PUBLISHED February 14th, 2017 05:00 am | UPDATED April 9th, 2022 03:10 pm
Known for its inexpensive watering holes and a largely-expat crowd, Club Street seems to be the last place you’d expect to find an industrial-chic speakeasy dishing out classic cocktails with a Japanese twist.
Yet there was Caché – which means hidden in French, couldn’t be more apt -, well-concealed behind a full-length mirror-panelled door of its sister restaurant Izy Dining & Bar. The bar might have been around for more than three years, but the focus shifted to cocktails with the addition of Bar Manager Shinya Koba, who brings 10 years’ experience of bartending in Japan prior to joining Caché.
The drinks menu features more than 20 cocktails, split under signature drinks, Japanese specials, and other classics. Those who prefer another sort of booze can look forward to a curated list of Japanese beer, wines, and sake.
To ease into post-work tipple time, the delicate-looking Flower Blue Moon ($20) is a signature that’ll lift your spirits. Sporting an ice cube in the shape of a rose, this cocktail combines gin with elderflower liqueur, violet liqueur, blue Curaçao, dandelion bitters, and lemon. I tend to eschew anything with blue Curaçao (t’s usually disappointingly over-sweet), but this extra floral twist on the classic Blue Moon carries depth and punch you won’t easily forget.
If you’re a fan of yuzu, there’s no question of trying the Yuzu Spark ($18). Served in a flute, the Japanese citrus is an excellent twist on the French 75 – think gin with lemon, yuzu liqueur, and prosecco, topped with a fragrant yuzu liqueur foam. Sweet, tart, and bubbly; what’s not to love?
For something equally refreshing but more robust in flavour, their signature Caché ($20) is a rich tipple of sloe gin, amaretto, fresh pomegranate, and lemon. First, you get the tartness, then the botanticals from the gin, and a lingering nuttiness from the amaretto. A tasty rendition of the classic Charlie Chaplin too.
No drinking session is complete without nibbles, and in our case, loads of them. With Caché sharing a kitchen with IZY, we’re definitely getting something more elevated than pub grub. While technically not a poke, the Hawaiian Maguro Poke ($15) is a basic, adequate dish of fresh tuna cubes, crunchy cucumber, and sesame sauce. And no, the Cheese Tofu ($9) is not a type of processed food you get in the supermarket. Instead, you get a cheese-tofu spread on crackers with a sprinkling of black pepper and a drizzle of honey. Trust me, it tastes way better than it sounds.
The rolls at Caché are better than the chain sushi places, but there was nothing too fancy nor avant garde about the IZY Roll ($18) – rice rolled with tempura shrimp and tempura asparagus, topped with spicy crab mayo, avocado, and flying fish – and the Jalapenos Roll ($18), which didn’t quite provide enough head with just one slice of japapenos per mouthful.
Now’s probably the right time to mention that Happy Hour happens at Caché from 5pm to 8pm daily! While they could have been less heavy-handed on the simple syrup, the Laurel Forest ($10, only available on the happy hour menu) is one of the best matcha cocktails I’ve ever had. Simple too; just vodka infused with matcha powder and oolong tea. Other happy hour cocktails on the list include Grapefruit Martini, Manhattan, Passionfruit Caipirinha, and more.
If you’ve ever had a white sangria, you should try the Shirobudou Sour ($18). Featuring pisco infused with grapefruit, yuzu, and orange, this twist on the Pisco Sour shaken with muscat liqueur, nutmeg, clove, Sauvignon Blanc, and lemon goes down really smoothly – smooth enough to be dangerous because it’s so easy to order one more. Another signature at Caché is Toi et Moi ($20), Shinya’s version of the Sidecar is more of a treat for your olfactory senses than the classic with the addition of pear liqueur and cinnamon infused triple sec. Both ingredients helped to translate the brandy flavours better in the cocktail.
The next round of food arrived in the form of Chicken Nanban ($9) and Japanese Crab Croquette ($15). The former was inconsistently battered and the tartar sauce was rather heavy on the raw onion, but the deep-fried Dungeness crab créme croquette with panko crumbs redeemed the fry cook. Served with a dip consisting of the Japanese version of HP sauce, ketchup, and mayo.
The josper grilled Kuwayaki Don with onsen egg is quite good value at $18, save the fact that the chicken did not carry even a kiss of char from its time on the grill and ended up quite gummy. The wagyu beef in the Wagyu Truffle Don ($38), however, was exactly what we were looking for when you tout something as “Josper grilled” on the menu. Rice, onsen egg, and fresh truffle shavings complete the bowl.
For nightcaps to go with the perfectly grilled Kagoshima Sweet Potato, Vanilla Ice Cream ($15), we went with the Aged Negroni ($18) and the Bennett ($18). The former is aged for two weeks in a Japanese tsubo (clay jar); you’ll be hard pressed to find another bar offering a cocktail with the same complexity at the same price, really. The latter was quite a divisive drink, but I decided that I liked the aromas of cedarwood and sandalwood from the concoction of old tom gin, dry sherry, lime, and honey that lingers nicely on the palate.
If I haven’t made it obvious enough already, go to Caché really soon.
Caché is located at 27 Club Street, Singapore 069413, p. +65 6229 3327. Open 5pm-1am daily.
Top Image: Flower Blue Moon