Keong Saik Road and the surrounding area that has seen a boom in hip concepts over recent years, but perhaps the concept that has most excited us has been a split-deck cafe and bar that goes by the name of No Sleep Club. Taking the coffee and cocktails trend to a new level, both bars and their menus are open at all hours. That means that you can have excellent cocktails with breakfast or lunch, or a cappuccino in between negronis. It doesn’t really matter if it’s 10am or 10pm. And both are excellent.
It should probably be said that while the coffee menu is relatively standard as far as specialty coffee concepts go — their area in Singapore being incredibly competitive in this respect — No Sleep Club’s cocktail menu is where you see them pushing limits for experimentation. Expect to read ingredients such as “thai herb distillate” or “lacto-fermented plums” while ordering. Your interest will be piqued and eventually satisfied as things do ending up tasting just as good as they sound like they should.
Aside from their coffee and cocktail programs, No Sleep Club boasts a pretty solid kitchen very much capable of serving excellent plates that swim on the border of comfort and experimental. Onion gravy-covered bangers to linguine wrapped chilli crab to whole basque cheesecake. For us, we indulged in plate of fresh-glazed doughnuts with ice cream to match our after-dinner drinking mood.
But more than just the culinary experience, the energy of No Sleep Club is something special. Lighting is warm and cozy without being too dim, ambient music on rotation is a blend hip songs you’ve maybe not heard yet along the occasional one that you have. It makes you feel strangely like you’re on the edge of where cool is just about to go. Visual, auditory, olfatory, and taste are all wrapped up in a punk rock voice and design aesthetic. With their approach to ambiance and culture, we see No Sleep Club as a Singapore equivalent to Hong Kong’s Yardbird. Lord knows they’ve got the skills and the menu, the t-shits and the style to box in that weight class.
