Clan Café — Singapore, Singapore

Nearly two years after it shuttered, the New Majestic Hotel has reopened as Straits Clan, a private members’ club.
Local design studio Takenouchi Webb completely gutted the interiors of the graceful fin-de-siècle pile in Singapore’s colourful Chinatown quarter to create a quietly stylish homage to the island’s storied past and its multicultural mix.
Though members are screened off by a breeze-block wall, the tropical floral boutique and ground floor Clan Café are, commendably, open to the public. Takenouchi Webb has decorated the bright, high-ceilinged room with concrete floor tiles handmade in Yogyakarta, marble cuts and customised teak furniture to evoke a soothing South-East Asian meets mid-century Danish aesthetic.
The menu, too, reflects an easily accessible mélange of regional cultural influences, the executive and consultant chefs David Thien and Jeremy Nguee offering a kakiage of kale, okra and Japanese sweet potato with a genmaicha broth, and an unexpectedly addictive otah sandwich of spiced mackerel, prawns and Comté.
ADDRESS
31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
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Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
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