Many of you reading this will already be familiar with The Halia in the Botanic Gardens. As you may also know The Halia now has a second restaurant in Raffles hotel which opened in November 2012, I was lucky enough to go along to a 'Soul Jazz Saturday' at their al fresco bar just before we flew back to the UK for our holiday. This was my first visit to the bar (and this branch of the restaurant) and it seems a great place to go for a few drinks before or after a meal and on Saturdays to enjoy some live jazz too.
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| Al fresco bar area of The Halia, Raffles hotel |
The Halia at the Botanic Gardens has been showcasing jazz nights for a while, indeed I attended just one such night last year and now you can also get your jazz fix at their Raffles hotel restaurant and bar too. The Jeremy Monteiro Organ Trio, consisting of Monteiro on organ, Andrew Lim on guitar and Tamagoh on drums, plays every Saturday at the bar. Jeremy Monteiro is one of only a handful of trained jazz organ players in the region and has performed across the globe in events such as the London Jazz Festival in 2012 and the inaugural Jazz and Saveurs Festival in Segre, France in 2010.
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| Deep fried squid ($14++), potato fries with truffle aioli and piquant mayo ($8++) from the Bar Bites Soul Jazz Saturdays menu |
As well as enjoying the jazz you can also dine on a range of dishes and enjoy specially curated cocktails, a range of wines, spirits and other beverages sourced from around the world. Naturally given you are at Raffles hotel one of the cocktails on the menu is the famous Singapore Sling made with Hendrick's gin. Hendrick's gin has quite a big role at this bar, check out my photos of the bath below! I also tried the Herbalicious Halia which was very good. I'm not a whiskey fan but this cocktail won me over and I'd definitely have it again.
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| Singapore Sling by Hendrick's (Hendrick's gin, cointreau, cherry brandy, pineapple, grenadine syrup and Benedictine D.O.M) ($28++) |
The food on offer is a mix of bar snack style dishes from the Bar Bites Soul Jazz Saturdays menu (available from 10pm to 12 midnight on Saturdays) and larger ones from the a la carte menu (available daily until 10pm). Having been at work all day and not having had the chance to eat much before we arrived the chicken dish from the a la carte menu was a welcome addition alongside the bar snack dishes. The dips with the fries were particularly good. Our meal was rounded off with a delicious sticky toffee pudding.
We had great fun, enjoyed some good jazz and good food. Definitely something different to do with your Saturday night.
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| Sous Vide Baharat Chicken Leg with butternut squash puree and roast ginger, coriander and red pepper salsa ($28++) from the a la carte menu |
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| Herbalicious Halia (Glenfiddich 12, ginger, lemongrass, apple juice) ($20++) |
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding ($10++) from the Bar Bites Soul Jazz Saturdays menu |
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| Fully functioning Hendrick's bath tub! |
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| These bottles were empty however |
The Jeremy Monteiro Organ Trio performs every Saturday at The Halia Bar, Raffles hotel. The trio perform three sets: 9pm to 9.45pm (1st set), 10pm to 10.45pm (2nd set) and 11pm to 11.45pm (3rd set).
Address: #01-22/23, 1 Beach Road, Raffles hotel, Singapore 189673
Operating hours: Mondays - Fridays (except Public Holidays)
11.30am - 10pm
(Set Lunch from 11.30am - 2pm)
(Pre-Theatre Set Dinner from 5.30pm - 7pm)
(All Day Menu from 11.30am - 10pm)
(Bar opens from 2pm - 11pm)
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays
11am - 10pm
(Brunch from 11am - 5.30pm)
(Pre-Theatre Set Dinner from 5.30pm - 7pm)
(A La Carte Dinner from 5.30pm - 10pm)
(Bar opens from 12pm - 11pm*)
*On Saturdays, the Halia Bar closes at 12 midnight for 'Soul Jazz Saturdays'
Seating Capacity: 100 in the restaurant and al fresco bar
Dress code: Smart, casual
Modes of payment: Cash / American Express / Visa / Mastercard
This blog resulted from an invitation and represents the thoughts and opinions of the writer. All information on this blog is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy or timeliness and the writer will not be liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the display or use of this information. All text and photos on this blog are the original works of the writer unless stated otherwise.
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