Ringing in St Patrick's Day in Singapore

Despite it being an English pub – and not an Irish one – I would be hard pressed not to have added Penny Black to my list of pubs that deserve a visit on St Patrick’s Day. There is just something about a Victorian Pub that harkens back to the olden days of colonial Singapore when it was thought of as the Gibraltar of the East. Not a lot of places can bring those feelings to you and the feel of a bit of history like the Penny Black can.
Here you will find the place often full with the after work crowd from the CBD. Not only is this a great pub - in a great location – it manages to just be one of those places that becomes every bit of a staple stop on each visit to Singapore. The Penny Black is the ideal place to start or stop a night – and sometimes – it just ends up being a great place to spend the whole of the evening with friends.
Penny Black is located in the Central Business District on Boat Quay at the Raffles Place entrance and not too far from the Raffles Place metro stop. Here is a place that looks and feels every bit like a Victorian London pub. The reason for that is that it was designed and built in England by master craftsmen and shipped over piece by piece to Singapore where it was re-assembled by the same craftsmen that built it in England. The result is a place that by looks and the good expectations it gives off of a comfortable and cozy watering hole (when it’s not packed to the gills) that could be any of the great pubs in London – except – it’s in Singapore. It can be a pretty snug fit when it is full of people – but with a fun crowd of locals and expats and tourists – it always makes for a fun time in meeting new people.
Many people start out their evening here for one great reason – they have an eight hour long Happy Hour from 11:30 – 8pm! That provides a great reasoning for a pre-dinner pint or for making the Penny Black a great place to link up at for going to dinner at Boat Quay or Clarke Quay. The Penny Black serves up six premium beers on tap including Kilkenny, Guinness, Heineken, Tiger, Erdinger Weissbier, Strongbow Cider and Old Speckled Hen. Happy hours: 11.30am – 8pm daily.
The term "Penny Black" is dated to what was the world's first adhesive postage stamp which had printed in the color of black and it was sold for one penny, and first issued on the 6th May 1840 in the United Kingdom. That would fit the timeframe of the Penny Black very well in its looks.
The AC inside makes a perfect stopping point in the middle of the day and a nice break from the oppressive tropical heat outside. Also, the outside tables offer a great spot for people watching alongside the busy Singapore River. The second floor upstairs Snug Bar atop The Penny Black provides a comfortable setting for get together, cocktails, or even informal business meetings. They do serve both pub and local specialty foods.

Lunar is a two story Asian-Chinese themed Clarke Quay night club featuring mainland Chinese live rock bands and pop music. I went to the Lunar Asian Fusion Bar because of a great recommendation from some Javanese girls I know who said that it was just by far the coolest club they had ever been in. They were right on the money – it is just one very cool club. You will be surprised at how different Lunar is from most other clubs and you may find yourself saying the same thing.
When you walk in through the very spectacular entrance and cross the glass floor over the pebbles – you know you’re in for something unique and spectacular! At 15,000 square feet, this is one big place with two main areas and many smaller ones. It really is an art gallery of contemporary Chinese pop art that has been expertly blended with what I call the symbols of Chinese Culture, to include some of the most unique Chinese lanterns and goldfish that I have seen. The walls are hand painted with flowers and there is artwork even on the ceiling.
The central area is actually two storey with a stage and the areas surrounding the stage being with tables and booths. Both on the ground level and the balcony level allow you to see the band playing, and the ceiling has many lanterns hanging down over the stage. It works well - particularly with everything bathed in a reddish lighting – and it goes without saying that its just completely stunning when looking at all the lanterns!
The central focus of the main club area is the stage and the bands. The Chinese rock scene is growing in SE Asia –and here is likely where you will see some of the best bands playing. They had some really good rock bands while I was there – and though I may not speak Mandarin, music is music – and that is what the club is all about. The bands I saw had either a girl or a guy as a lead singer – and the rock band with the girl singing was terrific. Good enough that the whole crowd was into it.
They have bars both on the ground floor and upstairs and run it as a sake cocktail and martini bar. A word to the wise - your complimentary drink tickets cannot be used for Tiger beer – and beers were about 7 USD. The main bar is like a work of cultural art itself, and a careful look at it will show that someone put some great efforts in thinking up the layout of the bar itself and its décor. The patterns all flow together and you can look at this on their web page (www.lunar.sg).

In December, I was trying to figure out when and where to take my 2 weeks R&R out of the "Cradle of Civilization", and get as far from here as I could. That was when I started coming upon the idea of travelling around the world, and stopping in Singapore for St Patrick’s Day. I had always wanted to go there and see what it was like – what better time than now to find out.
With my best friend advising me on what was going on, I began to lay out a great plan – that of course was changed completely in February and instead of starting my vacation in Singapore – I had to start it in Arkansas and go the other way around the world. The change ment I would be spending six days in Singapore – and returning to Iraq from there. But I had my wish to do ST Paddy’s at the far corner or the former British Empire.
I used several great websites to get up to date information on all the ST Patrick’s Day events occurring, and http://www.st-patricks-day.com/irish-pubs-singapore.asp is a great link into everything happening. I also recommed that anyone planning such a trip for ST Patrick’s Day consult the ole sage of advise - http://www.irishpubsdirectory.com/ as a great first stop for tracking what Irish pubs are around. I had a pretty good list of where I wanted to go before I got to Singapore.
Singapore is a place in that it offers something new around every corner. I am hard pressed to say I have been anywhere like it - and its probably why I keep coming back. The metro system makes things so easy for getting around – and every stop is like getting off in a different place on the globe as you walk to street level. I admit to having spent an afternoon taking the metro around to its far reaches – just to look and see what was there when I got there.
It is a lot of fun trying the hawker stands – or the street side eateries, and being able to have some food that is so different and with such a wide variety when you are a fan of Malay and Indonesian cooking. Exactly the place you need to be after 5 months in Iraq eating really bland food in a messhall. If you are staying on the northeastern portion of Orchard Road - there are some great hawker stands there – and absolutely no reason to pay 20-30 SGD for breakfast at a hotel. And if your able to find the mango or sweet potato puffs – those are worth your stopping and trying. (The Polar Curry Puffs that you find in the Metro shopping areas are definitely a great snack as well). If you are staying near Boat Quay or Clarke Quay – best bet is Circular Road behind Boat Quay. There you will find some of my favorite street eateries in Singapore – whose reviews I out to write – but never remember to bring my pad and pen. One will find really good – and very inexpensive Chinese, Thai, Indian, and Malay foods – and my favorite Roti and Curry place as well – there on Circular Road. Chinatown Square is another great location for breakfast or a snack. I always go to Chinatown Square area on first day in Singapore to get what is my staple food of snacks – the chili pork strips that are sweet and hot. I also am a fan of the ginger and sweet potato soup you can find there.
I did an early scouting of Penny Black – stopping in for a pint of beer my first night in town, and it is always a good place to start a night off, and sometimes it’s a good one to end it as well. The location is such that you probably will be there before dinner – or you end up there after going around pubbing. I actually found Molly’s after eating on Circular Road at an eaterie down the street that has wonderful roti and curry, and stopping in for a mid afternoon ST Paddy’s day pint of hard cider. As oppressively hot and humid as Singapore is – I always find that a pint of hard cider sitting in a pub with AC sure tastes great midday! The same goes for Durty Nelly’s – my first time there had been for a mid day drink – out with several local friends.
When night time comes around – Clarke Quay is the place to be – and I tried doing three different clubs a night there to see which ones I liked the most. There are now two places with Cuban bands – and awesome music – but the one upstairs has an almost 8 USD price for beer – and I can pass on that – or could have if a friend was not working there! I liked the band and atmosphere at Pump, and the beers. I also liked the really late night crowd at Arena – and it gets two thumbs up for great staff and great music. But the one place I owe a review on is called Lunar Asian Fusion Bar. There are a lot of places I recommend – but this is one that gets the capitol COOL – with Chinese rock bands – and the red atmosphere and Chinese décor – it is a must see place amongst many places you may want to go too. http://www.lunar.sg/

When I began the planning in Baghdad for my trip to Singapore, I asked my Singaporan best friend which Irish Pubs she would recommend that we go to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. That answer came back quickly – with Durty Nelly’s at Marina Square on the very top of her list of fun pubs to go to. When I found out that Nelly’s has the honour of being the pub in Singapore with the most draught beers on tap – I figured out the why of her choice!
Nelly’s is on the outer street side floor of the Marina Square shopping center. Its location alone is promising just because of the sheer amount of people traffic you have walking by – as well as it being a great place to meet up from friends. Nelly’s has both a large inside and a outside patio area that runs along its lenghth, and that said, the whole of it was packed with people celebrating ST Paddy’s Day.
I would say this is much more of an Irish bar – than a pub. If you were looking for an authentic type pub like Molly Maguires – this probably would not be on your stop list. A pub tends to be smaller and have more of a cosy laid back feeling to its surroundings, while Nelly’s is more of a brass, timbers and tile type of place with wall to wall displays of many a thingfrom Ireland and elsewheres. And despite all this – looks are deceiving – it really is quite a cozy place and with a fantastic staff as well that made sure you had no problem with your drink running dry.
Nelly’s has eight beers on tap, including Heineken, Tiger, Kilkenny, Guinness, Erdinger, Old Speckled Hen, Strongbow Cider, and Strait's Pale Ale. I decided to try the Old Speckled Hen, and if it is a full bodied dark ale you like – you will be pleased with it. I passed it off to my best friend – who likes such – and then went for a pint of Kilkenny instead. For an Irish bar – they do tend to make their margaritas pretty strong – and with that knowledge in tow – you will understand why you see many a person having one.They do have a happy hour – and that ends at 8pm.
I did find out that my best friend knows the place so well because of the late night bar foods that they offer. The menu offers some standard items, of which the fish and chips come with a very good recommendation. They also have a hearty Steak & Guinness Pie, Homemade Irish Stew and if you are needing your chips and salsa – they have that as well. Nelly’s tries very well in its catering to a more late night type of crowd – and succeeds in doing so.
Durty Nelly's is open M-TH 1130-0100, F-S 1130-0200, S 1130- Midnight
http://www.durtynellys.com.sg/

This is the one pub in Singapore you do not want to miss out on going to for ST Patrick’s Day! It’s definitely not hard to spot Molly’s as ST Patrick’s Day comes near with the Irish decorations visible from a block away. Make sure you do check their website to see what activities they have planned. It seemed that a lot of people knew this was the place you definitely wanted to be on St Patrick’s Day! The large crowd on ST Paddy’s flowed into the street and surrended the pub well until closing at 2am. Those of us lucky to be closing the pub managed to get Guiness coffee mugs that someone must have found at the last moment and were handing out.
Molly Malone's Irish Pub in Singapore has the claim of being the first Irish built pub in Singapore - being that it was originally designed and its pieces were constructed in Ireland and then transported to Singapore where it was set up in Boat Quay at the heart of the city. It origionally opened its doors to the public in 1995. Later it was wisely moved to its current location at 56 Circular Road - which is on the very active street corner behind Boat Quay.
Molly Malone's Irish Pub in Singapore is exactly what you were thinking about when you think of an Irish pub – a place that offers great hospitality and that is warm and cozy. Molly’s is dedicated to ensuring optimum level of comfort for its customers, and it overwhelmingly succeeds in doing that. This pub is very welcoming and you will feel absolutely at ease when seated inside it either at a table or at the bar. You may even find it hard to remember you’re in Singapore until you walk out the doors. The hardworking staff is great at what they do – and in taking care of the customer.
They have a pretty good European football and rugby team decorating attitude in their back room and a good upstairs and would be a great place if you want to watch a match. The Celtic atmosphere is enhanced with the many items inside and upstairs and of course with the live music as well - if you’re not watching a game and kicking back a pint. If you decide to sit outside - is definitely a place you can watch people as well.
If it some good food that you are looking for – on a street known for great eateries – you will find a good variety of choice on the food menu and in the drinks that are offered. What I recommend is going with Molly’s Fish and Chips, Irish Fry Ups, steak and ale pie (with Guiness braised beef), the huge Calgary Stampede Beef Burger, or maybe a big bowl of Molly's genuine Irish stew. Choose any drink from the wide array of concoctions to compliment these dishes. They have pints of Guiness, Irish ale, and they have Cider. http://www.molly-malone.com/

I have stayed in many a hotel in Singapore - but I have to admit I have a new favorite – Novotel. Put this one on top of your places to stay in the city! Great hotels are not because of their location, the amount of money put into their building and upkeep, but because of their staff. At Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay – their staff was as good as they come anywhere in the world. I was so impressed enough that I will definitely return again! From the folks working the front desk to those in the lobby – everyone in the hotel takes care of the customer – and does it with great style and gusto!
I was upgraded to a business class room after my arrival, with excellent views over Clark Quay and towards the river. The first morning – I awake to repairs going on in the room above me. I asked the front desk why I had not been informed that there would be construction going on. The reception desk apologized and upgraded me to an executive class room – with a sweeping view of the river side of the hotel that was even more on nights when storms rolled in over the city! The room was excellent, and everything I could ask for in a place that would be my last comfort before 5 months to come in Iraq!
The Novotel is located at the edge of Clarke Quay and next to the Singapore River front. The location itself places you right in one of the key areas of Singapore’s vibrant and fun nightlife full of restaraunts and bars and clubs. The hotel is also connected to a shopping center and has both a 7-11 and a Starbucks on the ground level. The underground station is across the river and but a short walk. From the metro - you have easy access to all of the major Singapore attractions including Orchard Road, City Hall/Raffles Place, Little India and Chinatown. Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay is in an area with abundant taxis and with easy access to them 24 hours a day, and the Doorman can assist in regards if needed if there are none around..
Novotel features 401 recently renovated rooms each with some really great un-obstructed views of the meandering Singapore River and Fort Canning Park. The rooms were cozy and clean and had both a bathtub and a separate glass shower. Each room has a balcony façade – but I did not think that they are for more than looks. The pool area is really good – and offers some great views of the city and it has a good gym as well. The only drawback to the room was the optional SD30 price for 24 hour internet. There are 4 computers setup in the lobby that are free and allow you forgo that price and save some money!