rabbit-carrot-gun.com. Open Tue-Sun.
Get out of your post-work drinking rut with these izakaya, wine bars and craft beer shops. By Letitia Tandean
Sunset Bay Garden Bistro
99 Bottles
The Cider Pit
Harry's at East Coast Park
This weekend-only outfit is a sister outlet to famed hawker stall The Good Beer Company, so expect a range of craft brews including Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve Ale and Bottleworks’ 13th Anniversary Ale.
Sister to beloved bottle shop East of Avalon wines, no points for guessing what their forte is. There are tons of ciders, but they've also got a pretty good range of English ales and pub grub.
#02-08 TIDES, 217 East Coast Rd., 9480-2750, www.facebook.com/99BottlesSG. Open Fri-Sun.
#01-03 Joo Chiat Rd., 6440-0504. Open daily.
A staple in any Singaporean's pub experience, Harry's is synonymous with easy pub grub and lots of beers and wines. This branch is close to the wakeboarding facility and has an easygoing, skater feel.
Alibabar the Hawker Bar Coffeeshop by day and hawker-bar by night, the breezy bistro stocks over 70 beers, including a Belgian Trappist brew. Food-wise, it's all burgers, tacos and chili dogs, as well as a halal eatery. 125 East Coast Rd., 6440-6147. Open daily.
Brussels Sprouts @ Big Splash This place has over 20 types of mussel dishes (including classic moules-frites) and an extensive European beer menu. There's plenty of shade and good sea views, too. #01-27 Block F Playground@ Big Splash, 902 East Coast Parkway, 6346-4344, www.brusselssprouts.com.sg. Open Tue-Sun.
Five Bar The Changi offshoot of the popular Raffles Place haunt continues its tradition of $5 deals on Asahi and cocktails. The izakayalike bar also has Japanese skewers, breaded oysters and lotus chips. #01-66 Changi City Point, 6604-8255, www.fivebar.sg. Open daily.
Happy Days Sports fan need not look any further with this sports bar that has darts, a foosball table, pool and soccer screenings. There’s a healthy range of beers from Australia and South Africa. #02-02 Princess Theatre Building 445 Bedok North St. 1, 6445-4345, www.facebook.com/happydays. com.sg. Open daily.
1206A East Coast Parkways, 6446-7291, www.harrys.com.sg. Open Tue-Sun.
1300 East Coast Parkway, 6448-9060, www.sunsetbay.com.sg. Open daily.
The Tuckshop
Sunset Bay Garden Bistro
This cool Geylang hangout boasts craft brews, namely Archipelago, and other bottled options from around the world. It’s cute, too, with board games, rattan furniture and a convivial atmosphere.
403 Guillemard Rd., 8511-8102, www.thetuckshop.com.sg. Open daily.
Immigrants If you don't know about Immigrants, you've been living under a rock. They've got legit Peranakan and Eurasian bites alongside whiskeys like Glenmorangies and beers like Trappiste Rochefortes ales.
Actually, we have 11 other places we want to tell you about. Download the app at is-magazine.com/app for the full story.
467 Joo Chiat Rd., 8511-7322, www.immigrants-gastrobar.com. Open daily.
Lower East Side Taqueria A Mexican-inspired taqueria, the inviting space serves tacos and burritos. They’ve got a niche booze selection of tequilas, mezcals and cachacas. Be warned of their level 5 hot sauce challenge. 19 East Coast Rd., 6348-1302, www.lowereastsidesg.com. Open daily.
Brussels Sprouts @ Big Splash
Located along East Coast Parkway, this laidback bistro has a beach garden vibe (with views) and a menu of pastas, pizzas, cocktails, wines and beer. Plus, they even sometimes host yoga classes.
The Tuckshop
Top Tables: don't miss out! Get the definitive guide to Singapore's best restaurants free with the next issue of I-S, or pre-order it now at is-magazine.com/toptables
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OPEN DOOR
COMNAM Broken Rice The buzz: After the success of their pho and banh mi outlet Nam Nam, the guys at Les Amis take a stab at another Vietnamese classic, broken rice. The vibe: Like many other mall offerings, it’s a bright and colorful space with a selforder sheet and cashier. It’s not unlike its sister outlet with a minimalist and contemporary design: pale wooden tables, stools, booth seats and bright yellow lights. The food: Traditional broken rice dishes (there’s a choice of soups
or dry rice bowls) get a shake-up from chef Nam Quoc Nguyen, who does toppings like sautéed lemongrass pork ($9.90) and crispy soft shell crab and squid ($13.90). Each of these comes with a choice of broken rice or kimchi fried rice, as well as pickles and fungus. Brothy rice soup includes topping options like seafood balls with bean sprouts ($9.90) and Grey Featherback fish balls with a soft-boiled egg ($7.90). Pair these with refreshing appetizers like the grilled chicken salad with roasted
peanuts ($5.90) which has a little bit of spice and lots of fresh herbs and citrus. The drinks: A slew of traditional Vietnamese drinks like black and condensed milk coffees ($2.50) that come both hot and iced. They’ve got playful sodas using traditional ingredients like tamarind with peanut and sesame seeds ($3.50). Why you’ll be back: It’s something different from pho and although not “authentic”, it’s tasty, comforting and affordable.
#B1-46/47 Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Rd., 6334-7377. Open daily 10am-9:30pm. LETITIA TANDEAN
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DINING NEW AND NOTED with Letitia Tandean
Néktar
Sweet No More Néktar was hot when craft cocktails and artisanal spirits were only just making an appearance, and their head bartender Raveen Misra also won Singapore's Diageo World Class back in 2011. But sadly Néktar has now closed, and we're mourning the place where we held our very first I-S Xperience event. No word yet on whether they'll reappear elsewhere.
Wok-ing Out After about six months of Shen Tan's Mod Sin venture at Ujong, the former directorturned-hawker-turned-chef is moving on. Although we weren't the biggest fans of Ujong's execution, especially
Bottle
after her slamdunk over at Wok & Barrel, we're sad to see the passionate chef go. As for her future Shen Tan plans, Tan says she'll be focusing on her new role as a Culinary Director at Gastrogig (www.gastrogig. com), a gastronomic collective that specializes in foodie events. Additionally, she'll also teach cooking classes at ToTT (www.tottstore.com). For now, look out for her next pop-up, Aporkalypse IV (a pork-centric extravaganza). Details are still sketchy, but we'll let you know more as they emerge.
Duxton Part Deux Lots of endings, we know, but here’s a nice new beginning. Au Petit Salut's old head chef and manager have opened Rhubarb Le Restaurant (3 Duxton Hill, 8127-5001). Chef Paul Longworth, together with manager Jerome Desfonds, will be pushing plates of modern French food. Not the cheapest option on the Hill with appetizers ranging $16-$32 and mains between $28-$64, but expect a seasonally-rotating menu with lunches starting at $42 for three courses and a dinner degustation at $138.
Cheeky Rascal Gingerberry Limited Edition Cider
Backstory: This 100% real fruit cider is made by a Melbournian husband-and-wife team at boutique cider house Rebello. They use local apples and pears from neighboring farms, while their berries are from the family’s Sunny Ridge farms. Appearance: Similar to some champagne (they use the same fermentation method), but with a slightly darker amber coloration typical for a cider. Smell: Quite heavy floral notes with a slightly sour kick, like vinaigrette or tart white wine. From the nose, it’s definitely not as sweet as other ciders on the market.
Sip: Punchy notes of strawberry, followed by syrupy apples and then some spice from the ginger (though we wished there was more of this). Verdict: Hoppy beer lovers will find this a little syrupy, but if you’re already a hard cider fan, give it a try. Lowdown: 500ml/8% Where to get it: $17 from Owls Brew (146 Mackenzie Rd., 6333-3440, www.owlsbrew.com). Letitia Tandean
LUNCH BOX ESQUINA respectively with four options per course), which is pretty decent considering the prices for dinner.
The deal: Jason Atherton’s tapas joint rolls out a set lunch menu with two- and three-course options (at $35 and $45
Highlights: For starters, the crispy baby squid with chili coriander and black ink aioli has all the crunchy goodness with just the right amount of heat. Of the fishcentric mains, the sea bass with chorizo red pepper paella and black olives is particularly addictive. Dessert-wise, the basil sorbet with black pepper meringue stands out with its tart and savory notes.
16 Jiak Chuan Rd., 6222-1616, www.esquina.com.sg. Lunch from 12-2:30pm. LETITIA TANDEAN
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