Escaping the world at Night Hawk

WITHIN the laid-back cafe space of Five Oars Coffee Roasters on Tanjong Pagar Road, there lies a portal to another world. Black pillars flank an alcove; within it, a narrow window offers an amber-tinted glimpse of a bar counter and a bottle-lined wall.

Next to the window is a door, and behind it is Night Hawk: a bar that aims to transport patrons to an imagined point where past and future collide. Or as co-founder Peter Chua puts it: “You’re taken away from your current life and the reality of the world, for a fleeting moment.”

The intimate space contributes to the sense of being in a sealed-off time capsule. At the far end, the floor sinks down to a sofa pit. Opposite the bar counter, there is just enough space for two double-seater tables against the wall, like mini booths.

The bar’s name is a play on Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks – an American diner scene with an atmosphere of “urban alienation and solitude”, as Chua puts it. Night Hawk aims to evoke that aesthetic, yet provide a warmer welcome.

The familiar greens and browns of the painting are echoed in velvet upholstery and wooden walls. But the vibe is one of cosiness, not coldness – down to the cushioned bar counter, which spares the knees of barstool-perched customers.

The soundtrack runs from disco to math rock, Boney M to Bruno Mars. And instead of the vast windows of Hopper’s painting, Night Hawk is sealed off from the outside, apart from a quartet of rose-tinted portholes.

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Unlike bars where beverages take centre stage, Night Hawk is driven by ambience, says Chua: it is about “creating a fun space, creating a vibe”.

At its heart is the retro-modern concept, which plays out in a cocktail menu of reinterpreted classics with cyberpunk names. The Gamma-ray Holiday adds pineapple and bittergourd to its take on the Midori Sour; the Kick Artist Fix is a Manhattan by way of maple pancakes, butter-washed and served with a mini pancake.

Both the drinks and food selections are “very, very loosely based” on the archetypal American diner, adds Chua. Dishes include sriracha mac and cheese, a “decadent” chilli dog, and a wagyu double cheeseburger.

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Some drinks are practically desserts. The Black Hole Sun is an alcoholic ice-cream float: a raspberry bourbon fizz topped with vanilla ice-cream and popping candy. The cherry-topped Chromatic Attack – a cream-based version of a milk punch – recreates the nostalgic taste of F&B Cream Soda without using the drink itself.

Then, of course, there is the namesake cocktail Nighthawks, inspired by the diner staple of coffee and playing on the idea of staying up. A play on the espresso martini, it includes Five Oars coffee and two types of coffee liqueur. A feather adorns the glass, held in place by a chocolate seal – one of the many small flights of fancy within Night Hawk.

Nighthawks

25ml Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva rum 10ml vodka 7.5ml Amaro Montenegro 5 ml Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao 2.5 ml Mr Black Coffee Liqueur 1.5ml cold brew concentrate 1 barspoon rich demerara syrup 1 dash MSG tincture Topped with hot coconut foam Served with a chocolate wax seal