Weekend Haunts: Bar Bites @ Spiffy Dapper + The Hotel Vagabond Bar

Yes, we can

Friday is upon us. Naturally, some of us would gear up for a tipple or maybe two as the work day draws to an end and the anxiety weighs less heavily on the mind. It's the freakin' weekend people, let loose, and live a little.

Not so visible to the naked eye, Singapore does a few things very well, one of them being their cocktail bars. With such fabulous options in the city, we, Singaporeans have become quite discerning with our tastes and it takes something extra special to impress us.

I'm not about to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous Group meeting now, but I must admit to drinking a little too much for my own good. The gnawing pain at my back area suggesting some kind of liver inflammation from the copious amount of craft beer I've been ingesting over the past few days at Sydney Craft Beer Week. So here I am, ready to spread some of my love for my current two most outstanding cocktails bars of the moment. That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, the vote is in.

Spiffy Dapper

I know most of my homies would be rolling their eyes at the mention of this bar. Yes. I probably have talked about it a little too much, lauding praises about its excellent hand in Whisky Sours and modified Negronis. All that alongside the witty attitude of the owner, Abhishek Cherian George and his band of able staff; not to mention the schmick decor that the 1940s style cocktail bar retains. the makings of cocktails is taken to another level here, bringing back the theatrics of a bygone era, yet firmly grounded by principal ratios and formulas.

If you're peckish, the decision making process is rather straightforward. With only 3 mains and 8 sides on the menu, you pick the no-nonsense grub that most tickles your fancy.

Mine would be the Dapper Burger ($25) and the Tarte Flambe Au jardin ($20), the former may not be the immensely dirty deed that is the Mary's Burger but its 250g beef and pork patty packs in so much juice and flavor into the stack that its impossibly not to cast envious stares across the bar when someone orders one. The latter takes a bolder step forward. A thin and crispy pastry is served with smudgings of cauliflower puree and little pops of brightness stemming from sun-dried tomato, roasted pumpkin and feta cheese. The goodness that spills out and drapes the goods later from the caramelised egg yolk, creates an absolute knockout of a dish.

For smaller bites, set your sights on the Butter Garlic Shrimp ($15) and Classic Mac & Cheese ($12); theses delightful morsels would fill you up just right to prevent things from getting out of hand. Now you can proceed to squeeze in a couple more stems of that delicious Apple Cinnamon Whiskey Sour.

The best thing about this bar yet, is that they open 7 days a week. And if you're lucky (unlucky actually), you might even be able to get cocktails while the cafe is still open in broad daylight. It's a dangerous slippery slide from there.

The Spiffy Dapper

73 Amoy Street

Second Floor

S(069892)

T: 8233 9810

w: spiffydapper.com/

Operating Hours:

Mon - Fri: 5pm - late

Sat - Sun: 6pm - late

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The Bar @ The Hotel Vagabond

The newest kid on the block is The Bar @ Hotel Vagabond, Proof & Company's latest bar project at the art-driven Hotel Vagabond set up in the dingy neighborhood straddling Kampong Glam and notorious Jalan Besar. Here, Maurisio Allende heads the bar, of Mexican descent, he had picked up his experience back home in Canada and in Finland where he created his own HelsinGin with Finnish botanicals and spirit from Kyro Distillery. 2IC is Shahrul Ariffin Abdul Halim who used to helm the bar at Cufflink Club back in its hay days and Gusto Alfresco afterwards. With such immense horsepower behind the bar, its no wonder the drinks are top-notch.

The cocktail nirvana is not hidden behind dark glass doors in the hotel foyer, instead, the bar, in all its glory, is the first thing that greets the eye as you traverse into its grand halls. Enter this establishment and you will be transformed smack bang back to the glamorous 1940s. It's a Mad Men vibe, just a little more ostentatious, and its my kind of place.

Sip on a classic Bijou or Bloody Orange Margarita at the bar. I don't care. Everything is good, and if its not, the bartenders will happily take care of your grievances.

Before 10 30pm, get in on the bar menu, where the Unlisted Collection's 5th Quarter feeds patrons with its premium meats and affable snacks. The Pork Belly, Chicken and Manchego Cheese Toastie was all sorts of comfort food with the ratio of filling to bread, nailed. The spirited crackle that you get when you trail your knife against crust, instantly putting you in good spirits.

The Bar @ Hotel Vagabond

39 Syed Alwi Road

S(207630)

t: 6291 6677

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For more bespoke cocktail bars in Singapore, don't forget to download the AnyMap App on your android devices to get an insight into our cocktail nirvana.