The team behind L'Entrecote Restaurant and Sabio Tapas Bar at Duxton Hill are doing rather well for themselves, with crowds packing in every night of the week.
Led by restaurateur Olivier Bendel, the group is now setting its sights on Club Street, with its latest offering, 83, which promises an innovative take on the bar and dining concept.
Check out our preview of three restaurants -- Senso Ristorante, La Cicala Bar and Nazt Bistro Lounge -- located along Club Street for Restaurant Week 2011 in October.
What: Unlike Bendel's previous two ventures which see a focus more on serving authentic European cuisine, 83 is a cheeky mishmash of dining (French-inspired bar bites), dance floor music (an eclectic mix of progressive sounds spun by DJs drawn from underground music community) and urban art (which span the walls of the interior).
Is it a bar, a restaurant, or a space for artistic expression? Apparently it's all three, and nothing is taken too seriously.
The look: 83 follows the space concept of L'Entrecote and Sabio, and the place is kept small and intimate, but that's where the similarities end.
As you enter the main bar/restaurant area, full wall paste-ups featuring gritty, raw and playful work (curated from young, up-and-coming urban artists in Singapore) jostle for attention in whirls of colours and prints.
Some have described the design as "Jules Verne meets Banksy for a beer and escargot", and this irreverence comes through not just in the art, but also in the copper walls, Georgian panelling, leather Victorian chairs and, strangely enough, carved life-sized tigers.
A lone giant clock sits above the bar counter, its hands spinning haphazardly.
The venue look is slightly disconcerting, like you've accidentally wandered into an antique store of sorts, but it's still charming in a strange and quirky way.
And don't expect the interiors to look the same every time you pay a visit. New works are installed on six to eight weeks, 83 interior offering a platform on which urban artists from all over the world can showcase their creations.
PR speak: "We always try to inject individuality into our places, to give the customer a truly unique experience. The meeting of restaurant, bar, urban art and progressive music came naturally to us because they are all, in their own way, very creative disciplines," explains Bendel of the concept.
"Giving young urban artists and DJs a place to express themselves is also something close to our hearts. Supporting and encouraging creativity of any kind is always a good thing. We enjoy the ever-changing space as much as our patrons."
Food and drink: The food is French at heart, but given a modern innovative twist for a menu of sophisticated bar bites and sharing plates.
Accessibly priced drinks are the foundation of the menu, and an extensive cocktail list (happy hour is every day from 3-8pm, and house pours, glasses of wine and pints of beer are all priced at only S$8 all-day) will keep the tipplers happy.
For lunch, 83 offers two "plat du jour" where diners get to enjoy exclusive Swiss beers with drunken croquettes or penne served with duck leg confit.
Expected crowd: Anyone would love the reasonably priced drinks, but we also expect to see a hipster-leaning crowd coming in for the edgy art and progressive beats.
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday: 12 noon to 12 midnight; Friday: 12 noon to 2 am; Saturday: 6pm to 2 am; Closed on Sundays
No reservations
83 Club Street, +65 6220 4083, www.83clubstreet.com