BEYOND SINGAPORE

As the local dining scene gets more competitive, homegrown brands are expanding overseas with their innovative concepts

- Dudi Aureus

Singapore has always been an attractive destination for some of the world's top chefs and bartenders, who have brought outposts of their restaurants and bars, or introduced new F&B concepts, to our shores. Some recent examples include acclaimed Italian chef Massimo Bottura and renowned Italian bartender Dario Knox who opened fine casual Italian restaurant Torno Subito and speakeasy The Backdrop, respectively. But interestingly, in recent years, homegrown restaurants and bars, especially those who have made their mark overseas through culinary pop-ups, collaboration dinners and bar takeovers, are looking beyond the island to expand their culinary horizons.

For Indra Kantono and Gan Guoyi, who founded hospitality company Jigger & Pony Group in 2012 with a flagship cocktail bar of the same name, the decision to open cocktail bar Cosmo Pony in Jakarta, Indonesia, this July was influenced by their more than a decade of experience in the F&B industry and the learnings that came from operating seven restaurants and bars in Singapore. "We have significantly contributed to the building of Singapore's cocktail bar culture, as evident from the consistent showings on the Asia's 50 Best Bars and World's 50 Best Bars lists," shares Kantono, whose Jigger & Pony cocktail bar clinched the No 2 position on the Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023 ranking for three consecutive years and the No 14 spot on the World's 50 Best Bars 2023.