Famous American soft-serve brand Little Damage have recently opened their doors to a second location at the heart of Singapore’s original indie enclave – Haji Lane. Attracting city-dwellers and tourists of all ages, the new intimate space is the perfect respite from a day of exploring sunny Singapore.
Staying true to the brand’s aesthetic, Little Damage retains its monochromatic black-and- white gingham interiors and signature phrases emblazoned in red neon signages, while offering the ideal location for picturesque Instaworthy spots - perfect for patrons to pose with their photo-ready icy creations. The free-to-use photobooth is perfectly situated for customers to take fun-shots in the form of classic photo strips as memorabilia.
Little Damage celebrates the opening of its flagship location with the unveiling of a new indulgent flavour, Strawberries and Cream (S$7). Centred around celebrating and recapturing happy summer memories, this pastel pink soft serve is the ultimate sweet-tooth’s treat. The pastel pink hue contrasts perfectly with the pitch black, handcrafted charcoal cones (additional S$1). To intensify the experience, pair with a second flavour (additional $0.50) with choices such as neon blue Unicorn Tears (S$7) or classic melt-in-your-mouth Coffee Caramel.
Their bubble waffle creations are not just Instagrammable, they are also loaded with generous toppings, promising each of their customers with a satisfying sweet treat.
Tipo 00, also known as “doppio zero” or “granero tero” originates from Italy. It is a type of wheat flour which is smooth and almost silky to the touch.
Tipo Pasta Bar is about the celebration of artisanal produce – the pasta at Tipo are handcrafted using high quality ingredients and the re-imagination of how flavours can be combined and elevated using its surrounding elements. The permutations of pasta and flavours such as Dill & Lemon Fettucine and Saffron Fusilli are among many others that are made from scratch.
Servings are in two sizes, Regulare ($9.90) & Grande ($12.90), each with the option of a combination of shapes and flavours. The pastabilities are endless!
A new chapter to a distinctive and unforgettable whiskey adventure story opens this month with the launch of The Whiskey Library. Ensconced within the ornate and luxurious interior of The Vagabond Club, Singapore’s preeminent luxury boutique hotel with 41 individualistic and elegantly appointed rooms and suites, the Whiskey Library offers over 1,000 bottles of thoughtfully curated rare and refined award-winning whiskies from around the world, and comes with a Membership Programme to beguile guests with a love of whiskey and give them access to the captivating vagabond experience.
Adventure awaits within the vintage art deco exterior of The Vagabond Club. Each room within the luxurious hotel is an oasis of comfort and calm bathed in natural light, bearing the touch of the genius French designer Jacques Garcia, executed in his renowned over-the-top, maximalist panache with Parisian-chic flair.
With the unique Membership Programme, guests who sign up will enjoy 10-room nights at The Vagabond Club (fully transferrable) as part of the S$3,000 annual membership fee.
Members will also have privileged access to 80 lockers, each with its own gilded and tasselled key, evocative of a bygone era of old world charm and hospitality, kept on-site in a specially designed wood-crafted armoire placed in a private space at The Vagabond Club’s salon.
Each locker will store up to 15 bottles of whiskey. Members can bring one of their own bottles for every two bottles purchased at The Whiskey Library. Members will also enjoy special bottle pricing, access to the Vagabond Club gym and reserved seating at regular Whiskey Club events and experiences.
Each bottle at The Whiskey Library has been carefully collected from the finest distilleries from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, the US and other countries around the globe, with the collection comprising predominantly single cask and limited-edition bottles. Just as with a great literary work, each bottle is a unique work of art that stirs the imagination, beguiles the mind and excites the spirit.
The creator behind The Whiskey Library is luxury hotelier Satinder Garcha. Motivated by his love and passion for artistry, Garcha has spent two years bringing his dream to realisation.
Designed for what Garcha calls “a club for vagabonds seeking a unique and hidden experience”, the warm and beautifully appointed Whiskey Library hosts up to 75 guests who, while relaxing and enjoying their whiskies, will be entertained with bespoke experiences such as specially curated sung and told Jazz stories, intimate theatre, book readings, artist evenings, musical showcases, and even independent film premieres. Guests will also be able to enjoy delightful small bites prepared by the Chef de cuisine at The Vagabond Club.
In keeping with the theme of artistry and luxury, the vitrines housing the whiskey collection and other crafted white spirits were designed and hand-crafted by local woodsman Mr Ng – one of the few remaining craftsmen in Singapore who continues to create unique furniture pieces. Designed to enhance the decadent elements of the hotel surrounds, the armoires feature brass claw feet to complement the similarly brass Allahbuksh-designed Rhino reception desk.
Akin to the Allahbuksh family from Rajasthan who crafted the enchanting Banyan Trees at The Vagabond Club, Mr Ng has contributed much to the artistry ambience in Garcha’s hotel portfolio.
Bespoke elements such as artisanal ice and an international selection of the finest of cigars, together with the extensive collection of whiskeys, bourbons, and other crafted spirits bring a truly complete and unique experience to guests of The Whiskey Library.
Popular and Kyoto-headquartered coffee chain, % Arabica has announced the location of their first Singapore outpost on its official instagram account. Currently the opening date of the cafe is not available but will be in several months. Be sure to check out their social media pages for updates.
% Arabica Coffee was founded in year 2014 by Japan-born Kenneth Shoji, who owns a coffee farm in Hawaii.
In Asia, % Arabica has stores in Japan, 3 in Hong Kong, 2 in China and 1 in the Philippines. It is also in Germany and several Middle East markets, with plans for Canada, France and Morocco too!
Chix Hot Chicken is an American South inspired fried chicken shack that serves Nashville Style Hot Chicken and Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken, with love. This new casual eatery is owned by 1st Singapore Idol winner, Taufik Batisah.
Other than Buttermilk Fried Chicken, one of their signatures is the Nashville Hot Chicken which is served with the world’s spiciest peppers!
The Nashville Hot Chicken is a Nashville specialty; fried chicken breaded & coated with spices, served with white bread & pickles.
How hot can you handle your chicken? Find out at Chix Hot Chicken.
Earlybird is a new cafe at Jalan Pinang which took over the spot of now-defunct Artistry and is also created by the folks behind Revelry.
Coffee at Earlybird is roasted by Allpress Espresso and this new cafe serves up brunch fare, sweets and pasta alongside milkshakes and tea too.
Visit this new cafe and order their Coco Espresso; which is house-made hotcake served with coconut ice cream, coffee jelly, toasted coconut and gula melaka.
Hipster bistro café LePak at Rayz has relocated from Selegie Road to Bussorah Street and will continue to serve their well-received and comforting Modern Asian food fare at the new address.
Signatures like Chili Crab Pasta and Pasta Sotong Hitam are not to be missed.
Atap is a non-alcoholic quintessential rooftop bar serving localised bespoke mocktails, located in the heart of Singapore’s heritage quarters, Arab Street.
With an amazing view, Atap is secretly located at one of the highest points of the area, nestled at the rooftop of a hipster hostel - Shophouse Hostel.
Atap is the first bar of its kind serving only non-alcoholic drinks and bespoke mocktails. All the drinks served at Atap are unique, just like their mocktails which are concocted using common herbs, fruits and spices from their very own garden to bring familiarity to your taste buds with a classic local twist. Every drink tells a story written deep within Singapore’s ancient history and folk legend. While you’re at it, come try their nostalgic nibblets and delicious bar snacks as well!
Going to Atap will transport you back to the colonial days of Singapore’s kampong past. Here you will take a trip down memory lane and relive back your younger days and get drunk on unbridled playfulness, fresh nostalgia and their favorite view of this heritage area.
p/s: you will need to climb 5 stories to reach the bar.
From production room to cup or cone, every batch of aROMA Gelato is the result of meticulously crafted recipes, hardworking and happy staff and sourcing the best quality ingredients they can find.
At aRoma, they keep things simple. They are extremely picky in choosing the best ingredients for their gelato -- they want the natural flavours to shine.
Their gelatos are fresh. They hand-make their gelatos daily, and store them in air tight pozettos prior to serving to ensure that they give you the best quality gelato in every spoonful.
They believe that good gelato will keep you coming back for more. When you get to the front of the line, they're all yours. So take your time to sample their flavours and ask their friendly scoopers about what makes them so special.
Panko is Singapore's sleekest and only kushikatsu restaurant brought to you by hospitality group Unlisted Collection.
The 70-seat restaurant specialises in kushikatsu or deep-fried skewers. Panko's excutive chef, Asai Masashi is from Osaka, where kushikatsu originated.
Offering more than 50 types of vegetable, meat and seafood skewers, you can view their menu here.
The Vintage Camera’s Museum, itself is set in the form of a Rolli camera, and the entry is shaped like a lens. There are around 1000 cameras on display right from replicas of the world’s biggest camera - the mammoth camera till the latest technological gadget, a 11 gram camera. Some of the other unique cameras which can be viewed in the museum are a walking stick camera, spy cameras, pigeon cameras, first 3D camera and pistol cameras to name a few. Besides, the museum also has on display, rare collection of photographs featuring interesting facets about photography including an authentic replica of the first ever photograph taken.
To understand any concept fully, one needs to understand its history. And so it goes with the camera as well. The Vintage Camera’s Museum features a detailed documentary on the evolution of cameras and its journey thus far. It also caters to the curious minds by screening interesting documentaries on some of the unique cameras of those days. One such invention was the pigeon camera.
In addition, the Vintage Camera’s Museum also has a rare collection of negatives, film rolls and books on photography.
A distinct feature of the museum is that one can take a ‘selfie’ with Lumiere Brothers, who were the pioneers in photography. Lumiere Brothers were French inventors and pioneer manufacturers of photographic equipment who devised an early motion-picture camera and projector called the Cinématographe.
Some of the cameras on display can be touched and felt for a complete hands-on experience. There is also a guided tour to help visitors appreciate the functionality and limitations of the cameras.
After over a year of restoration and upgrading works, the iconic Sultan Mosque - located at the heart of Kampong Glam - now comes complete with a rejuvenated look as well as new and expanded amenities.
Some of these include elderly friendly features such as two new lifts, each located at the south of the mosque's main building and the other at its annex building. This will enable elderly congregants as well as those with special needs to gain access to its higher floors.
Works to restore and upgrade the mosque started back in August 2014, and cost an estimated S$3.65 million.
An independent store based in Singapore that is all things design, Plus Minus has opened on Arab Street.
They love design. It encompasses every aspect of our life. Plus Minus is a store dedicated to showcasing good design. They appreciate the extra that is undertaken to accomplish a final product, and the extra mile taken above the rest.
This store is for you, for them, for everybody. What they showcase are items that they would ultilise, and they hope to share that interest with you too.
At times they attempt to balance the range of handmade and mass produced items in order to mantain a beautiful co-existence between man and machine - It would be nice if one checks back from time to time to discover whats lurking within. Surprise yourself.
FRESH! is a laid-back bar that serves a good mix of clever cocktails and crafty liquor blends, as well as good beers and other premium pours.
Located on the second floor of The Sultan, it pays homage to the chill vibes and head-bobbing music of the 90s and early 00s. It is unreserved and unapologetic when it comes to serving a truly fun night, and FRESH! is where you want to “put your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don’t care”. It is the antithesis of pretentiousness and wants to be the place where all you need to do is simply get a drink, converse and have a good time.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the music gets turned up and FRESH! will have you grooving along to the jams that we all once rocked out to.
The Selfie Coffee cafe in Haji Lane offers customers a chance to have their photographs printed on a cup of coffee that is topped with whipped cream.
After ordering their drink, customers are invited to take an on-the-spot selfie with the cafe's smart devices, after which the photos are uploaded to the printing machine.
The selected photo is then "printed" onto the whipped cream layer to create an exact colour copy.
Props such as oversized sunglasses and flowers are also provided for the shoots, and shy customers can even take their photos in private behind a black curtain.
Alternatively, they can also bring their own pictures. Some unusual requests have included anniversary portraits, pictures of celebrities and idols and even photos of pets.
To achieve the ideal selfie effect, the drink should be cold so that the photo can last longer, up to about an hour, compared to five minutes on hot ones.
Aside from the selfie coffee, the cafe, which can seat about 30 people, also sells pies and cakes to complement the drinks.
From the good folks at Unlisted Collection, LongPlay is a hip new bar and lounge that transports you back in time with their curated collection of vintage records, classic tipples and casual nibbles. Nestled between Haji Lane and Arab Street, LongPlay offers a cosy chill out where guests can indulge in old school aural pleasures and fresh nostalgia.
Named after phonograph records, LongPlay brings the groove into its enclave situated between Haji Lane and Arab Street. With its assortment of over 3000 vinyl-only titles in tow, audiophiles can expect records from the glorious eras of the 1950s to the 1970s spanning across genres such as Jazz, Motown, Blues and Glam-rock.
Featuring state of the art sound system such as turntables from Wilson Benesch, that deliver impressively rich yet neutral sonic performance, award-winning amplifiers from Jadis providing superb smoothness and highly accurate wide-dispersion speakers from ATC that brings out the best of vinyl. The lounge makes for a perfect space for music aficionados looking to immerse in the vinyl experience. Guests looking for something more upbeat can also stick by the bar. With the open concept kitchen and bar providing full view of the bartenders and staff in action, the bar makes for easy conversations between guests and staff.
The cocktails at LongPlay pay homage to iconic musicians and quintessential tracks from the past, with subtle and playful references in the garnishes or in the choice of spirit that best reflect the icon. A selection of craft beers, wines and spirits are also available on the drinks menu while fuss-free, flavourful bar snacks are available to satiate peckish demands.
To satiate peckish demands, LongPlay offers an approachable menu that serves up fuss-free yet flavourful bites while the cocktails pay homage to iconic musicians and quintessential song tracks from the past.