PARCHED | HAPPY HOUR

is We’re not talking about senseless binge drinking (one-hour free flow until you speak Swahili), or the cheapest deals ever (your kopitiam). We’re talking about specials that lets you appreciate spirits and cocktails like a champion, while helping you save a buck or a few. These are the most interesting happy hour deals ever.

MO BAR

Two words: Champagne + Oysters.

Every Wednesday from 6-10pm, at MO Bar, guests can enjoy a special happy hour offering of two hours of free flow New Zealand Pacific oysters and Ruinart champagne. The oysters are top notch, I managed to put away 21 of those. The champagne helped. Service was great too, they don’t skimp of their offerings, of which there are two:

• Free flow Ruinart Champagne + oysters for two hours at S$68++ (S$48++ for an hour extension thereafter)

• Free flow Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne + oysters for two hours at S$98++ (S$68++ for an hour extension thereafter.)

MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. 5 Raffles Ave., Level 4

PROPELLER

There are nine new signature cocktails here inspired by the sun, sea and sand, which, like it or not, leads to puns like Seatini and Sand-hattan (above). Don’t let the names of these cocktails make you (sun)scream, they’re pretty good, especially if you can still make their July promo – the cocktails are going at a promotional $10 each during Happy Hours (5 to 8pm daily). Otherwise, it’ll still be a bargain at $15, at this nice rooftop bar where you can soak up some pre-Sentosa vibes. The Sand-hattan is served on a bed of edible almond ‘sand’, and is worth a punt. The Chill Pill is bar manager Haran’s take on the classic Penicillin, while the Bloody Sand! (you’ve guessed it – a Blood & Sand) has cinnamon reduction, sweet vermouth and cherry liqueur. $15 yo!

Propeller @ Bay Hotel, 50 Telok Blangah Road, Singapore 098828. Tel: +65 6818-6663.

LIMEHOUSE

trouble limehouse happy hour

By Natasha Sivanandan

Our fav Carribean bar/restaurant has gone to the Trouble to get them to brew up special beers for a limin’ happy hour. The new crafts include an Allyuh Lager, Steel Drum Summer Ale, Bess Pils and Bago Pale Ale, and were brewed to match the Limin’ Beer & Bites Menu, which includes tasties like crab springrolls, mac balls, jerk chicken skewers, mini beef patties, Caribbean nachos with plantain chips.

trouble limehouse happy hour

What you get: $65++ for a bucket of 5 exclusive Trouble Brewing beers, and two plates from the bar bites menu. What’s the Caribbean word for ‘deal’? Yeah, ‘Zest’!

Limehouse, 2 Jiak Chuan Road.

ARTICHOKE

Two words: Bjorn Shen. Two more: MasterChef Singapore. We were at Artichoke the day before the news broke that Shen was to be one of the judges. He’d sneakily kept the info from us. Not that, you know, we’d have judged his dishes and drinks any different. After all, he’s only just back to the mothership after managing Bird Bird for two years (sadly that has shuttered). So what’s up? Two words: New menu. Killer mezzes. Crazy decor. Hang Time. Batched Cocktails. Comfort food. Middle East.

The mezzes are still dope, especially the new dish Iraqi Spiced Mushrooms. Also top form, the Mentaiko Taraslamata, a bed of cod roe that swiped right with the charcoal-fired garlic bread. Also ugly but lovable are the Baklava Croissants, check out new flavour Sea Salt Burnt Honey.

And the Hot Prawn Skillet is still deservingly the fan’s fav.

sunday punch Artichoke

Let’s talk about Hang Time, their version of happy hour (4-7pm).

Crispy Wangs (drumlets) at $1 each. Hot chips $4. Sauces from 50cts to $3. The Wang Gang for all three = $25. Score! (There’s also the really ugly baklavas mentioned above).

Wines $8. Pilsner Urquell draft $9. That’s it, we’re done talking.

Artichoke, 161 Middle Road, tel: 6336-6949.

RUMOURS

Maybe you’ve heard, and it’s true, Bali’s award-winning casual dining restaurant and bar is now in Singapore – Holland V in fact. The food is casual, comforting and copious, especially the platters. The generous German Platter ($59.8, above) comes with pork knuckles, veal escalope, pork sausage and sides. The 1.2kg Fiorentina bistecca is a veritable monster at $89.8 as well. (What’s with the 80cts?)

The pasta dishes are more than accomplished, with full flavours and toothsome textures (Rumours and Ultimo in Bali have the same owners).

Highlight is the Liquid Buffet: From 8pm-12mn everyday, it’s $35++ for two hours of free flow. That’s beers, cocktails, spirits, shots, wines. Two hours. There’s live music Mon-Thurs, and clubby music on weekends – vibe is loud and Seminyak-ish.

!! We’re not showing any cocktail photos ‘cos it all comes with a surfeit of straws – even a glass of water is served with a straw. The shot is served with a straw… Sigh. We highlighted it to them (#smug). The Proof Flat by EC Co sells straws made from potato starch btw. #JustSoYouKnow

Rumours, 24A Lor Mambong, Holland Village, tel 6463-5053. No lunch, opens 5pm.

WOLFGANG’S STEAKHOUSE

You wanna start early? Like early early? Happy Hour at the acclaimed steakhouse is 3pm-6pm. The signature cocktails Wolfgang Sling and Orchard Road, both $15, could kick it off, but if you prefer something less sweet or citrusy, then beer it. Draughts at $10 and the Robert Mondavi housewines are $15. The best part is the afternoon snacking, the Veggie Burger Sliders (above, $12) and the complimentary crisps, all salty and crunchy, is one of the best we’ve ever had.

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, 1 Nanson Road, #02-01, InterContinental Singapore, Robertson Quay, tel: 6887-5885.

CIN CIN

cin cin gin bar dirty martini

Cin Cin, 6-8pm, weekdays.

Martinis one-for-one, and they have a great selection of gins. Read about their gins here

100 Peck Seah Street, #01-02, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Tel 6385-2604

FAT PRINCE

Fat Prince

Fat Prince, 4-7pm, Mon-Fri

$10 beer and wine specials and $12 spiked sodas (homemade sodas with a shot of spirit of choice). And the modern Eastern fare – glorious.

Read about Fat Prince here

44 Peck Seah Street, Tel: 6221-3683.

GINETT

ginette happy hour

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar, Tuesdays Only

Maybe the best deal is no deal: Any four ladies in a group will get a free bottle of Provence rosé or brut cremant, without any purchase. What a world we live in! But do the right thing and spring for some side dishes at least, the fries and sandwiches will work, but we recommend the rotisserie-style poule – a whole chicken at only $24.

Hotel G, 200 Middle Road, Tel 6809-7989

HUMPBACK

Humpback

Humpback, 5-8pm, daily

You can order oysters for $3 and cocktails at $14: Basil & Hendricks gin tonic; St Germain Ederflower Spritz with lemon, prosecco and soda; White Negroni with Cocchi Americano and Suze; and Bulleit Bourbon Old Fashioned with demerara sugar and angostura bitter. The fresh oysters are from Washington, USA.

Read about Humpback here

18-20 Bukit Pasoh Road, Tel: 6750-4461.

KABUKE

kabuke sake

Kabuke, 5pm – 7pm.

Selection of house sakes for only $7. The sakes will rotate because it’s seasonal quaff (read: return and be surprised by the new stuff).

Aprés happy hour, stay for dinner. I like the feel of this gastrobar, with just the right touch of moody lighting and theatrical display of sake bottles. Order a sake flight (at the moment Tengumai, bottle on right, is being served, read about it here.) You can customise it to suit your palate, and let them order the dishes for you – the food has been paired to best enhance its full umami flavours. (Everything we tasted was pretty good, but avoid the cheese pairing, take it frommage, it doesn’t work.)

Recommended: The Kabuke Beef Bowls – Gyudon ($15), Wagyu Suki Bowl ($18) and Wagyu Bowl ($28), with available add-ons including freshly flown-in Uni and Foie Gras. Most dishes in here are full-flavoured, with sauces, spices, and styles all doing karate chops in your mouth.

Alternatively, create you own special Mini Umami Bombs, with a base of Japanese Rice, Pickles and Seaweed, with choice of Negitoro, Hotate, Iberico Jamon, Smoked Salmon, Ikura, Tuna Tataki and toppings like Salted Egg Fish Skin and Ebiko, finished with Truffle Shoyu, Honey Ponzu or Garlic Shoyu.

Then order another sake flight.

Kabuke, 200A Telok Ayer Street, tel: 8822-5525.

KILO LOUNGE

Kilo_Lounge-Macha_Sake

Kilo Lounge, 11pm-1am, Thursdays only.

Put your hands in the air… and hail the return of Ladies First to Kilo Lounge. There’s beats by DJ Justo & DJ Tang, and ladies can enjoy a free flow of special Ladies First cocktails from 11PM-1AM. (It’s a club, so happy hour starts late, so sue me!). Men get a 1-for-1 deals on selected drinks from 10PM-1AM.

Kilo Lounge, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road

LOOF

Loof Bar

Loof, Beat the Clock, weekdays

Don’t loof out on this. Better quickly faster go. House spirits and wines by the glass priced according to the hour:

5:00pm – 5:59pm – $5++

6:00pm – 6:59pm – $6++

7:00pm – 7:59pm – $7++

331 North Bridge Road, #03-07, Odeon Towers Extension Rooftop.

SECRET MERMAID

kelly d'cruz secret mermaid

The Secret Mermaid, 5-7pm, Mon-Fri

For every Happy Hour cocktail ordered ($14++), you can order a plate of sashimi for $5. Pssst, there’s free Tater Tots if you ask for it. (Ask for it).

Read about The Secret Mermaid here

10 Collyer Quay, B1-08 Ocean Financial Centre

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