Bali’s award-winning Rumours Bar & Grill makes its way to Singapore—landing not in a beachside resort; but a cozy, accessible space to all in the Holland Village enclave. A suitable location, given the restaurant’s unbeatable drink deals and innovative cocktails.
Happy Hour is 5-8pm, where every purchase of a Rumours Tower or Heineken Tower comes with a free bar snack. After that, for $35 per person, enjoy a two-hour free-flow of drinks any time from 8-10pm; you’ll be spoilt for choice with the extensive drink list that includes spirits, single-shot mixes, classic cocktails, frozen margaritas and daiquiris, and mocktails.
Otherwise, it’s the fruity cocktails that are worth the visit. For an organic touch, the drinks menu incorporates ingredients grown in the garden behind the restaurant, and uses only real fruits. It’s the lightweight drinker’s dream with unique mixes like Passionate Kiss ($18), a gin-based passionfruit cocktail with a scoop of caramelized lychee to open up the palate; the vodka-based Call Me Sexy ($18), sweetened with fresh pineapple, lemongrass and strawberry; and Two Boyfriends ($18), yet another refreshing concoction of gin, plum and apple, to be taken with a shot of peach-infused Bailey’s liqueur. Whiskey fans will like the cheekily named Inside Me ($18), which comes with Triple Sec, peach, and your choice of Kahlua, Midori or Baileys served in a syringe.
For food, Rumours serves up a classic menu of grill and Western delights. A standout for obvious reasons is the 200-days grain-fed Australian Black Angus Florentina Bistecca ($89.80), a glorious 1.2kg sharing platter cooked sous vide and good for four. The steak is succulent, juicy and packed with heady flavor, with a side of sauteed potatoes and tomatoes so juicy they’ll remind you of grapes. They also do good pastas—specifically the Carbonara ($14.80), Aglio Olio ($8.80) and fettucine as part of the Grilled Half Boston Lobster ($27.80); plus a killer Rumours Grilled Cheese Burger ($12.80), where the juicy homemade patty is smothered by bacon, cheddar cheese and crispy Old Dutch cheese. The live music can get loud, but then again it’s Holland V.
