Secret No More

Skipping Singapores signature rooftop bars, Shikha Pushpan goes underground in search of hidden watering holes and speakeasies, enjoying one drink at a time.

“AN AVERAGE SINGAPOREAN EARNS around `10,00,000 a month. And what follows is the pursuit of the 5Cs—Cash, Car, Credit Card, Condo, and Country Club.” “But, a new crop of millennials are rewriting this grand Singaporean Dream with their new Cs—Career, Change, (Internet) Connection, Competition, and Cash (in that order).”

I am audience to a heated conversation between my 50-something Malay guide, Jo, and Kyanta Yap, a people expert and storyteller in his early 20s, as we walk past signals and hawker markets to slip into the mysterious, after-dark world of Singapore. My pursuit for the night: hunting down the secret bars and speakeasies that outshine the eclectic nightlife of Singapore.

“These ‘secret’ bars and restaurants are out there in plain sight, but you will need the instincts of a local to spot them,” Jo insists, as we stand before an inconspicuous white wall, sans any signage, on Hong Kong Street. “This is it?” I ask, eager to open the wooden door that could easily be mistaken for the front door of a regular studio apartment. As we inch closer, we’re greeted by a small wooden plank, the size of a blackboard duster, that reads 28 HKS (28hks.com)— it’s the only sign of the intriguing world that lies beyond. Inside, craft cocktails and truffle mac and cheese balls are passed around in a lean crowd, most in their mid-30s, who occupy low-lit, booth-style interiors as Clapton’s After Midnight fills the room. Still awestruck by the discreet nature of the place, I down a Five Foot Assassin, the bar’s playful twist on the frozen daiquiri, and soak in the vibe of the place, known to its patrons only through word-of-mouth recommendations, before slipping out for my next adventure.