Revisiting Smoke & Mirrors Bar for drinks and chilling out

1 St. Andrew’s Road #06-01 National Gallery, Singapore 178957

Tel:  6384 5595 / 9234 8122

Website: http://www.smokeandmirrors.com.sg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokeandmirrorsbarsg

Decided to head back to Smoke & Mirrors for their artistic cocktail drinks and beautiful settings, so suggested venue to *Anoushka when we were supposed to play catching up.  This time round, we sat outdoors since the weather was rather good, and so we could have unobstructed views of the Padang and Marina Bay area. 

Click here to read about my first visit here.

Place was still as stunning and vibrant as ever, with better music (lounge? world?) and polite service. The one distinctive difference was that they no longer served Almonds as complimentary appetizers - *Camelia and I had enjoyed these munchies tremendously. No matter, since we were not hungry anyway.

We did order some Fried Fish Skin (SGD$) which were basically just that - crackling  pieces of thin fish skin redolent of a little "fishy" taste, like seaweed. It was a good snack over drinks and chatter.

We also had some Calamari (SGD$) - not crispy to begin with, chewy, bland. 

The Beef Rib Cubes (SGD$16.00) were such darlings - dainty squares of utterly succulent and juicy, marinated beefs that wobbled and melted on the tongue. 

*Anoushka ordered what I had the last time based on my recommendation - Painting Class Cocktail (SGD$22.00) - the drink tasted the same, sweet with a little touch of zest, bathed in pretty coral paint. The difference was the paint - instead of thick, smeared chocolate paint on the outside of the glass, it now became swirls of colored paint inside the glass.

She also tried the Espresso Martini after that, a strong, dark, bittersweet cocktail that tingled the senses from the first sip, only to slowly smoothen out and soothe as the night slowly drew darker.

I started with a Lotus in a Breeze Cocktail (SGD$22.00), another concoction named after local artist Georgette Chen, and made up of Pennsylvania Potato Vodka, Smoke & Mirrors butterfly pea flower cordial, grapefruit bitters and artisanal New Zealand soda. A little bit of fizz, this sweet drink was infused beautifully with a light touch of grapefruit's citrusy refreshing flavor.

Hibiscus Soda (SGD$12.00) won over Plum Soda in a dilemna battle. This drink was sweet with the lightest tinge of zest - definitely refreshing, and a choicw thirst-quencher.

Tiger Blood Daisy (SGD$20.00) was a beautiful creation, decorated by a stalk of daisy that instantly made the drink come alive. Made up of Reposado Tequila, fresh lime, Smoke & Mirrors' Sour Plum Grenadine and Mombasa Ginger Beer, you can bet that this drink exploded with flavors. We also loved how flamed the drink up at the very start to give it a touch of smokiness.

Finally, I finished off the night with a Papaya Daiquiri (SGD$20.00), comprising fresh papaya and lime, Caribbean White Rum, Peranakan Gula Melaka sugar, and drops of charcoal olive oil. I thought this was an interesting flavor because I have never tried a tropical-flavored Daiquiri before - pretty smooth and prettily flavored, with the sweet, soft notes of papaya being the highlight of this drink - a beautiful blend of east meets west.

Love this enchanting rooftop bar, and will likely revisit over and over.