Part wine temple and part party palace, Big Wine Freaks is a wine-loving hedonist’s haven where nobody judges you for drinking a Montrachet to an electronic dance beat.
There are wine bars. There are restaurants. And then there’s Big Wine Freaks — a free-spirited, high-voltage collision of both while adding big party vibes.
Since landing in Singapore last year as an offshoot of a Moscow-based wine and champagne bar of the same name, it’s quickly poured itself a wine-dripping reputation for one of the city’s most distinctive and electrifying vibe dining destinations… especially if you love wine. That’s right; while there are plenty of other high-energy spots of a similar bent — we count SUSHISAMBA and HighHouse among them — Big Wine Freaks puts its wine list up front and centre.
And we’re talking about some seriously compelling pours. You’re looking at a diverse catalogue that showcases some of the finest Bourgogne, Bordeaux and Champagne, nestled alongside more avant-garde natty numbers from Jura, Beaujolais, the Loire, and elsewhere. In total its extensive wine cellar is home to some 2,000 bottles of over 500 labels; an eye-popping inventory in this day and age this side of the equator.
But first, the setting. Imagine a velvet-gloved fist clutching a Zalto glass. Lighting here can be dramatic, a riot of disco-dappled shadows and glow of neon pink from overhead tracked lighting. Liquid metal tables snake through the dining room like serpentine catwalks.
Between the distressed walls of a sepia patina and vintage upholstered chairs you may be tempted to think that this design aesthetic was the work of some misguided but creative genius with an eye for hedonism. You won’t be far wrong.
At the centre of it all: an open kitchen, helmed by the very capable Chef Lim Wei Kiat, whose past credits include Art di Daniele Sperindio and GEMMA.
The food? Surprisingly unfussy and restrained. The kitchen doesn’t scream for attention, a rarity in venues with such a well-endowed wine list. Instead it’s there to complement, not overshadow, the wine. To give the zingy Sauvignon something to slice through, the Pinot something to melt into.
It’s also a curious clash of Mediterranean meets Japanese. There’s a whole raw bar: sweet, briny oysters and impeccably fresh seasonal sashimi moonlighting amongst the charcuterie offerings and finger-friendly Basque pintxos.
The mains show off the kitchen’s calibre; the beef short rib arrives unctuous and yielding, while the golden snapper has been seared into crisp-skinned confidence that makes you forget the kitchen sits in the middle of what’s threatening to turn into a rave party.
But the real magic of Big Wine Freaks? It manages to be genuinely fun without being crass, indulgent without appearing snobbish. It doesn’t demand that you’re able to name all the appellations on Bordeaux’s left bank; it just wants you to eat well, drink better, and maybe dance a little in your seat while discussing the merits of carbonic maceration.
If you’re the kind to enjoy the conviviality of wine drinking amidst the energy of a Berlin rave party, you’ve just found the place.
[Image credits: Big Wine Freaks]
Big Wine Freaks
Address 44 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089857 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 5.30pm to 12am Mondays to Saturdays; closed on Sundays
Web bigwinefreaks.sg
Instagram @bigwinefreaks.sg
Reservations book here
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