A new old face
Heart of Darkness, the Vietnamese craft brewery bar, has upgraded from its original Tras Street digs to a bigger, more famous location in Chinatown. As such, you can expect a more sophisticated menu of globally inspired bites from chef Victor Molina to pair with its selection of over 25 craft beers on tap. Chef Molina has even incorporated some of the beers into the food, such as the Dream Alone Pale Ale, brewed with citrusy Mosaic hops, into the beer-marinated olives ($8). Octopus croquettes ($14) get a Japanese makeover while the wings of darkness ($14) are a bonafide killer thanks to habanero pepper. 1 Keong Saik Street. Tel: 6208 7940 bottles. These are wines that tell a story, and evoke the people, place and vintage through bundles of three or six bottles.
In Singapore, I find that there is a thirst to see what’s out there and an interest to try something new. There are people that have an idea and understanding of what they enjoy drinking but are still open to new producers, regions globally of a favourite grape or lesser known varieties, for example. This has been really demonstrated with Clink Clink’s sales across all styles.
As a resident sommelier vs a restaurant sommelier, the major difference is the lack of a true faceto-face interaction. When you’re tableside you can gauge the guest’s reaction to see if what you’re saying is hitting the mark, whereas with an online point of view you’ve got a single opportunity to present the information and get your point across.
The selections are based on limited quantities for the particular wines themselves. I don’t expect a bundle to remain on the site for longer than 2-3 months. Some bundles are designed to be a rotating selection, such as ‘I’m A Grower, Not A Show-er’ highlighting lesser-known Champagne producers. We sold out of that first iteration within a couple weeks.
Not being beholden to fixed suppliers allows us to operate with a true ‘quality first’ approach. We’re not pushing our portfolio nor are we committed to minimum spending with a single supplier. It gives us the freedom to operate on a truly open approach. In addition, our direct imports help add uniqueness and deliciousness to our wine bundles and Custom Orders.
The global sommeliers’ selection were selected on the basis of being leaders within the industry. I’d wager they’re drinking some pretty delicious drops at home that won’t break the bank! The upcoming series include Vincent Tan of Odette, Isa Bal MS of Trivet (London), and Pascaline Lepeltier MS of Racines (NYC).