South Beach Avenue, which is the retail side of the swanky new South Beach development, was in the news when it opened with venues like Vatos Urban Tacos and The Armoury Gastrobar; and now months later, there’s been another slew of openings, including a microbrewery and a glam club. Here’s what’s new.
Alchemist Beer Lab
Touted as Asia’s first and only infusion beer lab is a new venture by the team behind microbrewery-pub Little Island Brewing Co., glamorously located at South Beach. Beer lovers will be privy to 16 pretty looking and advanced beer infusion towers, adding more variety to the recently booming local beer scene. Out of the 16, eight of them consist of familiar draft beers such as the Sister Golden Ale, Singapore Pale Ale and That Old Black Magic (this one won a Gold Medal at this year’s Asia Beer Awards), all of which ($12-$15) are also available at Little Island Brewing Co. The bar bites menu is a Modern-European tapas-style affair with dishes like the slow-cooked pork cheeks with sweet red cabbage, yogurt, cabernet syrup and pig ears ($16); and duck fat chips with sprinkled with chipotle salt and preserved lemon aioli ($12). #B1-16 South Beach Avenue, 26 Beach Rd., open Mon-Thu & Sat noon-midnight; Fri noon-2am.
Caffe Vergnano 1882
Located in the basement of South Beach Avenue, this 114 sq. meter space is all about the Italian oak walls, wooden floorboards and brown-eco leather banquettes, not to mention a big eight-by-six meter LED wall that can be see from the upper levels of the mall. The main highlight lies in their exclusive 1882 Espresso blend, and a slow roasting process that takes 18-22 minutes instead of the more common “turbo toasting” which takes 5-6 minutes. They have your usual cappucinos, flat whites and lattes–all of which go for $4.50-$5.50, but they also have their house specials like the Caffe Gianduja and the 1882 Bicerin ($6-$7). Cold press juices ($9) are also available but don’t expect to have a feast there. Light bites include creamy chicken and mushroom pie ($11.80) and a spinach and salmon quiche ($9.80). For something a bit more substantial, there’s the beef lasagne ($11.50) or cannelloni with bechamel sauce ($9.50). #B1-17 South Beach Avenue, 26 Beach Rd., open Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-6pm.
Penthouse
Besides the F&B establishments that have popped up at South Beach, there’s also a new glamorous nightlife spot, adding on to Singapore’s already vibrant nightlife scene. Operated by Massive Collective, the same guys who run the current Empire rooftop ultra lounge and Bang Bang, not to mention the aforementioned Vators and Armoury, Penthouse promises a debaucherous night of partying. They’ve just had their soft launch last weekend, an Ultra after-party with DJ Tinc on deck duties. Up next is their three-day Race Weekend, with female DJs from Jakarta, KL and of course, Singapore. Look out for more updates here. 36 Beach Rd., open Fri, 10:30pm-3am; Sat, 10:30pm-4am.
Quaich Bar at South Beach
Whisky lovers should try Quaich’s second outlet at the retail section of the exciting new South Beach development. Quaich brings you the same whisky bar experience you know and love with a few bells and whistles and over 500 whiskies to offer with many of them— including some of the oldest and rarest—available by the glass. Exciting drams include the rich, fruity Springbank 16 Year Old Local Barley ($38), the spicy Kilkerran Calvados Single Cask ($37) which is limited to just 60 bottles in Singapore and the creamy, herbaceous Glenglassaugh 40 Years Old Vintage 1973 ($156). As for the food situation, think bar bites with a big upgrade – a Scottish cheese plate ($21), Scottish smoked deep sea salmon ($24), jamon iberico (from $24) and more. #01-16 South Beach Avenue, 30 Beach Rd. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-1am.
