the vault @ club street

The Vault has opened its doors to the public since June this year.

Marketing and publicity has been rife-

scoring reviews in 8 days, a DBS Indulge feature on Channelnewsasia, features in I-S Asia and Timeout Singapore and the list goes on.

So what's the deal about this 7,000 square feet, two storey shop house with a running theme to the history left behind by the former occupants of the Overseas Chinese Bank Corporation in the 1930s?

The basics.

There's a bistro on the first level and a bar on the second.

It's a cozy, laid-back SoHo feel with its bare walls, various assortment of books and magazines to be read and these guys support the local art scene by opening up their space to be used for art features by local artists.

It's a bachelor's dream pad complete with a party going on every night at the bar upstairs and an open concept kitchen offering up a western fusion menu on the first level.

Now we're talking.

Sides that can also be ordered for bar bites if you're having drinks upstairs.

Bank balls.

Juicy meatballs topped with cheese.

Baked and drizzled with sweet sauce.

Hoisin perhaps?

Getting fresh.

Plump prawns that pack a crunch on a serving of Aglio Olio.

With your choice of pasta.

It's an open concept kitchen where the pizza oven is glaringly visible.

Although it isn't a traditional wood fired one,

you can probably bet your money's worth that the pizzas would be the house specials.

I loved the crust.

Thin but yet not quite.

Enough to hold its own weight balancing the toppings without causing you to make a mess.

Cajun chicken albeit a tad too dry,

was still a traffic stopping order.

Garnished by the bright hues of red, yellow and greens of bell peppers.

Peking duck some days (subject to availability)

and smoked duck breast most other days.

This smoked meat tasted like a refined version of its pork counterpart.

An acquired taste.

But the combination of sweet hoisin sauce, salty smoked meat and bitter rocket worked for me.

The verdict

A place to see and to be seen.

And I've been impressed with a fusion menu that offers up more than just your usual Western serves.

:)