Turning 10 in the bar industry is always an achievement. Nutmeg & Clove celebrates this feat with a new interior, food and plenty of drinks
What’s it like at Nutmeg & Clove?
Founder Colin Chia is one proud Singaporean. At Nutmeg & Clove, he commits his team to taking guests down Singapore’s memory lane, peddling its different bits of history through food and drink. This year (or May, to be exact) marks a decade of Nutmeg & Clove, and the bar is celebrating it with a new look and menu. Step into its comfy digs on Purvis Street and check out its new logo, splashed across its glassware and crockery. Everything is dressed in pink, from the walls to the staff jackets, ringing in another decade of joy and infectious fun.
What should one order?
Nutmeg & Clove is consistently ranked among the World’s and Asia’s 50 Best Bars, so you know the drinks are going to be good. Led by Shelley Tai, the group director who previously shook up the Hong Kong bar scene, there is a list of 25 cocktails, from crowd favourites to new creations. Each cocktail goes for S$25 a pop, and is concocted to recall key Singaporean events over the past 10 years.
Yam Seng, meaning ‘drink to victory’, is a classic wedding toast in Singapore that, we suppose, is shaken to glory. It’s a good one, especially if you like it tropical and creamy (mezcal, lemongrass, pandan, taro, lemon and cream) in your mouth. The Golden Jubilee, on the other hand, harkens back to 9 August 2015, when Singapore turned 50. It celebrates our nation’s big year with the whole shebang: the nutty, floral and fruity notes of Rémy Martin 1738 cognac, frangelico, marigold, pineapple, honey and pink peppercorn.
As for the food, it is left in the hands of Bernstein Lim, the head chef who cut his teeth at 28 Hong Kong Street and Rebel Rebel Wine Bar. As an ode to the melting pot of Asia, one can only expect elevated local dishes jazzed with a variety of cultures. Suan Pan Zi, or yam abacus seeds, pays tribute to the Hakka community; the ‘seeds’, bigger than usual, are stir-fried with wood ear, shiitake mushrooms, shallot dust and toasted buckwheat, before getting topped with an onsen egg. Equally good is the Fried Carrot Cake, where crispy turnip ‘cake’ is served with bacon relish sauce and homemade sambal.
What else is there to know?
On the same street is Nutmeg & Clove’s sister bar, Last Word, where classic cocktails and Japanese dishes are served. There’s also happy hour from 5pm to 7pm; that’s when select cocktails are priced at S$16 and bowls of oden are served at no charge.
Nutmeg & Clove
8 Purvis Street,
Singapore 188587
Tel: 65 9389 9301
