Bar Review: Into The Other Room: A Drinking House for the Discerning Along Orchard Road Singapore

PUBLISHED July 19th, 2016 06:00 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:26 pm

Barely a month old, The Other Room lies behind velvety dark curtains, privy only to those in the know. You won’t find this place listed on the hotel’s directory either. The Other Room is a secret drinking house – not a speakeasy – hidden from the eyes of guests in the lobby, and from bustling Orchard Road outside.

Tucked away at the side of Marriott Tang Plaza, the 700 square feet bar oozes handsome sophistication and intimacy. The small, handsome interior (conceived by Barcelona-based studio Lagranja) showcase exquisite details like the legion of candles over the black marble bar, mysterious trompe l’oeil mirrors, and the colossal centrepiece – a brass Boston cocktail shaker handcrafted by the European artisans.

Spirits are the main draw here. The Other Room takes inspiration from the creativity of the 1920s prohibition era, where spirit-makers hide behind closed doors to blend, mature, and nurture a large number of different finishings. And when we say large, we really mean it.

The bar has an exhaustive array of more than 150 spirits across the usual whiskys and rums, and also gins, vodkas, and mezcals. Think the gentle peatiness of a Ledaig 10 accentuated with berry profiles after ageing it in a port cask, or a Diplomatico Reserva finished with the dryness of an Amontillado cask. Each bottle is so rare because of the unique character achieved from this process, and we recommend trying out the different finishings in horizontal flights.

The main man behind it all? Multi-award-winning mixologist Dario Knox from Pisa, Italy. Some of you may be familiar with the name, having seen him work his magic as Mixologist and Restaurant Manager at the famed FOC restaurant down on Hong Kong Street. He’s also called “The Wizard” by his legion of followers, and for good reason: the 30-year old has claimed prestigious accolades round the world, the Spain Winner at the Barcadi Legacy Cocktail World Finals 2012 being one of them.

We found the cocktail experience at The Other Room to be one of a kind, with over 30 choices created by Dario, each beverage a tribute to bygone eras. From the Pre-Prohibition category, the Southern New York Sour ($21) is believed to be created in the 1880’s – a layered cocktail with black tea and French oak smoke. Come the Prohibition, we see pearls like The Bloody Grail ($21), which explores sour, savoury, salty and umami flavours from kimchi.

Another category, the Barrel-Aged, features the interesting Bourbon & Rye Whiskey ($28++), a two-cocktail blend of whisky served separately with Californian Pale Ale. The other categories are Post-Prohibitions, The Other Classics, Aged, and the Solera System.

With such an extensive collection of spirits and cocktails (the menu is nearly 50-page long), expect no visit to The Other Room to be the same – Dario’s constant experimentation can attest to that. This old-world drinking house is a destination of pleasure and elegance, and we don’t expect it to stay quiet for long.

The Other Room is located at Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, Level 1, 320 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238865. Open Mon-Wed 6pm – 3am, Thu-Sun 6pm – 4am.