Inspired by one of the most famous artworks of 20th-century America, new bar Night Hawk offers an alternate reality to your usual drinking experience.
You’re seated at the bar in a room with no windows, tucked away in the corner of a heritage shophouse. The interiors are mid-century modern with a warm cinematic glow that could pass for a set in Mad Men. It’s easy to lose track of time here. Before long, you might wonder, am I still on Cook Street, or in a New York speakeasy in the 1960s? Either way, such is the language of getting lost, and Night Hawk is fluent at it.
The brainchild of local bartending legend Peter Chua, who also co-owns cocktail bars Junior The Pocket Bar and Nemesis, Night Hawk takes its name and design from Edward Hopper’s famous masterpiece. An iconic work that was instrumental in shaping the Modernist movement, the 1942 oil painting depicts four people in a downtown diner late at night, viewed from an empty street.
“I was drawn by the feelings of urban alienation and voyeurism that Hopper’s piece invokes and wanted to recreate them,” says Chua, adding that bars naturally possess the ability to isolate and offer some form of escapism. “Night Hawk plays on the idea of the convergence of time. We blend the past, present and future into our space from the decor to cocktails.”
Staying true to its artistic muse, the food and beverage offerings are loosely inspired by those found in American diners. On the drinks menu, classics are elevated with modern techniques and ingredients to create new flavours, textures and colours. The menu, as well as the wall-mounted flipboard, also conflate time periods: The former is accessible via a QR code housed within a mid-century matchbox, while the old-school “departures” board next to the door is, of course, app-controlled.
In a small city with no less than six bars on the World’s 50 Best Bar list, it’s not an understatement to say that the competition is stiff in the cocktail scene. How does Night Hawk aim to stand out? By putting its money on mood.
“I felt that there hasn’t been a bar that has based its entire idea on the ambience. That’s why we spent quite a bit of money on making the place look and feel like it does. I really wanted a space that was cosy, sexy and intimate that takes the guests away from the outside world.”
Chua recommends the Nighthawks as an introductory drink for first-timers. A hot-and-cold rendition of an espresso martini, it has a cool concoction of rum, vodka, coffee, chocolate, salt and spices topped with a layer of warm coconut maple foam. “The temperature difference makes the drinking of that cocktail interesting,” he says.
Love a good throwback? Find it in the Chromatic Attack, a slightly spritzy clarified rum milk punch reminiscent of F&N’s ice cream soda; or the Milky Way Treat, made with cognac, hazelnut, almond, peanut butter and ice cream. Foodwise, its small but compelling list of American staples includes a Sriracha Mac & Cheese, and a Wagyu Double Cheeseburger with house-made potato bun, wagyu patty, cheese and caramelised onions. With all these deliciousness and easygoing vibes, it’ll soon feel pointless to keep your phone on.
Night Hawk, 43 Tanjong Pagar Rd, #01-02, Singapore 088464
This story first appeared in the October 2022 issue of Prestige Singapore
