Watering holes are a dime-a-dozen along buzzy Circular Road. But if you were to turn into the fairly sedated Lorong Telok, you’d uncover a trendy joint that reminds you of the streets of Hongdae, Seoul. Stroll past and you’ll first notice the cream-coloured camping chairs and crates as tables sprawled all over the ultra laidback alfresco area.
But head indoors and the vibe instantly takes a 180. Think concrete floors, solid steel tables, clear-azure blue acrylic chairs and furniture – the brutalist interiors and youthful touch of pop culture sure make for cool IG stories. It is also a multi-concept space where music, with collaborative playlists with local music collectives and fashion, including a small section of handpicked designer merch, and food intersect.
Cafe by day. Bar by night. The food here is mainly Japanese-inspired with an Asian twist featuring popular items such as fat sandos stacks and hearty gohan bowls. Flank steaks and juicy fried chicken thighs headline the main highlight of the attractively priced menu but if you had to choose one, take our word for it and go with the flank steak gohan bowl ($16). It is a comforting bowl consisting of sticky short grain rice tossed with tamago kake and roasted garlic chips alongside generous cuts of flank steak.
Looking for affordable drinks for your next pregame? This might just be the spot. Aside from the $10 pints (that were obviously popular amongst the millennial crowd), there was a modest list of quirky cocktails (from $14) such as the Mum’s G&T and the Guava Granny. The former tasted strangely familiar with chrysanthemum-infused gin while the latter was an easy-to-drink fruity expression. There are also classic cocktails ($12), shots (from $8) to wines (from $69 a bottle) to boot.
With upcoming collaborations with the highly anticipated EATMEPOPTART, the Naga House team sure knows how to keep it fresh and current with the trends.
