A new chapter begins at The House of Tan Yeok Nee, the last of Singapore’s famed Four Grand Mansions, with the opening of BAR KAP, an intimate cocktail bar. Unfolding as a sequence of chambers, BAR KAP is a living archive where heritage informs modern craft, and every drink is a nod to the building’s storied eras.
Rather than nostalgia, BAR KAP offers reinterpretation, expressed through progressive cocktails and thoughtful hospitality. “BAR KAP has always been about creating something that feels considered but welcoming; a space where people can engage with history in a way that feels organic and intuitive,” says Chai Karim, Principal of Gaia Lifestyle Group and Karim Family Foundation, which restored the house. “The House of Tan Yeok Nee carries so much character, and our role was to respond to that—to build something that respects the past while feeling relevant to how people want to experience hospitality today. Our guiding philosophy is simple: heritage in the walls, modernity in the glass, generosity at the table.”
COCKTAILS SHAPED BY THE ERAS OF THE HOUSE
Conceptualised in partnership with Studio Ryecroft, the menu explores the House of Tan Yeok Nee’s different eras, from its earliest residence to its current form. Within each era is a range of cocktail styles, including a zero-proof selection crafted with the same precision as its spirited counterparts, alongside Singapore’s foremost clay-ageing programmes, where beverages evolve with the quiet passage of time.
Bar Manager Edwin Tan adds, “When guests come to BAR KAP, I want them to leave not just with a memorable night, but with a sense of the stories that came before it. Each era is therefore designed with balance in mind, offering a considered mix of styles so that every guest finds something that resonates.”
The menu opens with the Kapitan Era, a tribute to Tan Yeok Nee himself. Inspired by the life of this well-travelled Teochew merchant, who journeyed between Singapore and the wider region, the cocktails of this era are shaped by the goods he traded and the exchanges he encountered along the way. Pepper Peddler (S$28) celebrates the spice that built the Kapitan’s empire, combining baijiu, gin and makgeolli in a bright, effervescent highball. Lifted with citrus, pepper, and a firewater tincture, a gentle peppercorn heat opens the palate, before softening into softer tropical notes and a subtle, lingering chocolate finish from the baijiu. Mǎi Bàn(S$26), the Chinese term for a middleman who links traders and producers, is a dessert-style sour made with raspberry, vodka, coconut, and a housemade lollipop garnish.
Recalling the years after Tan Yeok Nee’s departure, the Station Master Era pays tribute to the house’s next occupant, drawing on ingredients and styles likely favoured by the British station master. Tank Road (S$28) —referencing the former railway hub down the road—pairs roasted orange and bay syrup, grapefruit, bitters, and scotch in a refreshing whisky sour-style serve, accompanied by a rosemary-infused chocolate. Meanwhile, the spirit-forward Dynamo (S$28) weaves Irish whiskey, amaro, sherry, and Drambuie, deepened with soy and nuanced with chocolate and cardamom. The drink forms part of BAR KAP’s clay-ageing programme, where cocktails are matured in purple clay vessels to soften texture and refine flavour. BAR KAP will be the first bar in Singapore to revive the 8,000-year-old practice, with plans to develop a growing collection of aged beverages.
The Order Era draws from the building’s later chapter as St Mary’s Home and School for Eurasian Girls. A variation of the martini, Lights Out (S$25) is a tableside serve of gin, secco vermouth, and mandarin, finished with fragrant pandan oil. Inspired by the vessel used to carry burning incense, Censer (S$26) layers mezcal and Campari with pineapple and lime for a drink that is smoky, bright and effortlessly drinkable. A torched pineapple ring is gently submerged in the cocktail as a finishing touch.
Bringing guests back to the house in its modern form is the Dynasty Era. TCM No. 3 (S$18) is a creamy zero-proof cocktail, featuring soy milk, ginger, honeydew, and gula melaka. It is presented in ceramicware and honours the building’s most recent past as a traditional medicine clinic. Black Lacquer (S$28) blends coconut rum, cherry wine, locally sourced cold-brew kopi, and molasses, finished with shortbread. Rooted in lacquerware’s symbolism of longevity, it speaks to preservation, reinvention and time, much like the enduring spirit of the House of Tan Yeok Nee.
A MENU OF CONTEMPORARY FLAVOURS, DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT
The culinary offerings centre on familiar flavours, reimagined with a contemporary touch. It moves from bright, textural starters, such as the Savoury Granita (S$18) with salmon roe and cabbage and the HTYN Salad (S$10) featuring black fungus and cordyceps, to more robust, shareable plates shaped by Southeast Asia’s layered influences. Mains include Mee Kapitan (S$20), enriched with minced pork and shrimp paste, and a BAR KAP Bao (S$18) filled with fragrant beef and house-special achar. To finish, the menu turns to nostalgic Singaporean desserts, namely the Ice Cream Sandwich (S$9), a playful rainbow ice-cream sandwich.
A NATIONAL MONUMENT, REAWAKENED FOR CONTEMPORARY HOSPITALITY
A house to be entered and quietly observed, BAR KAP invites guests into a space where the city falls away. In the main hall, the original timber beams and intricate carvings overhead are accentuated by the considered placement of mirrors and reflective surfaces throughout the space. A Y-shaped console anchors the bar, designed for conversation and offering a closer view of the craft, while a central frost rail keeps drinks perfectly chilled. Original interiors are further complemented by upholstered chairs with handwoven textiles reinterpreting Teochew motifs. Flanking the hall, elevated booths echo the intimacy of traditional Chinese teahouses, designed for groups.
Beyond, a series of private rooms unfolds, each carrying its own rhythm. The Carriage Room evokes a private train carriage, layered in fabric, timber and painted brass, while The Chamber is conceived as a traditional TCM apothecary, where the bar’s clay-ageing vessels are framed within mid-century joinery.
JING STUDIO JOINS THE HOUSE OF TAN YEOK NEE
Also opening within the house is Jing Studio, a contemporary tea destination bringing a fresh lens to traditional tea culture. Led by a Tea Master, the studio presents a curated menu of single-origin brews, refined blends, and restorative herbal infusions. Alongside its tea programme, Jing Studio presents a refined selection of pastries and confections, each designed to pair seamlessly with its teas.
Jing Studio is open daily from 10am to 7pm, while BAR KAP is open daily from 5pm to midnight.
