Singapore is a drinker's paradise, bar guide (z)

1)Pan Pacific's Bar
This place was amazing.. i mean the interiors..... i was there during the world cup semifinal, and the place was really alive with all football fanatics going at each other.....

Tiger beer, south east asia's preimier beer, was a sponsor that night, and the place was filled with these tiger beer pussy cats... now when i say pussy cats, i don't mean the ones that go meow, although with a proper tip, god knows what they would have done besides meowin!!!!??

Well, the bar was very posh, very sophisticated... on the whole a really good drinking experience....


2)Paulaner Brauhas
Paulaner is one of the biggest names in breweries in Munich, and have recently introduced this microbrewery into Singapore. This one is version two, taken over from the original franchisee and now run directly by the parent organisation in association with Lufthansa catering.

It's a three-level eatery-cum-pub, located in Millenia Walk, a stone's throw from Suntec City and the Conrad Hotel. Bräuhaus (which sounds like Brewhouse if you can screw your tongue around the umlauts in proper German fashion) is, well, a brew house. It brews fresh beer in that huge vat in the centre and serves it up it tall thin glasses. Downstairs is the pub, but be warned that seating is very difficult to get. Tall wooden tables, tall stools for seating, tall glasses, a tall vat towering above all of it, that's how this place goes. The first thing you notice about the place is the crunching noise under your shoes. Looking down will fill you with awe - in superclean Singapore the floor is littered in Calcutta local train fashion with peanut shells! Each table is adorned with a rough cloth bag full of peanuts that you're supposed to peel, eat and litter on the ground in complete defiance of the world outside.

This place serves a lot of German food also, the main thing of interest to a drinker being the sausages. Nürnberg, Cheese Knackers, Bratwurst, huge portions of sausages will land up at your command - a perfect, sufficiently unhealthy accompaniment to the quarts of beer that you're going to drink here. Paulaner has a full bar too, but stick to what you came for. Tall glasses of red or yellow, cold, fresh-brewed beer. The beer is outstanding, well worth the fight to get a table and slow service.



3)Harry's Bar

Known as the place where Nick Leeson had his last drink (ok, not really, but he was a regular here), your first impression when you walk up to Harry's is that it seems populated entirely by expatriate bankers. It's not quite an incorrect impression - Harry's is one of the nearest watering holes to the financial doings of Shenton Way; the second outlet in Boat Quay (or the second last, depending) just a short hop away from Raffles Place MRT.

This is a pub for atmosphere. Warm, cosy, old world charm permeates. The building itself is a restored shophouse of some character, including the original façade and shuttered windows. There's open air seating quayside under umbrellas, with a nice view of the Singapore Parliament (and the newly restored and seven-starred Singapore Post Office) on the other side of the river. When it rains or warms up, however, inside is a better choice.

The pub inside has two levels, both with very distinct characteristics. The lower level is open, lively, messy, crowded and noisy. It's also not airconditioned. There's a live jazz band which is quite good, but kills all conversation in the small space. The real treasure of this place is the less obvious upstairs. The upper level is what one calls a living room pub - with huge generous sofas and wall decor meant to resemble the living room of a house. And resemble it does - even the music system is arranged on a shelf like in a home. The music is soft, and there isn't really a DJ - you can just reach out to the sound system and change the CD (something that surprisingly does not lead to anarchy). To top it all, there's probably the only free pool table in Singapore (but the sign says that you should buy drinks when playing).

You get a wide variety of drinks here and it even has Cuban cigars. There's the usual range of interesting munchies, and peppy service. Upstairs is a very pleasant place if you want to have drinks and conversation, since the huge deep sofas insipre the outpourings of secrets. Downstairs is for noise and dancing and pub crawling. If you like snob value, Harry's has a lot of awards - Newsweek International's "World's Best Bar", 1995 and more recently, Great Heineken Bar of the World 1999.