Powder to the people

SINGAPORE - Telling people that I'm going to The Powder Room does not mean I'm channelling my inner Audrey Hepburn. Should you find yourself at the 1920s-styled restaurant-bar The Black Swan, you'll want to excuse yourself to their relatively new swanky bar on the second storey.

Located on the tip of Cecil Street and Market Street, the former headquarters of Kwangtung Provincial Bank now draws a glitzy clientele of culinary aficionados and cocktail connoisseurs.

Accompanying me for this trip is DJ Rosalyn Lee. We wait downstairs as she finishes her oysters and a single malt-based cocktail called a Golden Parachute, which gets a golden review.

She describes it on Instagram as a "sexy tipple" garnished with a gold-dust covered "disco cherry". She says: "This must be what heaven feels like."

It's not just the drink. Entering the establishment is like walking into another world. There's plenty of black marble and gold trimmings, from the tiles to the lights.

The interior could not be more Gatsby (as in Great... not the hair gel).

Given a chance, I'd rename it The Black and Gold Swank.

While the communal setting at the 130-seat Swan is an ideal place to chill with oysters and drinks (30 per cent off during happy hour), the intimate 2,000 sq ft bar upstairs serves as an elegant, post-dining drinking spot. We walk up a narrow flight of stairs to be greeted by a lavishly styled bar decked with lounge sofas, low tables and a smart, if masculine, vibe for an establishment with a very feminine name.

More drinks are in order, and there is no lack of choice.

Czech native Kamil Foltan, 28, is the bar and beverage manager. He's behind the wealth of fancy cocktails and an almost ridiculously extensive eight-page drinks menu.

Don't let some of the delicate names - like Cecil Sour and Silver Lining - fool you. These are potent and concocted with premium liquors and fresh produce.

Impressed with Rosalyn's Golden Parachute, I go for the Moral Hazard, a citrus-forward interpretation of the classic Old Fashioned (and no jokes about how its name reflects my personality, please).

Next is the invigorating vodka-based Escape To Amalfi (topped with an organic lemon sorbet) before taking to a Good Night Peru - a pisco infused with chamomile tea leaves and shaken with egg white.

All are delicious and exude quality. Top points for the craftsmanship alone; even more points for the names. Yes, the cocktails may be priced at the steeper end - $19 - but you can taste where your money is going. Likewise for the bar bites, which range from $9 to $48.

The menu includes oysters, crostini, Cajun chicken and soft-shell crab sliders - tantalising enough to make anyone forget they had dinner earlier.

While it's swanky, this is no sterile antechamber. Rosalyn calls The Powder Room the "posh living room I never had".

Initially, I was apprehensive as to why the Lo and Behold group - which owns Tanjong Beach Club, Loof and The White Rabbit - would open such an upscale joint. Frankly, there are enough of such joints in Singapore already.

But since launching in July, The Black Swan continues to fill tables and The Powder Room is catching up.

This Powder Room is more than a 20s-inspired novelty. It's a mix of genuine style and quality that makes for a perfect getaway.

tnp@sph.com.sg

THE POWDER ROOM at THE BLACK SWAN

Where: 19 Cecil Street (via Market Street)

When: Tues-Thurs, 5pm to 1am, Fri and Sat, 5pm to 2am

Expect to pay: $30 for a cocktail and light bites. Happy Hour - 5pm to 7.30pm, Mon to Fri Contact: 8181-3305

Music: Down tempo mix to groovier dance music from DJs later in the evening

Dress code: Smart casual

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