A river rooftop, then vinyl on North Canal Road

Start wide-angle on the roof, finish close-up with the records. The light sets the timing.

Two bars for a date or the one friend you actually want to hear: a rooftop for the view, then a listening bar for the conversation. The compromise is the clock. Offtrack takes its last dinner order at 9.45pm and doesn't list Sunday opening, so treat the rooftop as the aperitif and keep this plan for Monday to Saturday. Southbridge is 21 and over.

Southbridge, Boat Quay. A glass lift to the roof of a shophouse, a 360-degree view of the river and oysters on the menu. It opens daily at 5pm, so be up there around 6pm for the end of the day and the first of the city lights, and have the oysters rather than settling in for dinner.

Offtrack, North Canal Road. Vinyl on the walls, Pan-Asian plates and a place on Asia's 50 Best Bars. The mood goes from wide-angle to close-up: lower light, the records doing the work, the kind of room where you lean in. Be there by 7.30pm to eat properly; on Fridays and Saturdays it runs until 1am, so the second bar decides when the night ends.

Both are on the same stretch of the Singapore River, so the walk between them is part of the evening rather than a chore. If it rains, skip the roof and go straight to Offtrack (on Fridays and Saturdays it opens at 5pm, which makes a wet evening easy to rescue).

The plan

1. 6pm · Rooftop aperitif: Southbridge

   Glass lift up; open daily from 5pm. 21 and over only.

   Hours: Daily 5pm–midnight

   Book a table

2. 7.30pm · Dinner and records: Offtrack

   Last dinner order 9.45pm; not listed as open on Sundays.

   Hours: Mon–Thu 6pm–midnight; Fri–Sat 5pm–1am; closed Sun

   Book a table