Best transporter
This open-air bar on the top floor of the Customs House makes us feel little like being in some gritty side street of Tokyo, in a good way. The illusion is perfected if you keep your back to Marina Bay Sands – we like to sit perched on barstools that look straight onto weather-beaten walls spunked up with graffiti, ‘Godzilla crossing’ road signs and a corridor lit by red Asakusa-type lanterns. The trellis-lined bar and Japanese writing on bamboos add to the underground, home-run feel of this place, even if the menu strikes a different chord: a little less than half the drink menu is Japanese, while the cocktails have Western elements shaken in. The house special Spicy Hachimitshu ($16) is a refreshingly spicy martini glass of vodka, honey umeshu, a tinge of wasabi gomme, fresh lemon and Japanese cucumber. Nachos are not quite nachos; rather, they’re tempura seaweed sheets topped with guacamole, sour cream and a choice of black-pepper beef or spicy pork. Roof, Customs House, 70 Collyer Quay (6533 3471, www.kinki.com.sg). MRT: Raffles Place. Mon-Thu & Sat 5-10.30pm; Fri 5-9pm. Drinks $11++ to $16++. CA
Sauciest cityscape
It’s a microbrewery, a restaurant, a bar and a vantage point wedged into the 33rd floor of the Marina Bay Financial Centre. Naturally, the view is one of the best in the Bay. Supplement that with generous portions, modernly lavish presentations of hearty European dishes, and beers with well-controlled carbon counts, and you have a winning template. The glory is, however, in the detail: stashed behind the welcome line-up of copper brewing tanks and selection of four-plus-one microbrews (the fifth is a regularly changing guest brew), the humble, beer-spiked sauces steal the show. The made-in-house blonde lager tomato ketchup served with the all-day breakfast ($25++) has an instantly satisfying zest when taken with the blocky duck-fat chips. And the beef gravy, with a choice of three roasts (grain-fed beef, whole roast chicken, Scottish salmon, $38++), has a wickedly addictive depth of flavour. You can’t stop anyway –this lift goes straight up. #33-01 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, 8 Marina Blvd (6834 3133, www.level33.com.sg). MRT: Raffles Place. Daily noon-2am. Drinks $9.33++-$29++. AB
Best for mingling with a margarita in hand
On Friday nights, you have to elbow the after-work crowd out of the way to snare yourself a table at this Haji Lane hotspot, a Latin offshoot of BluJaz – our long-standing go-to for chicken wings with a side of jazz. But the push-and-shove is rewarded with jugs of margaritas doused generously with tequila. Piedra Negra attracts the same thirtysomething crowd as its mothership: groups gathering to celebrate a mate’s birthday, and singles looking to loosen their ties or let their hair down. Burritos and guac are on hand to soak up the strong Mexican spirit. 241 Beach Rd (6291 1297). MRT: Bugis. Mon-Thu noon-midnight; Fri noon-2am;
Sat 5pm-2am. Main courses $14.90-$17.90. AK
Most innovative small plates
La Cicala
On the elevated side of eatery-laden Club Street is this stylish tapas bar and restaurant with interiors that echo the modernist streaks of Spanish gastronomy. The food doesn’t veer too far from it, either. Chef Edwin Lau – formerly of St Regis – has moved his wares over to this open-plan, gadget-laden kitchen. We are particularly impressed by the creamy croquetas made with tiny bits of chorizo and fontina cheese that come apart fluidly in the mouth, and the 36-week-cured jamón iberico de bellota that’s displayed on the counter – a deep maroon-hued, smooth ham intentionally served in slightly thick-in-the-middle slices. Plus, this is Singapore’s first official bar for Bombay Sapphire gin, so naturally there’s a feature wall (on the left in the middle as you walk in) and special concoctions – the Basilico (gin, lemon juice, fresh basil and soda water) and La Cicala’s version of the Bloody Mary, shaken up with fresh horseradish and served in a salt- and black-pepper-rimmed glass. 49 Club St (6534 8812). MRT: Chinatown. Cocktails $14-$20; bar bites $4-$25. CA
Best booze with the views
Technically, you’re not on the roof of ION; you’re in it. So, even though a spotlit ceiling separates you from the real sky, the views remain imperious: we’d recommend, of course, a sunset start for the dreamiest downtown vistas. The vibe? Black’s not going out of fashion anytime soon, and this bar boasts plenty of it. But despite the muted chic, it’s no place for a club-sized rave-up; a hushed mood dominates, and tables are modest in both size and number. The menu is uncommonly creative: swill a Long Black (which blends vodka, gin, kahlua, rum and, yes, Sprite, $16) for an unexpectedly smooth tipple. Quality bar snacks are a snip, too. Level 55 & 56 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn (6592 5118, www.saltgrill.com). MRT: Orchard. Daily 6-11.30pm. Minimum spend $20. JE
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