Thai dinner, then Bugis's bars behind the shelves
- Total time
- 4–5 hours
- Budget
- S$30–60 — Shared dinner at Yhingthai Palace (dishes about S$8–18), then cocktails at Mama Diam (S$16–22 in 2021–2023) and Nutmeg & Clove (S$26, or S$16 before 7pm).
- Works on
- Every day
- Timing
- Sit down at Yhingthai Palace at 6pm when dinner service starts; any day.
- Stops
- 3 stops, in order
- Good for
- A friend, A group
Days are worked out from each stop's usual opening hours; check before you go.
Bugis keeps its better bars behind magazine racks. Eat first; there is rum and milk ahead.
A night for friends who want to talk rather than queue for a club: dinner first, a bar with a trick in the middle, a more grown-up cocktail list to finish. The compromise is an early dinner, because Yhingthai Palace's kitchen closes at 10pm. Book the table for 6pm and order for everyone.
Yhingthai Palace. Red walls, timber floors, waitresses in traditional dress and a Bib Gourmand, which here means the cooking isn't coasting on the room. Share plates and eat properly; there is rum and milk ahead and you will want a base layer.
Mama Diam. Dressed as an old mama shop, with the bar behind the shelf: pull aside the magazines and CDs and go through. Order the White Rabbit milk with rum, which is either the best or the worst idea you will hear all week (one round settles it). Take it while everyone is still game for a bit of theatre, and check its hours before you set off.
Nutmeg & Clove, Purvis Street. The last stop, because it stays open latest and its list suits the point in the night when the conversation slows. The drinks are named after the things people say when the bill arrives, so the menu does the talking at the end. Last orders are half an hour before closing.
All three are in the same Bugis and Kampong Glam patch, so there is no taxi queue between rounds. It works for a birthday crew as well as a catch-up; it does not work for anyone who considers 6pm too early for dinner.
The plan
6pm · Dinner: Yhingthai Palace
Bib Gourmand Thai; dinner daily 6pm–10pm. Book online or call 6337 1161.
Hours: Daily 11.30am–2pm and 6pm–10pm
The secret shelf: Mama Diam
Pull aside the magazines and CDs; order the White Rabbit milk with rum. Check current hours before you go.
10.30pm · Last round: Nutmeg & Clove
Purvis Street, daily 5pm–midnight; last orders 30 minutes before close.
Hours: Mon–Sun 5pm–midnight (last order 30 min before closing)
If it rains
All three are indoors and close together in Bugis, so an umbrella for the short walks is all you need.
Researched from the sources listed, not a first-hand review. Prices, hours and access can change — check the official site before you go.
