There is certainly an appeal to being 'in the know' when it comes to finding some of Singapore's best hidden bars. This underground bar has ranked within the top ten of Asia's fifty best bars and features in the worlds top fifty, there's a clear reason why. We've been coming here since the bar first opened in 2013, it's been a must stop for every visitor we show around Singapore, so much so it deserves a blog post of its own
Why the appeal of Operation Dagger Singapore:
Lets start with the design, as you enter through a dark door and make your way down the plain concrete steps you might start to wonder if you've taken a wrong turn. As you enter the bar you are greeted with a dimly lit room, illuminated by what seems like thousands of bulbs creating their own light cloud on the ceiling. Neon lights feature behind the concrete tables, giving a feel of a modern and hipster vibe with a minimalist design. The bar is quite enough to have a good conversation with your friends, yet busy enough to create a nice evening atmosphere.
The Cocktails at Operation Dagger Singapore:
The design of Operation Dagger is only the beginning of the story, the real reason to visit this bar is for the cocktails. Picking your drink of choice from the menu is all about the flavours and senses. The menu features only a description of the expected taste, leaving out the alcohol used in the drinks creation to ensure there are no prior judgements in selection. Initially we couldn't understand this rationale. When we later learned of the alcohol used in my drink of choice we could not believe it. We know having seen it on the menu initially, we would not have made the same choices. We were so thankful for not knowing as it lead to discovering the best cocktail of our lives. We have travelled a lot and experienced many amazing cocktail bars around the wold, but Operation Dagger is home to our personal number one favourite drink, here it is:
Operation Daggers famous Hot and Cold cocktail:
One of the longest standing items on Operation Dagger's menu is the Hot and Cold cocktail ($25 SGD). This drink is served in a rounded glass with two separated layers. On top is a warm and creamy white chocolate foam. Below is a sweet and cold pinkish liquid with a hint of lavender. The balance of the layers creates the perfect mix of flavour. A hot and cold sensation will hit the taste buds at the same time when you take your first sip. Often we'll visit Club Street for dinner capping the night off at Operation Dagger just for a glass of this drink. If you try it, we challenge you to take a guess of the alcohol used to make this one.
Other Operation Dagger cocktail favourites:
We'll be honest in saying we haven't tried many other drinks on the menu as the Hot and Cold is so good, it feel like missing out not to order it. But on a few occasions we've gotten adventurous, another favourite is the 'Chocolate Pinot'. Served like a glass of red wine, it tastes exactly like enjoying dark chocolate and wine in a single cocktail.
Another great feature of this bar is they often let you sample for free their latest creations while waiting for your drink to be concocted. The latest sample we tried was their 'Sourdough beer', we are personally not beer drinkers, and sure can't imagine beer mixed with sourdough, yet somehow it works exceptionally well. It has a sweet flavour with a only a hint of bread like after taste.
Getting to Operation Dagger:
Operation Dagger can be found at 7 Ann Siang Hill, open Tues - Sat from 6pm till Late. Their website also accepts reservations.
For a hot tip on finding the bar, look out for this door.
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We hope you enjoyed our cocktail bar review of Operation Dagger. For more bar and restaurant reviews check out the Singapore eats and drinks section of our blog to see our favourite spots.
Your,
LITTLE SHERPAS
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