Clubbing at Clarke Quay

Kiko volunteered to show us around Singapore’s night life, so last night we all trooped over to Attica at Clarke Quay. According to our friend Cindy, this is the place to see and be seen. The waiting lounge by the river is a great place for sitting around and talking – we were almost tempted to stay there all night. It’s a place for privacy rather than people-watching since you’re screened from the queue by a green wall of plants.

There’s no drinks list and the waiter says they’ll offer to make whatever drink you order. In practice, this means you get to name any drink you like then watch the waiter look puzzled and head back into the club to consult with the bartender about whether they’ve got it. Regrettably, they’d never heard of Tequila Rose, so I had to settle for a frozen margarita. Maybe we should set up a liqueur importing business…

Inside Attica we spent a few minutes beside the dance floor waiting for our drinks. I’d forgotten what it was like to go to a bar where people smoked! With the fog machine running at full blast indoors, it was a pleasure to make it out to Attica’s open air courtyard. That’s the best place to stay – comfy wooden furniture with cushions, lots of people milling around, and just enough music (from inside the club) to keep things lively.

There’s not much dancing at Attica. For that you’ll have to head over to Gotham Penthouse around the corner.

How to get there: Attica is at Clarke Quay just beside Indochine. Best time to arrive is around 12:30 am. There’s a one drink cover charge when you enter, which for the five of us came to a total of S$56. This is in addition to any drinks you may have ordered at the waiting lounge.

Where to eat before your night on the town: Jumbo, beside Cafè Iguana at Clarke Quay. The waiting times can be long, but they’ll take down your mobile phone number and give you a call when your table’s ready.

We were hanging out at the riverfront while waiting for our table, near an interesting sculpture of four abstract people on a bench. A bunch of slightly drunk young Mexican men ambled by and asked Cindy to take their picture as a group, and then took turns having their picture taken with Cindy (may kasama pang akbay). One sat beside Steph pleading to have his picture taken with her but eventually backed down after she told him she wasn’t Chinese. Apparently, he was looking for a Singaporean Chinese girl to have his picture taken with – Steph is Filipino-Chinese but we weren’t about to explain the distinction.

Once you’ve got your table, try the chilli crab, fried prawns with cereal, and buns. Yummy! The waitress’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when the five of us ordered two buns each ("Ten? Are you sure?"), but that turned out to be just the right number.

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