CLUBBERS whose stomachs are growling after a heavy workout on the dance floor are enjoying a new alternative to hotel restaurants when they want to wine, dine and recline.

When it comes to catering to hungry bar-crawlers with upmarket tastes, nightspots and cafes are offering more zing for supper these days.

They are filling the gap left by hotel restaurants that no longer serve treats 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For example, Goodwood Park Hotel's Coffee Lounge - known for its Taiwan porridge - is now closed before midnight, while Chatterbox at Meritus Mandarin Hotel is open 24 hours only on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.

Late-night diners like the more relaxed atmosphere at watering holes targeting them, plus the fact that such places have more variety on the menu, dishing up anything from pork knuckles to roast duck pizza to wok-fried pork rib with bitter gourd.

They include Boomarang, a two-month-old eatery at The Quayside, which is open for supper till 1am on weekdays and 3am on weekends. It serves modern Australian fare such as barbecued game.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!