It was a pleasantly warm weekday evening, and I found myself wandering (as I am wont to be) alongside the Singapore River in search of a meaningful pursuit for the night. While I admired brilliantly illuminated views of buildings under construction some distance away and contemplated the blistering pace of Singaporean urbanisation, I could not help but notice the presence of this comfy bar situated in front of Esplanade Mall. 7atenine’s name may conjure up images and reminders of poor puns and punchlines we have all probably been able to appreciate at some point in our lives, but I decided to give it a look-see anyway.
The first thing you would notice about 7atenine is the décor; with clean white lines and earthy brown upholstery, it combines understated simplicity with touches of class without the unnecessary pretension that at times appears to characterise similarly-styled establishments. It felt like home (or at least, how I wish home could be).
The quirky latticed construction of the stools and chairs add a playful uniqueness to the furniture, while making them hellishly comfortable. Strategically located fans allow patrons in any part of the bar respite from the unforgiving tropical humidity, and speakers mounted to the ceiling facilitated ambient chillout-type music which was audible, but not loud enough to get in the way of existential conversations with myself.
Having been recommended to try some of the mojitos by the eager-to-please service staff, I decided to partake of a four-course mojito dinner. Unfortunately, this was about to cost a little more than what I am accustomed to paying for the average meal. With drinks that cost between $20 and $30 on average, I would consider 7atenine a relatively pricy fix, to say the least.
I started the night off with a safe appetiser choice: a regular mojito. Each mojito served by 7atenine comes with a stick of brown sugar which you can swirl around for additional sugary goodness or consume directly, if it so pleases you. The mojito had a tasty balance of mint and rum, and lacked the bits of undissolved sugar that tend to sink to the bottom of poorly prepared mojitos (which I greatly appreciated). I was impressed.
The Batida Mojito, which is made with cachaça instead of rum, was rich and smooth while the Litchi Mojito had an invigorating freshness to its flavour. The star of the mojito show, however, was the Ginger Blush Mojito which tasted like real ginger without being overly pungent. I was really getting a sense that actual effort went into the loving preparation of these mojitos; I thought, “Self, is it rare to find such commitment?” I’d say so.
Thankfully, 7atenine offers other dining options for those not on a strict liquid diet; a wide variety of smaller dishes in the style of spanish tapas is available for lunch or dinner, and there is a daily lunch special between noon and 230pm for $37++ which allows the diner a selection of the chef’s creations for the day. Unfortunately, this Quaff writer was unable to sample these meal options; the cocktails deserved his full concentration.
And that I’d say, is my thumbs up for 7atenine.
