REVIEWS
TIME OUT SINGAPORE - MAIDEN ISSUE MAR 2007
Critics' Choice - Blu Jaz The funk and soul collective aims to fill a void in the club scene. There is a lack of nights in Singapore dedicated to funk and soul. While there are a lot of established nights in Europe and in the US with packed audience floors and live bands, in AsIa, its perceived as start of the night chilled out background music. See if they can change that when they play at Blu Jaz Cafe ....
Critics' Choice - Blu Jaz The funk and soul collective aims to fill a void in the club scene. There is a lack of nights in Singapore dedicated to funk and soul. While there are a lot of established nights in Europe and in the US with packed audience floors and live bands, in AsIa, its perceived as start of the night chilled out background music. See if they can change that when they play at Blu Jaz Cafe ....
VISITORS' GUIDE TO SINGAPORE 2007 EDITIONANYWHERE ELSEOutside the city, entertainment, like a flicking fire, draws the eyes of party animals wherever they may be.Blu Jaz Café 11 Bali Lane. Call 6292 3800. Jazz music is part of a wider phenomenon, but keeping it chilled and real is what Blue Jaz Cafe is all about. The two-storied unit has a beautiful garden area for beers, cocktails and meals, while the inside is upholstered with comfortable sofas. Live jazz music soaks into the walls on Friday and Saturday evenings.http://www.visitorsguide.com.sg/anywhere.htm
ARABIAN NIGHTS BY EXPAT MAGAZINE FEB 2006Arabian NightsSabina-Leah Fernandez explores one of Singapore’s hippest districts, Kampong GlamCollectively known as Kampong Glam, Arab Street and its surrounding areas have recently emerged as one of Singapore’s hippest enclaves. Designated by Raffles as the Islamic quarter in the early 19th century, the area roughly bound by Bali Lane, North Bridge Road, Jalan Sultan and Beach Road was (and to an extent still is) the meeting point for Muslims of all races. The in crowd’s recent predilection for heritage-protected areas has led them here and in the last couple of years, Kampong Glam has developed into an ultra-cool locale while retaining its community spirit.Kampong Glam is rarely deserted. There’s a constant stream of traffic, both human and vehicular. In the morning a smattering of tourists is present, as well as some serious fabric shoppers.
The stronghold of Kampong Glam is Sultan Mosque on North Bridge Road. The stunning gold-domed structure was built in 1928 and is a blend of Persian, Moorish and Turkish architecture. The striking mosque with its pastel-coloured balustrades and minarets does much more than add to the skyline. It is what makes the vicinity unique.All day, worshippers stream in and out of Sultan Mosque, stopping afterward for a meal, colourful kueh kueh (cake) or a chat with friends. At the specified times (five daily) the sounds of the muezzin singing the call to prayer (azan) waft through the neighbourhood. The call is taken very seriously. Music must be turned down during the five daily azan out of respect. Never lasting more than a minute or two, the singing is hauntingly beautiful. Despite the area’s growing café culture, alcohol cannot be served anywhere in the mosque’s vicinity. Although alcohol is frowned upon, tobacco and cigarette smoking is for some reason quite acceptable. Shisha, the Arab world’s shared tobacco pipe, is available almost everywhere in Kampong Glam. Shisha haunts are packed with crowds of cool young, twenty-somethings. Typically, these shisha cafés are split-level, with low tables and on-the-floor seating upstairs. In line with Islamic customs, they often require you to remove your shoes before entering, and they are (with a few exceptions) completely halal – so no pork or booze is served.
Despite a conservative disposition, Kampong Glam is thriving among muslims and non-muslims alike, with cosy shisha cafés bursting at their incense-scented seams. One of the first of these to open was Samar, a gorgeous café on the corner of Kandahar Street and Baghdad Street. Styled after one of Cairo’s hottest coffee shops, El Fishawy, Samar is one of the area’s venues. Intricately-carved wooden lanterns spin in the draught from the ceiling fans, casting patterned shadows on the interiors and black and white checkered flooring. “The ambience of Samar, and by extension the whole district, is special. Life slows down here. It’s a pocket of Singapore that’s serene but at the same time it’s lively,” says Harasha Bafana, Samar’s General Manager. “When we first started at our previous premises on Baghdad Street, we were the only ones open at night. Then we became so popular that we had to move into a bigger space!” she says. Ambrosia, which moved into Samar’s previous location, is now so crowded that on some nights they are forced to turn people away. Even after opening a satellite outlet a couple of doors away Ambrosia still packs in a full house on weekends – so reservations are strongly recommended. It could be the fantastic Mediterranean-inspired food or it could be the café’s chilled out atmosphere (sometimes a little too chilled out in the service department) that’s made it so successful. Ambrosia’s latest foray is a couple of doors down in the same block of shophouses. The satellite outlet, known only by its street number, 25A, is upstairs and offers diners Ambrosia’s usual ambience and menu with the option to bring your own booze. Also, there’s a private function area called mezzanine, where you can custom select a menu for two to 15 persons.On the other side of Sultan mosque is trendy newcomer, Baladi. Baladi’s authentic Lebanese food is combined with chic, contemporary décor and personalised service. Director, Sham Almushaiyah, says: “Lebanese food is fun eating. There’s lots of variety and small portions of everything so you never get bored.
”Funky, back alley café, Kaki5, is an Expat favourite. Eclectic, dark, and unconventional, the hole-in-the-wall haunt on narrow Haji Lane is the epitome of Kampong Glam’s friendly, laid-back culture. Owned and run by two filmmakers, being in Kaki5 is like hanging out at a bohemian friend’s house. Many customers spend the day here playing board games or watching DVDs. The menu, filled with novel reinventions of old-school Malay dishes, is a continuous work in progress and a collaboration between customers and the café’s friendly owners, Wahyu and Adi. Opening hours are equally bohemian though, so call before you drop by just to be sure.
B. Bakery is well-hidden behind its heritage-protected façade, so follow the aroma of fresh bread if you can’t find it. The bakery’s signature items include Manjari chocolate cake, apple sage cake and sticky date pudding, all of which are delicious and pleasantly light-textured. They also serve lunch items like sandwiches and shepherd’s pie.
Defying the alcohol-free convention in the area are Om Café and Blu Jaz Café – newly-opened bistros on charming Bali Lane. Om Café incorporates an Indian theme into its décor and menu. Called a “sensual dining chill out space,” Om was born out of the owners’ desire for a café that combines funky atmosphere with affordable pricing. Shisha goes for only $12 here, while bottled beers, spirits and wine are priced at a pocket-friendly $7.50.
A couple of doors away is another Expat favourite, Blu Jaz Café. With its psychedelic colour scheme and larger than life décor (including an oversized chair in the shape of a hand) Blu Jaz is unmistakable. The café’s quirky, vibrant energy is the handiwork of owner, Aileen Tan, a self-confessed Kampong Glam fan. “When I first came to Bali Lane, I fell for it. I love old buildings, and the trees on Bali Lane create a lovely boulevard,” Aileen told Expat over an extra thick chocolate milkshake.
Long before the funky café culture arrived, Kampong Glam was the dwelling place of Malay dignitaries. As part of the treaty relinquishing Singapore to the East India Company in 1819, Sultan Hussein was granted the land rights to Istana Kampong Glam (Kampong Glam Palace) where he and his descendants lived until recently. Gedung Kuning, meaning yellow mansion, was also known as the home of the Bendahara or prime minister, but records indicate it was more likely home to one of Sultan Hussein’s sons. When the area came under heritage-protected development recently, the residents were (ahem) politely asked to leave.
Today, the Istana has been converted into the Malay Heritage Centre, a museum that includes the history of the settlement, entertainment and art of Singapore’s Malay community. Gedung Kuning, has kept its trademark yellow paintwork and has been converted into a successful banquet restaurant called Tepak Sireh. The two-level restaurant can accommodate over 500 and is a popular venue for weddings (ceremonies are held in a garish yellow and gold room) and diplomatic functions. The affordable daily buffet may look average, but the rendang (a spicy, dry mutton or beef curry) and house speciality soto madura (a delicious chicken soup made with tamarind, vegetable crackers and a touch of coconut milk) are quite extraordinary.Long-time
Kampong Glam stalwart, Bumbu, serves tasty Indonesian and Thai food. Not to be mistaken for fusion food, Bumbu serves Indonesian dishes like mouth-watering tauhu telor (beancurd deep-fried in egg) alongside Thai dishes like a delicate pomelo salad. Dishes are not overly spicy and chefs will customise food for special requests without a problem. The décor is termed “nostalgic” but with its gilded antique screen doors and marble-topped coffee shop tables it has a definite Peranakan flavour.
Naturally, there’s lots of Middle Eastern cuisine in the Kampong Glam area. Menus may start to look similar after a while, but tastes differ to quite a large extent. Our picks are Egyptian Al Tazzag and Turkish Alaturka. Al Tazzag’s quaint alley location is popular with couples. Try the tasty babaganoush here and have a sweet “Egyptian Healthy Drink” to wash it down. Apart from the usual meats and cold mezzes, you’ll love Alaturka’s Turkish coffee, which is boiled with sugar for a rich sweet flavour. Enjoy the coffee (with a shisha pipe, naturally) in the Turkish corner, a miniature courtyard with comfortable seating and plush carpets. After a couple of shishas and a hearty meal of grilled meat, flatbread and dips, there really is nothing better than a cold beer. (any excuse for a beer, really…)
While the bar scene in Kampong Glam is small, and quiet, there are a few (well, two) bars to speak of.Just Wine, true to its name, serves French, Australian and other New World wines, but not beer or liquor. A popular venue for business meetings, Just Wine serves finger food like German sausages, and marinated beef. But feel free to bring a packed meal from somewhere else and owner Phillip Goh will gladly recommend a suitable wine pairing for whatever you’re having.If wine bars are too stuffy for your tastes, you could try The Wrench Saloon. Don’t be turned off by Wrench’s biker-bar identity. The owners are members of a biker’s club called the War Pigs – but don’t hold that against them. Clientele is not leather-jacket-wearing, moustachioed bikers, and incidentally, neither are the owners. Wrench is a laid-back, corner pub with a welcoming atmosphere and an innovative drinks list. Apart from draught Fosters there are unique offerings like mango margaritas, liquor-soaked fruit (deceivingly sweet) and bourbon jellies (best kept far away from the kids.)
And when you’re through with eating, drinking and puffing on shisha, linger over some of the area’s curio shops, where antiques, trinkets and other baubles wait to be found. Or the second-hand clothing and record stores on Haji Lane, not to mention Comme des Garçons’ boarded up guerrilla store. Then there are the perfumeries, where exotic top notes and base notes like sandalwood, vetiver and freesia wait in dazzling glass bottles to be custom-blended into your perfect fragrance. Once suitably scented, wander into the hip interior design places, marvel at the collection of fancy dress costume shops and then unwind with an unbeatable no-frills Javanese or Boyanese massage. Maybe give yourself a couple of days in Kampong Glam... You’ll probably need it.
KAMPONG GLAM AT A GLANCE
Alaturka16 Bussorah StTel: 6294-0304www.alaturka.com.sg
Altazzag24 Haji LaneTel: 6295-5024
Ambrosia19/25A Baghdad StTel: 6292-7313www.ambrosiacafesingapore.com
B Bakery15 Bussorah StTel: 6293-9010
Baladi709 North Bridge RdTel: 6396-6451
Blu Jaz Cafe11 Bali LaneTel: 6292-3800
Bumbu Restaurant 44 Kandahar StTel: 6392-8626
Just Wine23/24 Pahang StTel: 6297-1218www.justwine.com.sg
Kaki 59 Haji LaneTel: 9755-4709www.kaki5.net
Om Café27 Bali LaneTel: 6299-4518www.omcafesingapore.com
Samar 60 Kandahar StTel: 6398-0530
Tepak Sireh73 Sultan GateTel: 6396-4373www.tepaksireh.com.sg
The Wrench Saloon17 Jalan KlapaTel: 6296-9003www.thewrenchsaloon.com
THINK MAGAZINE 18TH ISSUE 2006Singapore have the intelligencia required to supporta thriving coffee house scene?
Liz Bennett explores…
The steam, the somewhat disconcerting violent explosive noises, that smell. Like passive smokers, we inhale deeply and let the little caffeinated molecules trip up to our brains and play with our pleasure. The coffee house is a place to sit and be for a bit, meet friends to relive the weekend’s antics, be inspired, watch various worlds go by. It’s a place of gesticulated debates, the first relaxing moment of the weekend. A place to muse on print or do the hangover breakfast. The coffee is only a part of it; the culture’s what you’re after. So where can you find your niche, the place to fit your kinks and preferences? We headed out across the city to see what’s on offer.
Blu Jaz Café, 11 Bali Lane, +65 62923800
Even without the coffee this is a sensory experience. Bali lane itself is striking – sitting low across the green below the fantasy of Parkview Square. This particular joint is next to what looks like an artists studio spilling out into the street. The cafe itself is open and inviting. A mixture of furniture provides a variety of options for your weary butt. There’s even a sculpted velour chaise lounge whose fingers stretch up drawing attention to the ceiling and it’s menagerie of decorative lampshade cum mobiles.
This place is boho with a little psycadelia: reds, pinks, feathers, shiny – mixed in with some classic design and ethnic pieces.
There’s a variety of drinks and eats to add to the seduction of the senses. Menu highlights include Affogato, involving espresso shot and ice cream, as well as premium Belgium export Duval at only 10 dollars. You can get your basics here too: lattes, iced teas and fruit juices. Food wise we’ve got cakes to go with coffee, as well as more substantial offerings.Even without the coffee this is a sensory experience.
