From the peeps who brought you clubs Kyo and Refuge, this new CBD bar offers Latin food and cocktails, captivating interior design and parties featuring local DJs. What's not to like?
Party animals would know that we’re raving advocates of local nightclubs, Refuge and kyō. And we’ve likewise enthused over scenic rooftop bars that enhance our frequent cocktail slosh-sessions. So put these two characteristics into one, and you get one promising contender that’s likely to be the buzziest bar in the scene this year. We swung by Terra at Suntec City’s newly-revamped Sky Garden, and we must say we’re pretty darn convinced!
We rode the escalator upwards ’til we were at eye-level with the CBD horizon, and took a minute’s stroll to this latest brainchild of Limited Edition Concepts. Immediately, you feel right at home… or at least, what you’d like your dream home to resemble. A vast breezy interior boosts brightness and ventilation in the main room, and there’s an easily-accessible veranda if you wanna socialise in the sunshine. Designed by Fuur Associates, helmed by Dean Chew (himself, the head honcho of the Darker Than Wax label and a DJ… but we’ll get to tunes in a bit), Terra flaunts a copper-/mahogany-hued appearance thanks to plentiful use of stained wood panels and glazed tiles. Cheeky strokes of colour are added with electric-blue chair legs, and wisps of green are assimilated with tufts of plants scattered throughout – welcome forest-y features that add an organic touch to the polished façade.
Some of these dangling bushes can be found adorning Terra’s centrepiece – a 27-metre long terrazzo-panelled bar that will surely lure you for a tipple or two. We had ourselves an invigorating white sangria ($18 for glass, $60 for pitcher) – a mildly-sweet fruity concoction enriched with peaches and house-made lavender syrup; not to mention, deceptively potent! And for seconds, we had Terra’s signature Aloevation ($18) – a light, cleansing cocktail of gin, aloe vera juice, lime and dill, with nibble-sized aloe vera jelly-chunks added for a fun chew. We had two of these! While we didn’t get to try other cocktails, they all range from $15 (Piscola: pisco and cola) to $20 (Beergarita: tequila, lime juice, agave, and topped with beer).
And the bites are just as enticing as the booze. The croquetas de pollo ($12) are addictive bar snacks; you can’t go wrong with mozzarella-stuffed chicken croquettes; the veggie tostadas ($8) are crispy mini tacos topped with a juicy medley of mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and parmesan; and the piquillo peppers ($13) are stuffed generously with minced beef. But for a real shake-up, try the gambas con chocolate ($14) – sautéed prawns in a chocolate sauce (!) that’s not only sweet, but spicy (!!!) too. All dishes embody Terra’s Latin-esque theme, so don’t be shocked to find items like chorizo empanadas (stuffed pastries for $14) and a seafood chimichanga (deep fried tortillas for $16) on the menu as well.
But while you’re likely to be plastered along the bar, you’ll have a hard time not turning around, ’cos right behind you lies Terra’s very own DJ console that’s likely to attract the most discerning of ravers. Expect the geniuses behind Refuge and kyō to know best; Terra has a well-buffed resident DJ line-up that promises to run the gamut of dance genres. From the indie-dance choons of Poptart’s KiDG and the disco-teasing house grooves of Darker Than Wax’s Daryl C, to even the bass-leaning floor-hitters of Jerls (previously from Canvas); the tunage at Terra is impeccable.
It’s a place for parties; a place for Latin nosh and cocktails; a place to mingle and get inspired. The long-awaited Terra has finally arrived, and it’ll definitely be seeing more of us.
Terra, #03-308 Suntec City Sky Garden, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983, p. 6336 6009. Open Mon-Tue 3pm-12am, Wed-Thu 3pm-1am, Fri-Sat 3pm-2am, closed on Sun.