RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, BARS SINGAPORE

The cultural melting pot of Singapore offers different gourmet and clubbing experiences for every person of any persuasion. By Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

Ristorante Bologna

Level 4 Marina Mandarin 6 Raffles Boulevard
+65 6845 1111
12 pm to 2.30 pm (Mon to Fri); 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm (Mon to Sat)

One of the peculiar things about Singapore is its love affair with Italian food. For a really good meal, the super-classic Ristorante Bologna at the Marina Mandarin hotel is the place for a truly authentic Italian experience. Built like the courtyard of an Italian nobleman’s home, tuck into Italian cuisine in a contemporary setting, with large windows overlooking a picturesque garden. Must-try dishes include the Crab Meat and Tomato Couscous Salad (SGD24), squid ink cappellini with lobster, lime fillet and Beluga caviar (SGD31) and grilled rump of lamb (SGD36). If you’ve flown all the way here to celebrate your anniversary with your clan, this restaurant offers Chef’s Table, a specially tailored three-course to five-course dinner paired with a wide selection of Italian wines (SGD125-190) upon request.

Balaclava

Raffles Boulevard #01-01B, Suntec City Convention Centre
+65 6339 1800
3 pm to 1 am (Mon to Thur); 3 pm to 2 am (Fri to Sat or eve of public holiday) } Happy hours: 3 pm to 9 pm

Elegance and sophistication are the name of the game. With black leather couches, warm wooden panels and soft mood lighting, Balaclava is just the place to kick back and chill out with a few drinks after a long day. Coveniently located near City Hall MRT, this spot is a fave with both Singaporeans and expatriates alike. Live bands get the rhythm going nightly from 9pm. This lively sprawling bar also has plenty of cosy nooks or al fresco seating for those who prefer some privacy.

Adimann Satay

Stall 56 East Coast Park Lagoon Hawker Centre
6 pm to late daily

You cannot possibly visit Singapore and not eat a stick of real satay. This lovely Malay treat is common enough in town, but a good place to chill out over a satay dinner is at East Coast Park Lagoon Hawker Centre, just steps from the beach. Adimann Satay serves up tender and lightly spiced satay with a warm welcome and a wide grin. At SGD40 cents per stick, choices of meat include chicken, mutton, beef and – for the more adventurous – babat (tripe). Best yet, Adimann’s peanut dip is good enough to drink. Yum!

Zouk

17 Jiak Kim Street
+65 6738 2988
7pm to 3am (Wed to Sat) }Happy hours: 11 pm to midnight (Wed, Fri and Sat only)

Recently reopened after a month-long facelift, this world-famous club now boasts luminous white exteriors, cool designer interiors, and a custom-made sound system (we wore out the last one). Internationally-known deejays spin here regularly, and clubbers get to choose from the chill-out Wine Bar, experimental beats in Phuture, good old dance classics at Velvet Underground and the large main dance floor at Zouk, where the young-hip-rich-skinny-underdressed strike a pose. Indisputably the quintessential Singapore clubbing experience!

RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, BARS  HOCHIMINH

Scout out the finest feasts and parties in the city – and keep the music playing and the drinks pouring all night long! By Mark Jackson

Square One

Park Hyatt Hotel, 2 Lam Son Square
+84 (8) 824 1234
Open 12pm to 2.30pm (lunch); and 6pm to 11pm (dinner)

Sup in style at Square One and its five food stations at the Park Hyatt. Offering both Vietnamese and Western fare, half a dozen oysters go for USD16 (SGD27.20), or indulge in imported charcoal-grilled steaks (from USD20/SGD34). Its chic, contemporary ambience with open plan kitchens make it a great place to dine.

Go 2

187 De Tham
+84 (8) 914 8562
Open 6am (for breakfast) to 3am

Currently the best bar in Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area, this is the only area in town that rocks until sunrise. Typical open plan downstairs with a great blue pool table that allows you to drink USD1.20 (SGD2) beer while watching all that chaos on the city’s streets. This is a good place to meet new pals, especially if you have a few intriguing travellers’ tales to swap. DJs and live bands do their thing upstairs, which ensures that there is plenty of music and nightlife here until it is time to hit the sack.

Bar Q Saigon

7 Lam Son Square
+84 (8) 823 3479
Open 6pm until late

Easily the trendiest bar in town, this lounge bar has a bohemian feel, and is where the city’s hip crowd congregate late at night. Things really start to groove from 10pm onwards, and the place is often packed until the great Latin house, lounge wand hip-hop vibes stop. Its mazy interior with lots of columns and curtains allow plenty of cosy corners to chat in, if you can hear conversation over the music. Located behind the historic opera house, you can always just sit outside and enjoy the view if it gets too hot inside. Cocktails start at USD5 (SGD8.50) and beers are USD2 (SGD3.50).

Qing

31 Dong Da
+84 (8) 823 2414
Open until midnight

Finding a good glass of wine in Ho Chi Minh City can be tough, which is why the opening of Qing was a breakthrough. Decidedly upmarket with house wines starting from USD3.50 (SGD6) per glass, this is the place to come if you are fed up with drinking the amber nectar (beer). Its East-West fusion food is also imaginative – where else can you find Crispy Fried Wok and Roll Sushi (popular with the Japanese despite the pun) and Korean Spiced Salmon with Wasabi Sauce? Cold tapas cost USD8 (SGD13.60), but the real treat is its to-die-for chocolate cake, which literally oozes piping hot liquid chocolate into your mouth.

RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, BARS MACAU

Scour the simply must-try food spots and hit the party after dinner for a memorable experience in Macau. By Lois Iwase

Porto Bar

The Westin Resort, Macau, 1918 Estrada de Hac Sa, Coloane
+853 871 111
5pm to 1am

Discriminating singles can find their way to Coloane and the Porto Bar at the Westin Resort, a more intimate kind of place that’s “cool, trendy and romantic,” according to one expat habitue.  With its elegant architecture, unobtrusive service and tasteful music, the romantic Porto Bar is reminiscent of Macau’s more refined pre-casino past. Enjoy Portugal’s best Port wine along with other vintages, fine vodkas and top-of-the-range cigars in a setting replete with sweeping South China Sea views, nearby manicured seaside gardens, and the unspoiled Coloane hills.

Old Taipa Tavern

21 Rua dos Negociantes, Taipa Village, Macau
Noon to 1am

East is East and West is West – but the twain meet right here at this tavern in Taipa village. Order typical pub food like steak and onion pie washed down with a pitcher of sangria. Pick a dish of bacalhau friters (pasteis de bacalhau) to go along with your pint of Stella Artois, or some spring rolls accompanied by a fine French wine.  Las Vegas types from the nearby Cotai Strip mix and mingle with locals in the elegantly refurbished village house for lunch, dinner and the friendly atmosphere of a neighbourhood pub after work. Drinks are 25 per cent off during happy hours from 4pm to 8pm.

Mix Asian

Mei Keng Gardens, Rua Braganca, Taipa, Macau
+853 842 724
Noon to 3pm; 6pm to 11pm

Mix Asian serves up Asian food with a Nepalese flair for lunch and dinner in a softly-lit restaurant on one of Taipa’s back streets. Even though it’s tucked away from the busier parts of town, it is not hard to find – just follow the tempting aroma of East Asian spices.

Ghimire Pramond, the proprietor imports his hand-picked ingredients from Nepal, India and Hong Kong to prepare the scrumptious fish tikka, creamy rasmalai and mouth-watering curries, and imports good wines available at reasonable prices. Word of mouth is quickly leading locals to discover this new eatery, so reservations are advised.

360° Café

Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center
Largo de Torre de Macau Macau
+(853) 933 339
Weekdays 11.30am to 3pm; 7pm to 10.30pm; and tea buffet 3.30pm to 5pm

An afternoon of adventure at Macau Tower is not to be missed, but it can work up a king-sized appetite. Luckily, you don’t have to come down from the clouds to enjoy the authentic Portuguese and Asian buffet at the revolving 360° Café, more than 300 metres above the ground. Its huge windows offer stunning panoramic views of the city and the Pearl River Delta region.