Entree Kibbles: 1-Altitude Rooftop Bar & Lounge - 360-Degree View on Top of One of The Tallest Buildings in Singapore!

Saturday, April 24, 2021

1-Altitude Rooftop Bar & Lounge - 360-Degree View on Top of One of The Tallest Buildings in Singapore!

I haven't been much of a drinking person until recent years and even then, I prefer to drink at home given how pricey alcoholic beverages can be in Singapore! However, there's the occasional indulgence and today, we are going to a popular bar located on the rooftop of one of Singapore's tallest skyscrapers; One Raffles Place!

1-Altitude - entrance is via tower one of One Raffles Place, which used to be known as OUB Centre. Don't bother going into the shopping wing as there's no direct connection to the rooftop bar. To make it easier for you to navigate, you just need cross the road from the opposite UOB Plaza and should be able to spot the above entrance.

Our destination; level 63, 1-Altitude Rooftop Bar!

Unlike most enclosed lifts bringing you up to the viewing gallery, the ones at One Raffles Place allows interval outdoor views as the lift shot up.

Stopped at level 62 as a different lift would send us to the rooftop. Having been to both Taipei 101 (Taiwan) and Sky100 (Hong Kong), both of which are taller than One Raffles Place, I continued to have that butterflies in the tummy feeling!

Sight in front of us as we stepped out; okay, quite a bummer as I was expecting the impressive Singapore skyline! Personally, I don't think people would want to be seated at this hollowed arena, given the minimum spending and thought it would be better for the operator to build a tent in case of wet weather.

Anyway, let's climb up another flight of stairs.

At 282 metres above sea level, it's not an exaggeration to write that 1-Altitude Rooftop Bar towers over the other buildings at Singapore's central business district and it felt almost like an oasis amidst the clouds, as if I am invited to a drink in heaven upon my death.

I have always looked up to Marina Bay Sands and this was a rare opportunity to look down to it! Being the instagram era, it's a definite that many of us would whip out my mobile phones and shoot photo after photo.

Seats given to us gave us a direct view of the Marina Bay area. As mentioned on my subject title, the rooftop bar gave a 360-degree view and this facing appeared to be the best!

Another facing; towards the west where Chinatown is! Bet you can recognise that iconic People's Park Complex on the centre left of the photo.

Good thing about this facing; the sunset view.

I have no idea how true this is but 1-Altitude was said to be the highest al fresco bar in the world! You may refer to the list here for other notable rooftop bars in the world.

Since it's touted as a bar, I was wondering if kids would be allowed. Seeing this family confirmed that kids are allowed; so feel free to arrange for a family get together at the world's highest al fresco bar! Note to ensure you adhere to the safe management measures; at the moment, no more than 8 persons.

This corner would be the best place to replicate that titanic moment; albeit high up in the sky instead of right out in the ocean. Given my fear for height, I am happy to just take photos.

Panorama of the marina bay area; with the floating platform right in front, I can imagine the high demand during the national day parade as this would be a perfect spot for fireworks!

Can you spot the numerous structures here? Swissotel which used to be the tallest hotel in the world, the national gallery (former supreme court), padang (green field), the esplanade (known affectionately as the durian), the UFO-inspired supreme court, saint andrew's cathedral etc.

Next 'door' neighbour; UOB Plaza.

A new skyscraper in the works - would this feature another rooftop bar to hype up the competition? Anyway, I always wonder how they manage to construct the cranes on top of the buildings? And after completion of the building, how would they be brought down?

I am going for a staycation at this area tomorrow! Interesting trivia; do you know that three hawker centres can be found within this photograph? Smith Street on the left, people's park in the center and hong lim on the right!

That empty plot of reclaimed land would have towering buildings in the near future! In land scare Singapore, continuous building, especially in such high prime area, is the way to go unless there's a historical link like the padang.

Am really keen to have a staycation at Ascott Raffles Place if the borders don't open soon. My priority, however, would be Marina Bay Sands though....

Sunset in the west!

It's a pity that the sky was overcast on the day of our visit and we can't help noticing that the rainclouds were inching slowly towards our direction! :(

Less than 25 minutes after we were seated, we were asked to move as it had started drizzling. We could return to the rooftop bar should the rain subside but sadly, it didn't relent until we were about to leave. In a way, I should be happy that I still manage to take some photos.

Sixty One Lounge - the enclosed area that we would be holed in for the next few hours. The good thing about this over the rooftop bar is that there's air-conditioning.

For 3 persons, we were given quite a good seat which would sit 4 comfortably.

An hour later, we were requested to move again, this time to the less comfortable high chairs with cocktail tables place in the middle of the lounge. Can't complain much as the group taking over had like 6-7 persons.

Level 61 is still at a towering height and despite the dark environment, you do have full length windows on one side where you can continue to marvel at the skyline.

Only two facings but better than nothing and there's a glass table for you to place your drink if you prefer to enjoy the view in front of you. Well, that's the reason for coming to a rooftop bar right? Talking about drinks, it's time to review the food and drinks we had!

Cookies and Cream Cookie Boozy Milk Shake - nice and sweet with a manageable level of alcohol that's not overpowering. Ingredients include oreo, vanilla ice cream, whiskey and baileys.

Temasek Smash - interestingly unique and tasted zesty with just a light hint of spiciness; note, you might find a tingling on your lips after a while, as I did. It has fresh mango (which I didn't taste), fresh red chilli, fresh ginger, gin, pineapple liquer, pineapple juice and sugar.

Floral in Bloom - yet another cocktail. Light and refreshing; it was made of pomegranate seeds, gin, triple sec, cucumber syrup, pink grapefruit juice and fresh lime juice. I prefer Temasek Smash though.

Long Island Tea and Mojito; these shouldn't need any introduction! I can't drink without filling my tummy with food and let's continue with our food reviews.

1-Altitude Signature Grilled Seafood Platter - one of the supposedly 8 must-haves at 1-Altitude, this luxurious platter had tiger prawns, squid, scallops, mussels, clams, octopus and oysters!

Fresh, delicious seafood that didn't fail to impress us! Only issue is that there wasn't any carbohydrates like French fries, buttered rice and it's insufficient for three grown men.

French Fries with Truffle Oil - something I would order whenever I see it on the menu but this portion had just a very light truffle aroma and that's kind of a bummer. To look on the positive side, they were freshly fried and remained hot and crispy.

Charred Iberico Pork Ribs - this was a major regret; the meat didn't slide off easily, it was just a tad spicy and the texture was mushy. I have had much better iberico pork ribs elsewhere.

Pulled Pork Mantou Sliders - while the pulled pork was better tasting than the pork ribs, I think it would be much better to replace this with chilli crabs. Why?

Because this would be the type of fried mantou that's absolutely perfect for chilli crab; pillow soft on the inside, crispy with just the right level of sweetness! I think these buns would give many seafood restaurants a run for their money.

The Altitude Burger - another one of the eight must-haves, this had grilled wagyu MS8 beef patty, pimento peppers, caramelised onion and leek melting manchego, piquillo sauce and came with a serving of fries.

Great Kon advised me to "crush" the burger being taking a huge chomp! Good thing I took his advice as it was so juicy and incredibly full of flavour. Medium doneness beef patty was smoky, tender and went perfectly with this addictively delish, caramelised onion and leek melting manchego that I would die to know its recipe!

Took a photograph of the facing overlooking Swissotel when we were about to leave Sixty One Lounge. Pity we didn't manage to check out the night views at the rooftop.

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Frankly, I did enjoy my time at 1-Altitude with the spectacular view, the amazing cocktails and some of the food like seafood platter and the burger; it was sad that we didn't manage to stay throughout at the rooftop bar but well, we can't dictate the weather. Would love to be back but maybe when I strike lottery.

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