Your Favourite Bar’s Favourite Bar: Barbary Coast’s Celia Schoonraad recommends Junior The Pocket Bar

SINGAPORE – Planning a bar crawl in Singapore? According to Barbary Coast co-founder Celia Schoonraad, the key to a memorable night out is blending iconic stops with unique, hidden gems.

In 2024, Barbary Coast in North Canal Road was one of three local bars that received a pin from Pinnacle Guide, an industry ranking of top bars worldwide.

Ms Schoonraad, 37, a South African national, moved to Singapore in 2017. She opened Barbary Coast in November 2019, just 42 days before Covid-19 restrictions forced nightlife venues across the island to close.

Faced with pandemic restrictions, Barbary Coast had to pivot to a delivery model and go through multiple iterations.

Originally a split-level venue inspired by the 19th-century red-light district of San Francisco, its dual identities – rough-and-tumble Deadfall Cantina below and the glamorous Ballroom above – aim to capture the rough and lawless era of the California gold rush.

“When you struck gold, you’d go get suited and booted for a ballroom,” Ms Schoonraad says of its upstairs vibe. The Ballroom’s decor – a clash of loud hyper-feminine decor and intentionally mismatched wallpaper – mirrors the style of San Francisco’s historic madam-run ballrooms.

Today, the second-floor Ballroom has been rebranded under the Barbary Coast name, while its lower-floor space relaunched in July as DF Cantina, a neighbourhood bar with a focus on agave spirits.

Barbary Coast’s current menu draws inspiration from fairy tales and folklore. The bar’s signature drink, The Faeries ($23), evokes English mythology with a floral blend of gin, honeysuckle, apple cider and honey.

Meanwhile, the Seductive Supernatural Huldra ($24) channels the mythical Scandinavian creature through a mix of the Scandinavian spirit Aquavit, vodka, dandelion, clarified blackcurrant and pine pollen.

Asked what makes a good bar, Ms Schoonraad says that these days, her drinking habits have changed from when she first started out in the field more than a decade ago.

“I find that rather than going to see a venue, I’ll go to see a person,” she says.

That means opting for bars with bartenders with a reputation for reliable hands. She adds: “I go out infrequently, so for me, it is the social aspect of the drink and the person making it that do it for me.”

With that in mind, The Straits Times asked her to share some of her favourite spots around Singapore.

What’s the bar with the most unusual concept that you have encountered?

Junior The Pocket Bar

, with its ever-changing theme. Very few venues around the world do that – changing their interiors to match the menu.

It is incredibly hard to pull off, especially with the cost of doing business in Singapore, so I 100 per cent applaud Hazel Long (the head bartender). She is amazing.

What is a new bar that has caught your eye?

Idle Hands

, Jay Gray’s (of Sago House fame) latest bar. It is low-key and unassuming, but Jay injects a lot of personality and passion into his projects. It is a two-man show. We have a big team here, so I would say doing it on your own is tough.

What is a hidden gem that most do not know about yet?

Wine RVLT

in Carpenter Street is pretty good. It is a tiny little wine bar next to restaurant Neon Pigeon. It is unassuming and there is no menu. You walk in and pick from a wall of wine.

Another hidden gem is

Le Bon Funk

in Club Street. It is technically a restaurant, but its sommelier is exceptional with his wine knowledge. To sit by that big window of the non-ravey part of Club Street is the perfect spot for people-watching.

Also, its sourdough is the best bread in Singapore. You can tell so much about a venue by its bread and butter, and they are so good.

What is a non-bar venue that surprised you with the quality of its drinks?

Rappu

at Duxton. It is just the coolest. Handroll sushi, raw concrete walls, neon signs, and it plays crazy cool hip-hop. The drinks are unassuming – highballs, gin and tonics, beers – and it does a great yuzu soda.

It feels like a little slice of Shibuya in the heart of Singapore. It is unassuming, no-frills, super consistent and has attentive service, but without being fussy.

Sometimes, it is nice to walk into a place and just order something simple and know it is going to be done to perfection.

Where do you unwind after work?

I go home to my dogs.

But if I do go out, I prefer places where I know the bartender, what you are in for and the kind of drink you are going to get quality-wise. Basically, I want someone who can relate to the night you have had.

The team at

Origin Bar

(at Shangri-La Singapore) is always accommodating. 

Their hospitality is second to none, they are respectful and polite, and their drinks are sensational. And they also have very busy nights, so they can relate when you are feeling tired or stressed.

I think for anyone who works in the service industry, it is important to find a place that can read your mood and know what you need. Sometimes, you do not want to go home just yet and you want to sit at the bar and be left alone. Sometimes, you want to hang out, chat and decompress.

What would you recommend to first-time visitors to Singapore?

There is a handful of places that I always send people to.

Atlas

is always going to be one of them. There is just nothing else like it in the world because of the aesthetics. You walk in and it is immediately a striking venue.

Another one is

28 HongKong Street

, which is a classic. It is one of the original Singapore cocktail bars and to not recommend it would be a crying shame.

And I would always send people here to Barbary Coast. I trust my team wholeheartedly to deliver exceptional service.

• Your Favourite Bar’s Favourite Bar is a new series where The Straits Times dives into the hidden gems and iconic spots that Singapore’s top bartenders and bar owners love to frequent.