We’ve always found the The Club to be an inappropriately named establishment. First of all, it’s a hotel—with no clubbing nor membership elements to speak of—that has taken over several heritage shophouse spaces atop Ann Siang Hill. With a name like The Club, images of hard partying and raucous nights come to mind. But there’s never any of that there, unless you count the DJ nights at Ying Yang (now Tiger’s Milk) a thing.
Well, all that’s changed now with 8M Real Estate taking over the corner property formerly managed by Harry’s International. They’ve renamed the place Ann Siang House to better convey the legacy and homeliness of the refurbished place, introduced new F&B concepts while getting rid of old ones, and gave it a distinct blue coat to its ground floor exterior. Plus, the red window panes are all gone.
Inside, the 20 rooms have undergone only minor works, getting an update to its in-room amenities, since the old owners refurbished rather recently anyway. You can also expect new common areas, furnishings and art pieces that liven up the space.
More interesting are the new restaurants and bars. Of all the old concepts, only Tiger’s Milk, a Peruvian rooftop bar, remains. Already garnering a strong following is Blue Label Pizza & Wine that has taken over the prime underground spot previously occupied by speakeasy B28. Opened late last year, Blue Label has been touted to offer the best pizza in town (though we disagree), and sees snaking queues daily. We’re more interested in their rotating epicurean pop-up program, which sees different brands taking over the ground floor spaces.
They’re kicking off with three brands—Perbacco, CULT and The Guild. The first is an Italian restaurant and bar serving up traditional comfort food, but stands out with an emphasis on lesser-known Northern specialties. Their wine list is supposedly stellar too.
CULT and The Guild actually occupies the same corner space in the hotel. The former is a pop-up coffee bar by the roasters behind Upside Down Coffee Alternatives on Amoy Street, operating in the daytime, while the latter is a contemporary eating house featuring a craft beer lineup by Hong Kong’s famed Young Master Brewery, which operates from 5pm till late. Hop heads will be happy to know that Young Master will be opening a permanent space in Singapore in May too. Until then, we’ll be busy sipping on their refreshing classic pale ale.
Ann Siang House opened since Mar 1, 2018. Rooms are now going at an opening special from $250 a night. More info here.
