The Place After the successful revamp of Ginger at Parkroyal on Beach Road, Club 5 reopened few weeks ago and is looking gorgeous. Designed by award-winning Singapore-based designer Emma Maxwell, the space of Club 5 is inviting and contemporary, and it is hard to imagine that this space has a 34 years old history. The dim lighting adds to the bar ambience, where the space is designed in mind for various group sizes.
The centrestage of Club 5 has to be the beautiful bar, which showcases an impressive display of over 150 bottles of classics and exclusive creations.
The Food The bar menu revolves around different districts in Singapore in the vicinity of PARKROYAL on Beach Road. It is a specially curated cocktail menu through Beach Road, Arab Street and ending up at Bugis Street inspired by the distinct heritage in these districts. I know I am in good hands under Head Bartender Ong Jun Han.
A good bar needs good bar nibbles, and the food menu here is curated by Executive Chef Vincent Aw. The food menu is largely made up of Asian-inspired bites such as the Peranakan style Chicken Kueh Pie Tee with Buah Keluak Dressing (S$15), Homemade Wagyu Satay with Hazelnut Dip (S$12); and Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crabs with Singapore Chilli Crab Sauce (S$15).
My favourite of the lot is the soft shell crabs, which is crispy and delicious.
The Rantee loves the Wagyu satay if you are up for something fancy.
For something heavier, there is the Crispy Lamb Ribs with Mint Sauce (S$15), served with homemade Thai green mint sauce.
From Beach Road district, I had the 20 Houses Tonic (S$18), a mix of Aromatic Gin, Cardamom, Fresh Citrus and Classic Tonic. Refreshing as it sounds an extremely easy to drink, this is great for a start and the name comes from Stamford Raffles’ town plan back in 1822 where twenty large houses are set aside for European merchants. Interesting trivia.
From the Arab Street district, the signature drink is the Nasi Lema’rgarita (SGD20) which features the housemade Coconut Tequila shaken together with Spicy Pandan Syrup (infused in-house with chilli padi!), lime juice, dry curaçao and cucumber, and served with peanuts and anchovies. This sounds gimmicky, but is surprisingly not too bad. I like that it sounds very savoury on paper, while the flavour is rather subtle.
There is also the Merchant’s Old Fashioned (S$22) in the Arab Street menu, a concoction of Club 5 Spiced Rum, Dry Curaçao, Burnt Orange & Vanilla, and Aromatic Bitters.
From the Bugis Junction district, the Boogie Street (S$22) is a smoky London dry gin sour shaken with mezcal, apricot liqueur, agave syrup and violette liqueur (made with violet blossoms) cheekily served in a vintage coupe glass, with an ice ball, on a sequinned coaster. It is really a party drink in essence.
Other than alcoholic beverages, there are also mocktails such as the Calm Waters (S$15), a refreshing combination of pineapple, citrus, galangal and Thai ginger beer.
Rants Frankly, there isn’t much to rant about other than the fact that the location is not right beside an MRT station if you do not drive.
Will I Return Again? Club 5 is still relatively under the radar if you are seeking to check out a new bar. Prices are quite reasonable for a hotel bar, and the strong local element for its drinks and bar nibbles add to its character.
This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.
TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5
Club 5 at Parkroyal on Beach Road
7500 Beach Road
Singapore 199591
Tel: +65 6505 5699
Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 11am to 10:30pm
This content was originally published here.
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