Why Copper’s bar bites will leave you wanting more
Steampunk-meets-Harry-Potter with top-class tapas – hop on, don’t miss the train at this new eclectic gin bar
Step into a curious world with delicious food and cocktails to spice up your night
Wandering along Keong Saik and Jiak Chuan roads, I tried in vain to find Copper. If it’s new it should be obvious, right? Wrong.
Hot, sweaty and irritable (due to the first two factors as well as that I was running late from work), I doubled back to see if I finally needed glasses. Lo and behold, I suddenly spotted a nondescript shophouse unit painted dark, with a barely noticeable anagram, “Cu”.
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Right. Fading memories of the periodic table of elements from my secondary school days came rushing back – “Copper”.
As I spoke the secret password [OK, maybe not, but you’ll perhaps see how I could imagine this once you’ve seen the place] I was ushered in and trudged into the cool, dim air-conditioned sanctuary.
Steampunk Meets Harry Potter Alchemy
Once inside, I was taken aback by the ornate decoration that could only be aptly described as steampunk-meets-Harry-Potter-alchemy. Bare bulbs with strange mechanical holders, bottles with burnt labels, preserved insects in display frames, weighing scales, chemistry vessels and archaic tomes decorated the shelves. Some things looked like they belonged in an apothecary or at the taxidermist’s.
As you can see, it’s forgivable that I thought I was about to meet a steampunk wizard with a smoking pistol in one hand and a flaming wand in the other.
Nonetheless, my best experience at Copper was using the lavatory. I s**t you not. As I opened the door and entered the room of the sacred throne [I apologise for the drama but, in this environment, can you blame me?] I was stunned by an audio assault.
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Experiencing the dissonance, I couldn’t tell whether what I was hearing was the sound of the blades of a giant industrial fan as they spun or the chugging of the steam engine of a rushing train. While it wasn’t a very Zen environment to… er… clear my system, it added to the unique experience.
“An adventure even in the throne room” should be Copper’s slogan. Or maybe not.
Super-Cool Speakeasy
The Babi Guling Tacos were explosions of flavour
Casting the magical (or mechanical) and the mundane aside for a moment, Copper is a great gin bar. The intimate ground-level space seats only about 36 patrons, making it truly a cosy speakeasy.
The cocktail menu is uniquely gin-leaning, including over 30 infused gin concoctions using teas, spices, herbs and fruit. I had an interesting combination of apple and cinnamon and something else and found it a soothing, refreshing start to happy hour.
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Copper also serves a variety of champagnes and spirits. The negroni – a classic Italian drink comprising gin, vermouth and Campari – comes in four varieties and on tap!
Top-Class Tapas & Bar Food
The Lamb Kaftas with harissa mayonnaise were possibly the best among Copper’s bar food
One of the biggest gripes about bars is the range or quality of the food, that can sometimes spoil a man’s thirst. Copper lavished surprise after surprise, even in its bar food.
The Babi Guling Tacos ($18) were explosions of flavour (and by that I also mean that they were spicy), the Copper Angus Beef Meatballs with grape jam passata ($16) made me crave for more and the Lamb Kaftas with harissa mayonnaise ($18) were…mmm, mmm… the bomb. Why haven’t you been there yet?
Copper also has a restaurant on the second storey that has recently been launched.
Copper, 10 Jiak Chuan Road, Singapore 089264, Tel: 6222 5565
By Lester J Wan for Weekender Singapore
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