I rarely head to the financial district of Singapore in Shenton Way, unless I have to visit some of the banks there, which was what I did last month with my mother. We visited The Bank, which is not a financial institution, but a bar and bistro at the corner of One Shenton.
The Bank Bar + Bistro is an all-day dining and bar, with a large selection of a la carte items, and a comprehensive drinks menu. It occupies more than 3,000 square feet with a lofty classical European interior. Although I was surrounded by dark wood panelling and leather, the interior was well-lit by the warm chandeliers and light streaming in though the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Photo: The Bank
As any alcoholic should at a bar, I tried their signature cocktails. The Bank’s signature cocktails have names related to finance, such as White Collar Crime, Liquated Damages, Greenback, Offshore Account. I ordered one called CBD without looking at the description, as it was the current cocktail promotion. Fortuitously, the cocktail that arrived was a refreshing citrus harmony made with Bankes gin, grapefruit juice and passionfruit puree, with cardamom syrup to add a spicy dimension and garnished with grapefruit twist and burnt cardamom seed.
One of The Bank’s Signature Cocktails, CBD
I ordered some bar bites while waiting for the mains to be served. The Crispy Prawns with Wasabi Mayonnaise (S$23) is excellent bar bite to go along with some cold lager. The deep golden brown batter maintained its crackling crunchiness down to the last bit of the wasabi mayonaise, which gave the dish a little bit of heat with sweetness to go along.
Crispy Prawns with Wasabi Mayonnaise
I also ordered another prawn appetizer because my mom loves prawn! The Prawn and Crab Ceviche (S$23) was beautifully plated, with balsamic vinegar and paprika powder providing a flourish to the visuals. It was also topped with dark caviar which added bursts of the sea as I chewed.
Prawn and Crab Ceviche
When I told my mother that she could order anything she wanted for mains, she went straight for the most expensive single item on the menu, which was the Pan Seared Tara Valley Beef Tenderloin (S$46.50).
My mom’s initial exclamation on her steak was “It’s so soft! Like cotton!” Personally, I was relieved as I had ordered her steak medium-well according to her preference. Generally, unless it is an excellent piece of prime cut high quality beef, ordering anything with doneness higher than medium results in a dry and tough steak. The steak was tender and juicy despite its doneness, and the accompanying sides were excellent too. My mom liked the potato sides especially.
Pan Seared Tara Valley Beef Tenderloin
I decided to try one of the Chef’s recommendations, The Bank Fish and Chips (S$25). My fish and chips came without the fancy plating like the previous dishes that arrived before it. However, the pacific dory fish is among the best I have had locally. It seemed like The Bank had generously used an entire fish fillet that was fried to perfection. The inside of the fish was soft, flaky and moist, and the batter was properly airy and crispy; it also had a light caramelised sweetness from the Maillard reaction. You can always tell how good the fish and chips is, if you can finish the fish without excessively slathering on the tartar sauce.
The Bank Fish and Chips
We decided to share dessert, and I ordered another house recommendation, the Baked Marshmallow (S$14), out of curiosity. The cold chocolate ice-cream juxtaposed with the warm melted vanilla marshmallow provided an interesting sweet ending to our meals. I had fun with my mom stretching the marshmallow from the bowl and as it cooled, it had a rather chewy texture. The berry compote added balance and acidity to an otherwise saccharine dessert that diners with a sweet tooth would love.
Baked Marshmallow dessert
In addition to their special weekend roasts items, all-day breakfasts and kids menu, The Bank makes a great weekend hangout place for couples with young children by having an awesome playroom for kids and toddlers. The Bank also has a couple of large screens for sports fans to catch major sports leagues with buddies over a drink. Last but not least, I love that the prices shown on the menu are nett, inclusive of GST and without service charge, which makes splitting the bill when dining with friends a breeze.
Kids playroom
If you already cannot wait to check the place out, do not hesitate to try The Entertainer mobile app for great one-for-one deals at The Bank. The Entertainer app allows users to search for one-for-one deals at quality restaurants and hotels for amazing savings. For example, you could also use The Entertainer Mobile for one-for-one deals at high end restaurants like Fat Cow and Il Lido Singapore, among the 254 merchant partners in Singapore, for astonishing savings of over S$80,000!
The app retails at S$75 but Asia 361 readers get an additional 10% discount when you enter the promo code ‘2015ASIA361’ at check-out.
The Bank Bar & Bistro
1 Shenton Way
#01-01 One Shenton
Singapore 068803
Opening hours: Mon to Fri, 11 am to 12 am; Weekends, 9 am to 12 am
