Amid the surge of Tay Tay news during her recently concluded six-night concert run at the National Stadium, we couldn’t help but notice that the pop star seemed to have a favourite restaurant in Singapore. No, not three Michelin-starred French fine-diner Odette. Nor was it too-cool-for-school Aussie BBQ restaurant Burnt Ends. Or even, hmm, zi char joint Keng Eng Kee, a hotspot with foreign celeb foodies. Instead, Taylor Swift dined not once, but twice at the kitschy-chic modern Japanese restaurant Koma in Marina Bay Sands in the short time that she was in town.

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According to eagle-eyed netizens, Taylor was first spotted at the semi-swish diner on 28 February, a day after she arrived in Singapore before her gigs started. She was seen at Koma again on 8 March after her fifth concert, where she supped late at night with her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and flew into Singapore to be with her.

Why did Taylor Swift choose to dine there twice within just slightly over a week? Why not whack something more quintessentially Singaporean like chilli crabs and durian instead at a hawker joint? Well, there’re less chances of being mobbed by the hoi polloi here, for one. Secondly, well, we’re not quite sure.

It looks like a mashup of Kyoto and… Las Vegas, sorta

Imagine Kyoto by way of Las Vegas — that pretty much sums up Koma’s ostentatious  theatre-style setting. After all, it’s co-owned by American hospitality group Tao (and MBS), which also owns other similarly lavish, showy concepts like nightclub Marquee. The 230-seater diner opened in 2019 and boasts a dramatic 20-metre long torii gate passageway at its entrance.

The fancy 230-seater restaurant is adorned with other exotic oriental decor like an arched red bridge and a massive Japanese bell.

Koma has a private room, yet Taylor sat in the main dining room 

From TikTok videos circulating the internet, Taylor chose to dine at the 174-seat main dining room, instead of Koma’s 26-seat private dining room located on the mezzanine floor.

We can’t help but wonder why the mega star chose to eat with the normies and have her experience inevitably filmed by onlookers (her bodyguard told diner Sho Takei off for filming her - his video made the rounds online, including this story). Was the private dining area already occupied? Could she not book the entire restaurant at short notice for her party? Or perhaps the humble singer just wanted a regular dining experience like us mere mortals? 8days.sg reached out to the PR reps for Koma, who told us they declined to comment on anything to do with Tay Tay’s visits. Boo. 

Last orders at Koma are at 11.30pm… unless you’re Taylor Swift?

While Takei mentioned he spotted Taylor around 7.45pm on 28 Feb at Koma, the star apparently went back to the restaurant close to midnight on 8 March, after her concert ended. Last orders at Koma are taken at 11.30pm and it closes at midnight, so we suspect that the restaurant extended its opening hours for what’s currently the biggest pop star in the world. But of course. 

There are 9 elevated tables in the main dining room, like Taylor’s

Both times, Taylor dined at a semi-enclosed six-seater table perched on a circular platform near a flight of stairs leading to the mezzanine. Wrapped around half the table is a waist-high railing, which doesn’t really cover much. To be honest, this elevated table likely made Tay Tay more conspicuous to other diners, if you ask us. Guess ‘Mother’ is used to performing… we mean, dining, on a ‘stage’. That being said, her elevated table is the most private among the nine available as it’s tucked away on its own in a corner.

No, you can’t pre-book the same table as Taylor’s (maybe unless you’re Tay Tay)

8days.sg called Koma to check if it was possible to reserve the exact table the star occupied. While there are available tables from this Sunday (17 Mar), the staff informed us over the phone that it’s impossible to pre-book specific tables in the main dining room. “You can't select the [precise] seating as it’s subject to availability, but I can definitely help you leave a note,” she informed us politely.

Taylor sipped a cocktail in a martini glass from the restaurant’s bar

In the fan video, Taylor was seen with what seemed like a martini glass in her hand on her second night at Koma. At Koma’s bar and lounge, alcoholic beverages start from $25 for an Ichigo Sour (made with strawberry sake, lychee tea-infused syrup and lemon juice), and go up to $36 for one of their signature cocktails, called The Star Of The Show - a blend of champagne, butterfly pea gin and yuzu sake. 

Mod Japanese dishes the highlight, with $18 appetisers to $500 omakase sets

While it’s uncertain what dishes Taylor ordered during her two visits, Koma serves a variety of sushi, sashimi, robatayaki and tempura offerings, many with a contemporary twist.

Appetisers include the Salmon Pillows ($18), smoked avocado-filled puff pastries topped with slices of salmon sashimi, and the D.I.Y Spicy Tuna ($36), crispy rice cakes served on a wooden hand (yikes), accompanied with spicy tuna tartare and sweet soy sauce. 

More substantial — and pricey — eats include the Snow-Aged Niigata Wagyu Ribeye ($180 for 120g), or the omakase menu, which starts at $380 per pax for five courses and goes up to $500 for ten courses.

Koma Singapore is at #B1-67 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Ave, S018972. Open daily 11.30am - 3pm; 5pm - 12am. Tel: 6688 8690. More info via their website

Additional reporting by Florence Fong

Photos: TikTok/garygaryocp, X/Swifferupdates, Instagram/TaylorSwift, Koma Singapore

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