4 restaurants with a great gourmet bar menu

SINGAPORE — Where do you go for good food with great drinks? Here are more restaurants that offer inspired bar-side grub.

1. MAISON IKKOKU (20 KANDAHAR STREET, TEL: 6294 0078). A cafe centred on quality coffee by day and cocktail bar by night, Maison Ikkoku now serves an elegant bar menu designed by Chef Kenjiro Hashida of the hugely popular Hashida Sushi (yes, the son of Tokyo’s famed master sushi chef); with input from Maison Ikkoku’s master mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong, of course. The menu, Alimentaire Vol.01, includes clever bites like the Parmagiano-Mushi, a twist on the Chawanmushi, pairing its familiar silky texture with an oozing surprise of cheese. The foie gras macaron needs no explanation, though the same can’t be said about a dish dubbed The Soil. The latter is a combination of varying ingredients such as freeze-dried sea chicken (that’s tuna for the uninitiated) and beef chorizo pounded to mimic the consistency of earth, served with fresh tomatoes, basil and burrata. The latest addition is a less cryptic salmon burger — salmon marinated with sake and yuzu, deep-fried to a golden crisp and served with radish, lettuce and Japanese mayo.

2. BACCHANALIA’S B BAR (23A COLEMAN STREET, TEL: 6509 1453). Head mixologist Mark Thomas’ ’80s-inspired tipples are cleverly poised to accompany a selection of hot food comprising items from the main menu and a few bar-side exclusives. Yes, you can also get your fill of boneless chicken wings and umami fries (crisp French fries laced with kombu). But beyond the bar snacks are heartier dishes, from classics like a Macaroni & Cheese made with four decadent cheeses — scamorza, gruyere, comte and parmesan — and steak tartare, to unexpected ensembles such as confit violet artichokes with buffalo mozzarella, and citrus cured hamachi (amberjack) with pickled starfruit and garlic-walnut praline. There’s even a serving of confit chicken leg with keluak nut risotto, pickled lemon and rum-raisins.

3. SAHA (9A DUXTON HILL, TEL: 6223 7321). Innovative interpretations of regional Indian cuisine are the reason diners flock to this place. Its Terrace Tapas menu, though, reads a bit more conventional, with offerings such as baked samosas served with chutney foam, and a seldom-seen Goan mushroom chilli fry. The menu is designed to complement Indian-inspired cocktails such as its Grand Old Monk Dark Rum mojito and includes roasted milagu prawns, seasoned with crushed black pepper, onion, tomato and curry leaves, as well as the Pashmina Chicken Supreme Kebab spiced with a mace and cardamom marinade, toasted pistachio and saffron sauce.

4. TIPPLING CLUB (38 TANJONG PAGAR ROAD, TEL: 6475 2217). Where modern gastronomy reigns, even the humble bar snack enjoys an intuitive spin. There’s clearly more to a grilled cheese sandwich as far as Chef Ryan Clift is concerned. Due to its popularity, the restaurant now offers Charred Peppers with a siphoned non-gluten soya and wasabi sauce (previously only available as a pre-dinner treat) on the bar snacks menu. And here, strawberries and cream mean vanilla ice cream wrapped in a strawberry gel. But its most popular snack to date is the grilled cheese sandwich — with house-preserved truffle (fermented in Nuka for three months) and jamon, that is. Also on the menu: Scallop ceviche with celeriac remoulade, and the house wagyu pastrami sandwich, prepared with pickles, mustard and a little gruyere. Don mendoza