Hidden drinking house • Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road #01-05, Singapore 238865
Quick take: The Other Room is an Asia’s 50 Best Bar hidden inside the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel – a “drinking house” built around in‑house cask‑finished spirits, world‑class cocktails, a strong tapas menu and now, very serious zero‑proof creations too.
⏰ Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 6pm – 2am · Friday & Saturday: 6pm – 3am · Sunday: Closed
📍 Address: 320 Orchard Rd, Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel #01‑05, Singapore 238865
📞 Phone: +65 8300 6085
📲 Reservations: SevenRooms booking link
From Bar Convent to Orchard Road
I first met The Other Room team at Bar Convent Singapore (BCB), while helping the crew at East West Asia. Some time later, Kathy reached out on a Sunday asking for two bottles of Barnes and Brown for a private event – when an Asia’s 50 Best Bar calls, you don’t say no, even on your day off.
The delivery was a quick drop‑off. The real deep dive came on another day, when I headed back before service for a quiet Barnes & Brown tasting session at the bar, watching the team set up for the night ahead.
Finding The Other Room – Ring the Bell
The Other Room is tucked off the Marriott lobby behind an unmarked dark wooden door. There’s no shouting signboard – just a door, a bell and the sense you’re about to step somewhere you probably shouldn’t know about.
Ring, wait, and the staff whisk you into a completely different world: dimly lit, intimate and full of bottles, barrels and mirrored walls scrawled with quotes about alcohol, life and everything in between.
Inside the Drinking House
The room feels like a cross between an old‑school salon and a modern living room. Teal tables, soft chairs, characterful cushions and small lamps on every table set the tone: you’re here to settle in, sip slowly and talk.
Look up and the shelves are lined with rows of unlabelled bottles, each filled with something the team has rested, blended or finished in‑house. This is not just a bar that pours spirits – it actively reshapes them.
Cask‑Finished Spirits – Potions and Barrels
The Other Room’s concept is simple on paper but wild in execution: take good spirits, finish them in small casks, blend and tweak until they become something new. Think rum rested in unusual barrels, gins kissed by wood, whiskies given extra layers of spice, vanilla or dried fruit.
With more than 100 spirits finished in‑house over the years, The Other Room is one of the few bars where almost everything in your glass has been tweaked by the team themselves. Neat, on the rocks or in cocktails – the DNA starts here.
Cocktails, Tapas & the Full Menu
The cocktail list is ordered by eras and styles, with polished takes on classics, vintage recipes and signatures built around the in‑house spirits. You can sip your way through history, or just ask the bartenders to steer you based on your mood.
Food is not an afterthought either. From beetroot hummus and small plates to more indulgent bites like ribeye, the menu is perfectly pitched for sharing while you work your way through the drinks. For the full up‑to‑date food and cocktail menu, it’s worth checking their website at theotherroom.com.sg.
Barnes & Brown Tasting Flight – Zero Proof Taken Seriously
On that separate visit before service, we lined up the full Barnes & Brown range for a proper tasting – Lady Juniper Gin, Signorina Valentina and the rest. Each bottle was poured, discussed and tasted through like any serious spirit, with the team dialing in how they’d build cocktails around each profile.
It was crystal clear that The Other Room is taking zero‑proof cocktails very seriously. The non‑alcoholic serves get proper glassware, thoughtful garnishes and the same flavour‑first mindset as the rest of the menu – not a token sweet mocktail in sight.
Quotes, Mirrors and Spirits from the Past
Part of the charm of The Other Room lies in the little details. The mirrors are filled with hand‑written quotes about drinking, dancing, relationships and the occasional questionable decision. You can happily sit with a cocktail and just read the walls.
That “Spirits from the Past” cabinet is a lovely touch: a reminder that while The Other Room is busy pushing spirits forward with cask finishes and new ideas, it hasn’t forgotten the bottles and styles that came before.
Why The Other Room Belongs on Your List
- A hidden entrance off the Marriott lobby – ring the bell and step into a completely different world.
- A huge library of house‑finished spirits, available neat, in flights or folded into cocktails.
- World‑class cocktails plus a proper tapas menu, so you can comfortably make a whole evening of it.
- Zero‑proof cocktails taken very seriously, with Barnes & Brown spirits treated like a core part of the programme.
- Atmosphere for days – quotes on the mirrors, barrels on the walls and service that makes you feel like a regular quickly.
Whether you’re a cocktail geek, a whisky hunter, an agave fan or just someone who loves a good bar with a sense of theatre, The Other Room is absolutely worth seeking out. Just remember: find the door, ring the bell, and give yourself plenty of time – it’ll take a while to drink your way through that back bar.