Entertainment in Singapore
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A
Kazbar
Popular Middle Eastern-themed pub, with curtained nooks and deep sofas inside and bar tables outside. Male office workers seem strangely drawn to the place: surely nothing to do with the comely belly dancer doing the rounds in the early evening - must be the dips and pita bread.
reviewed
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B
Penny Black
Fitted out like a ‘Victorian’ London pub (without the tuberculosis and dodgy gin), Penny Black specialises in hard-to-find English ales for the swaths of expat Brits that work in the area (who keep one eye on their pints and another on the Premier League matches screened on TVs).
reviewed
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C
Bar Opiume
Very posey, Bar Opiume is facing Boat Quay. The expensive, slightly mismatched decor features a huge chandelier and large standing Buddhas. Not surprisingly for a location like this, the drink prices might have you sipping slowly, but the quiet spot next to the river is priceless.
reviewed
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D
Tea Chapter
Tea Chapter is where Queen Elizabeth dropped by for a cuppa in 1989. If you don't know the tea-making drill, the waiter will give you a brief demonstration. Downstairs, all man-ner of tea paraphernalia are precariously balanced on display shelves and can be purchased.
reviewed
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E
Vincent’s
Singapore’s first gay bar spent years in Lucky Plaza on Orchard Rd before moving to bigger, better premises to take advantage of what was at the time the developing gay ghetto around Tanjong Pagar. It’s a popular starting-out point and offers a free gay guide to Singapore.
reviewed
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F
Brewerkz
Across the river from Clarke Quay, this large microbrewery (the irony doesn’t escape us) brews eight beers on site, including an Indian Pale Ale, Pilsener and Golden Ale. Happy hours run from opening to 9pm, with prices escalating throughout the day (pints S$4 to S$15, jugs S$10 to S$37).
reviewed
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G
Bisous Bar
Bisous seems to have cut a deal with Heineken; familiar green awnings and frangipani trees sheltering drinkers from whatever they're trying to forget. Big-screen TVs draw business types and sports fans, sipping lychee martinis and savouring snacks from a decent Mexican/Mediterranean menu.
reviewed
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H
Attica
One of the swankest clubs in town, Attica is where the bold and beautiful meet to dazzle and be dazzled. When it gets too hot inside, cool down in the chic courtyard and ogle the eye-candy. There’s usually a line to get in, always a sign of pedigree in Singapore’s club world.
reviewed
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I
2AM Dessert Bar
Chef-owner Janice Wong opened this brave venture in her mid-20s in 2007. Here, the chic bar concept is taken to a whole new level with the focus being 13 drool-worthy desserts, each paired with a wine recommendation. Where else can you satisfy your chocolate cravings at two in the morning?
reviewed
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GV Grand
If you're really mad for a movie and primed for a pampering, head for the 3rd floor of Great World City shopping mall. The swanky 'gold class' cinemas at this multiplex feature plush carpeting and single and double reclining seats complete with footrests, table service and a reasonable menu.
reviewed
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J
Zsofi Tapas Bar
Inspired by their travels through Spain, two mates decided to open a tapas bar named after a travelling companion. Chill out at the eclectic bar downstairs; sit down on the floor on the 2nd level or at a table on the rooftop. All drinks come with a tapas dish of your choice. Now that’s choice!
reviewed
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K
Km8
If you’re in the mood for sea, sand, thumping music and oily tanned bodies punching the air, this is the place. It’s successfully staked a claim as Sentosa’s top party spot – with its late closing time, free-for-all Jacuzzi, shamelessly Ibizan design and expensive alcohol.
reviewed
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L
Red Dot Brewhouse
The service at the restaurant here was shocking, which is a shame, because this microbrewery is the product of one Singaporean man's passion for beer - and his beers are pretty damn good. So go along and plonk yourself at the bar, where the staff can't ignore you, or take 40 minutes to bring your drinks.
reviewed
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M
Downunder Bar
Located inside the famous (or infamous) Orchard Towers, Downunder is probably one of the few pubs in the building that isn’t specifically a cheap clip joint for picking up. This Australian pub has beer on tap, a pool table and a dart board, making it a nice oasis from the building’s usual climate and clientele.
reviewed
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Chinese Theatre Circle
Every Friday and Saturday night at 8pm there’s a brief talk (in English) about Chinese opera, followed by a short excerpt performed by professional actors in full costume. Lychee tea and cakes are included in the S$20 price. For S$35, turn up at 7pm and enjoy a full Chinese meal beforehand. Bookings recommended.
reviewed
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O
Chihuly Lounge
With its distinctive blue arched roof and amazing Daly Chihuly glass sculpture on the wall (his work is also on display at the Singapore Art Museum), this refined hotel lounge deserves a bit of sartorial effort and is worth a visit for an early-evening loosener or a late-night wind-down cocktail.
reviewed
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P
Red Lantern Beer Garden
For a taste of old Singapore, head to the seedy, bayside Red Lantern Beer Garden where bands often play, cheap meals are served, and you can get a reasonably priced beer. It can get pretty rowdy late at night. There are so many bars, most with outdoor tables, that you can just wander along until one takes your fancy.
reviewed
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Bark Café
A relaxed, easygoing café right next door to the Changi Chapel, the Bark stays fairly low-key even on weekend nights, with a friendly crowd of mainly local residents enjoying the outdoor breeze, pool table, ample beers and excellent local (and international) food. Their 'red plum soda' is evidently of some repute.
reviewed
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Q
Butter Factory
Butter Factory’s new digs is double the size of its old premises and slick as hell. Street art on the walls of Bump, the hip-hop and R&B room, betrays its young crowd. Fash is its chilled-out ‘art’ bar, and walls are plastered with colourful pop-art reminiscent of underground comics (yes, the ones you hid from mum).
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R
Loof
This rooftop bar gets its name from the Singlish (local slang) mangling of the word ‘roof’. Ambient beats soothe away the city noise and comfy leather-clad seats are scattered around the deck…perhaps these are to blame for the mellow crowd. For privacy (and air-con), ask for one of the seven semi-enclosed seating areas.
reviewed
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Sunset Bay Garden Beach Bar
What could be finer than relaxing with cocktails in a car-free beachside park in the early evening? Sunset Bay offers just that, and with an excellent menu you can show up for dinner and while the night away to the far-off thrumming of hundreds of cargo ships moored just off Singapore’s southern shore. A rare find, indeed!
reviewed
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Rouge
On a stretch of restored shophouses trying to maintain their Peranakan themes, Rouge features a host of snuggly nooks and crannies with an emphasis on deep red and velvet. Luxurious yet intimate. Wednesday is the funk and groove-themed Love Hotel night, Thursday and Saturday are hip-hop, and Friday can be anything in between.
reviewed
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Cows & Coolies Karaoke Pub
Smoke-filled (despite a city-wide ban on smoking) and often loud, C&C is a throwback to the good old days when a neighbourhood bar was a place you came to drown your sorrows in loud music, cigarettes and booze. Though it doesn’t bill itself as a gay bar per se, the bar is very popular with both the gay and lesbian crowd.
reviewed
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The Theatre Practice
Singapore's more dynamic and contemporary theatre groups produce both edgy and more accessible works at various venues around town. They often struggle for audiences and funds, but their undoubted passion keeps them alive. Banners advertising shows are usually plastered around town, or check listings in local magazines and newspapers.
reviewed
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V
Necessary Stage
Since the theatre’s inception in 1987, current artistic director Alvin Tan has collaborated with resident playwright Haresh Sharma to produce over 60 original works such as ‘Good People’, ‘Frozen Angels’, and ‘Top or Bottom’. Innovative, indigenous, and often controversial, the Necessary Stage is one of Singapore’s best known theatre groups.
reviewed