With price hikes being the new norm in Singapore, having a meal or drink at a restaurant or bar can be tough on the wallet. However, a handful of owners are choosing to keep their menus affordable for their customers.
Says Gary Giam of 435AtHome, a family-friendly gastro bar along Race Course Road: "I'm not raising the prices of my food and drinks as I don't think it's right for us to be passing the cost on to the customer. Also, there is no GST charged when they dine here."
Over at Wiped Out Bar, a no-frills rooftop locale situated on the fourth floor of Beauty World Centre, crowds are drawn to its $8 Heineken beers on tap, and chicken nuggets and curly fries at $4 each. The hawker hangout, which opened in 2020, is even expanding with another branch at the nearby Sime Darby Centre in April.
In the Central Business District, Graft & Dagger, as well as Jekyll & Hyde along Neil Road, dole out ModSin sharing plates and craft cocktails, as well as Happy Hour deals on classic cocktails - margaritas, gin and tonics, and more at $15.
The best part about these gastro bars? You can't really go wrong with their fail-safe spread of comfort food and drinks. Plus, they offer an ambience that's perfect for casual get-togethers.
AFFORDABLE BEERS WITH A VIEW
WIPED OUT BAR
When it comes to cool drinking spots, Beauty World Food Centre in Bukit Timah may not be the first place that comes to mind, but trust us when we say Wiped Out Bar, which operates out of a hawker stall, bucks the trend.
Esta historia es de la edición February 2023 de Her World Singapore.
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Esta historia es de la edición February 2023 de Her World Singapore.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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TREASURE ISLAND
When plans to demolish the Merlion Tower on Sentosa were announced in 2019, some Singaporeans were sad to see one of the island's most iconic attractions go. After all, the quirky creature – with the head of a lion and the body of a fish – had been a significant part of their memories of Sentosa.The 37m-tall, 12-storey structure, completed in 1996 and designed by Australian sculptor James Martin, was a focal point for laser light shows and projections that transformed its ivory facade into a vibrant display of colours.The Merlion Tower was a popular attraction for families. Singaporean couple Anand and Vrunda Patel would often take their children there for outings. Vrunda, now 50, fondly recalls climbing the structure and admiring the views of Sentosa from the Merlion's mouth. “Outside the Merlion, there was a beautiful step garden with flowing water. I used to love walking there,” she shares.Years later, the statue, covered in dirt and grime, required a refresh. The demolition was not only part of a larger vision to connect Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in the north to the three beaches (Palawan, Tanjong and Siloso) on the island's south, it was also the start of a massive rebranding project to transform Sentosa from a recreational family destination to a premier lifestyle attraction.Today, Sentosa Sensoryscape stands in its place. Set within a lush landscape, the 30,000 sqm attraction features a 350m-long connector that leads visitors to six sensory gardens – where they can explore the gardens’ massive vessel-like sculptures, observe the various flora and fauna inhabiting the space, and interact with Instagrammable light displays through an augmented reality app after nightfall.“To attract younger visitors, our additional focus is on creating more authentic and immersive experiences, recognising that this demographic seeks deeper, more engaging interactions with the places they visit,” says Thien Kwee Eng, CEO, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC).Just as Sensoryscape is designed to create an otherworldly atmosphere after dark, the Sentosa Night Mode campaign, launched in August, aims to introduce the island as a day-to-night destination for both locals and tourists, who would typically only make day trips to Sentosa. In addition to more nightlife events – such as the recent Waterbomb Festival, which saw about 10,000 revellers partying to a live K-pop line-up – the initiative includes extended operating hours at key attractions, along with street performances and dining promotions.It’s a move that has boosted visitorship to the island, with total numbers reaching 16 million this year.“This is a 20 per cent increase in the number of visitors as compared to the same period last year,” reveals Kwee Eng.
TAKING THE LEAP
It’s 10 am on a Monday, and Gan Guoyi, 40, walks into Jigger & Pony with a set of dry-cleaned clothes – a picture of calm amid the aftermath of last night’s chaos. The Singapore bar recently secured a spot in the Top 5 of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list, announced in Madrid on Oct 23. To celebrate, she threw a three-night promotion from Nov 10, where customers enjoyed five premium cocktails for just $5 each at select bars like Gibson, Live Twice, Sugarhall, Como Pony Jakarta, and Jigger & Pony.Naturally, the event was a hit, and Guoyi, who was manning the guest list at Sugarhall, only managed a few hours of sleep the night before. Still, she arrives promptly to our photo shoot without complaints.
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