A first for everything

Bar grub

Heart of Darkness

Hailing from Saigon, the award-winning brewery Heart of Darkness has expanded its menu with tasty new sharing plates, tapas, meat, tacos and an even greater drinks menu.

For starters, try Bánh Bao Gà — juicy minced chicken dumplings served with Thai sweet chilli sauce ($14). For something heartier, try the Darkness Rendang Wagyu Burger with miso butter, cheese sauce, cabbage slaw, rendang sauce, crispy bacon, egg and chips on a charcoal bun ($26); or the Char Siew Beef Short Ribs, slow cooked for 14 hours and slathered in Merciless Phantom Reserve Imperial Stout sauce, served with spicy purple cabbage slaw ($38).

Sharing plates include the Taco Platter ($65), a mix of eight tacos and nachos for a group fiesta; the Jumbo Family Size Animal Style Nachos ($38), with a choice of pulled pork or smoked brisket piled high with housemade guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos for six diners.

Grab your carnivorous crew and indulge in the Meat Platter ($95), featuring a selection of house favourites with three sausages, beef brisket, the char siew beef short ribs and the pork belly.

With more than just craft beer, Heart of Darkness offers a drink for every palate with signature cocktails, delicious gin and tonics, natural wines and sake. Try a new cocktail in the Year of the Ox ($19++), with Remy Martin VSOP, beef broth and peaches bringing an earthy, beefy, flavourful twist to your palate.

Signature Heart of Darkness cocktails mix their own beers with light and fresh options like the Futile Logic ($19++), with Hendrick’s Orbium Gin, fresh lemon, house-made mint syrup, Futile Purpose Cucumber Pilsner and salted sesame cucumber. For a stirred drink, try the Conquistador ($19++) with Casa Elemental Mezcal, Italian vermouth, Campari, Conquistador’s Mexican Pilsner and coffee reduction and a coffee lollipop.

Quench your thirst with a refreshing gin and tonic from the curated menu of top gin brands mixed with Fever-Tree tonics ($17 to $22++), or choose from an extensive list of wine or bubbles by the glass or bottle. Open daily, Heart of Darkness is at 1 Keong Saik Road. For more information, go to www.heartofdarknessbrewery.com.sg.

THEATRE

La Clique

May 29 to July 18

Olivier award-winning spectacular La Clique will make its debut at the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands for a limited season.

This is the first theatrical performance featuring an international cast to return to the venue since last April. Filled with heart-stopping moments, humour and spell-binding acts, La Clique is a theatrical phenomenon featuring a unique blend of circus, comedy, and contemporary cabaret variety, set to a thrilling live soundtrack.

Since its launch in 2004, the show has performed to sold-out audiences in cities such as Adelaide, Brighton, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal, New York and Sydney. In Singapore, La Clique will run at Sands Theatre for an eight-week-long limited season from May 29 to July 18, with eight performances a week.

The ground-breaking show is produced by Sliding Doors Entertainment, in collaboration with Unusual Entertainment and Marina Bay Sands. Accommodating up to 250 guests per show, the venue will be transformed into an immersive 360-degree space that allows for a more intimate experience.

Every seat in the house will enable theatre-goers to view all the action on stage. Tickets start from $98 and can be purchased from April 21 via Marina Bay Sands’ website at https://www.marinabaysands.com/entertainment/shows/la-clique.html or via Sistic.

NATURE

Living with wildlife

Our Better World

Is it possible for us to coexist with wildlife? As we move and live closer to the natural habitat of wild animals, the boundaries between our living spaces are becoming blurred. From being hunted to coming into conflict with people, animals are being threatened with extinction. What can we do to peacefully coexist with our wild neighbours and encourage positive interactions?

As part of Our Better World’s wildlife series, A Wild Life: Human-Wildlife Conflict, the non-profit organisation will be hosting a virtual community event on wildlife for the first time on April 24. Explore stories of how conservationists are giving these creatures a chance to thrive in the wild, and join conservationists at a virtual talk about the human-wildlife conflict in our region and discuss ways we can adapt to coexist in our shared home.

Hear from Anbarasi Boopal, co-CEO of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society; David Owen, project manager at Bring the Elephants Home, an international nongovernmental organisation working to reduce human-elephant conflict in Thailand while supporting local communities; and Sanjay Sondhi, conservationist and founder of Titli Trust, a not-for-profit nature conservation organisation focusing on the leopard population in Uttarakhand, India.

Find out more and register for Story Talk: Human-Wildlife Conflict, happening at 11.30am on April 24 via Zoom, at www.ourbetterworld.org/events/story-talk-human-wildlife-conflict

EXHIBITION

À Table

Now till May 3

Embrace every facet of Parisian culture at Alliance Française de Singapour as it rolls out a series of exhibitions and experiences to promote French Excellence throughout the year. Kickstarting the series this April and May is À Table, which spotlights the French art of fine dining.

Organised in partnership with Christofle, Baccarat, Bernadaud, and the Fond Gourmand (Gourmet Fund) at the Municipal Library of Dijon (France), the French institute transforms its second floor gallery into a chic space filled with thematic dining set-ups from the very aristocratic to the very modern. Mounted all over the white-washed walls, you’ll find a collection of historical menus linking France and the Southeast Asia region such as state dinners offered by the French president to King Rama IX of Thailand and even our former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

For those curious to find out more about how food paves the way for good politics, there will be a webinar on gastrodiplomacy on Apr 28. Hosted by Marc Abensour, Ambassador of France to Singapore, the one-night only virtual event will feature Guillaume Gomez who led the kitchens of the Elysée Palace from 1997 to 2021, and Laurent Stefanini, Ambassador of France to Monaco.

In conjunction with the exhibition, close to a dozen workshops will happen within the gallery, ranging from wine, champagne and cheese tastings, to workshops on dining etiquette and the French art of table setting with Catherine Baron, founder of Le Savoir-Vivre: Academy of Etiquette and Modern Manners.

To complete the experience, there will also be screenings of gastronomy-inspired French films or documentaries like There’s No Accounting For Taste directed by Singapore-based French sommelier, Stéphanie Rigour, and Step Up to the Plate featuring restaurant owners Michel and Sebastian Bras.

The exhibition and talk are free while all other activities are ticketed. To register for any of the events, visit www.alliancefrancaise.org.sg