Singapore's favorite night spots: The makeover

If you were out partying in the last decade in Singapore, don't blame the alcohol when you don't recognize your favorite night spots today. Many of the most popular clubs and bars have been updated. 

Timbre

Timbre @ The Substation was Singapore’s first bar to support and showcase local music talents. Its rustic, no-frills decor and food created a strong identity for its music-loving audience.

The company behind Timbre has branched into several concept bars since its inception in 2005: Klee at Portsdown Road -- where a menu is strikingly missing and the bartender's surprise drinks are surprisingly good. Malted Milk -- Singapore's first and only beer garden at Studio M Hotel. And Ta.Ke -- an elegant bamboo-themed cocktail lounge with Japanese-inspired cocktails. 

45 Armenian Street, Singapore; tel: +65 6338 8030; open Monday-Sunday & Thursday 6 p.m.-1 a.m., Friday-Saturday 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m.; www.timbregroup.asia/timbresg/

Zouk

Before it became Singapore's foremost clubbing institution, Zouk was a new kid on the Singapore River block, struggling to introduce the region to house music. Opened in a block of renovated warehouses in 1991, Zouk gained appeal among the party-crowd of the 1990s only after it began blending pop hits with rock music and formulated its now legendary Mambo Jumbo Wednesday nights.

Today, Zouk is a renowned party haven all over the world and its Mambo nights are a rite of passage for the local clubbing crowd.

17 Jiak Kim Street, Singapore; tel: +65 6738 2988; Zouk main club open Wednesday, Friday-Saturday 8 p.m.-3 a.m.; Wine Bar open Monday-Saturday 6 p.m. - 3 a.m.; Velvet Underground open Tuesday-Saturday 9 p.m.-late

Butter Factory

The party animals from the last decade might have dissed Butter Factory at Robertson Quay for its notorious, eccentric parties.

Butter Factory was reborn with a makeover at One Fullerton, and has become every Singaporean's Club-to-hit-on-a-Friday-night with its outlandish decor and an ambiance where you can both find and lose yourself.

One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road, Singapore; tel: +65 64239804; www.thebutterfactory.com

Zirca Mega Club

Singapore’s night owls were first introduced to the concept of multiple music-genre-themed rooms under one roof by the Ministry of Sound (MOS), where you could spend many a weekend grooving to techno, retro and hip-hop music. Some veterans must have given up clubbing when MOS closed down, but that didn’t last long.

Zirca, which replaced MOS at The Cannery at Clarke Quay, merges live entertainment with dancing to yet again introduce Singapore to the newest fad of clubbing. Back in the MOS days, no one would’ve imagined the kind of high they could get with Zirca’s stunning visual spectacles, even without the alcohol!

Block C The Cannery, River Valley Road, #01-02 to 05 & #02-01 to 08, Clarke Quay, Singapore; tel: +65 6333 4168; open Wednesday-Saturday 9 p.m.-late; www.zirca.sg

No. 5 at Emerald Hill

Fret not if you are feeling nostalgic from the days of Singapore clubbing happening in the malls of Orchard Road and the by-lanes of Bugis and Mohammed Sultan. A walk down Emerald Hill can bring back many fond memories from the good old days of the 1990s.

No. 5 still remains in its 1910 Peranakan shop house, just as colonial as when it first opened with its wood-craft décor. And throwing peanut shells on the floors is still an age-defying concept of fun.

5 Emerald Hill Road, Singapore; tel: +65 6732 0818; open Monday-Thursday noon-2 a.m., Friday-Saturday & eve of public holiday noon-3 a.m., Sunday & public holiday 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; no5.emerald-hill.com