[Radar]: X Bistro

 

Area: With nearly all of the street level real-estate in the Sinan Mansions already scooped up, Phase II of the development is taking to the upper floors. X Bistro takes up residence in block 33, right upstairs from Chicha.

What it is: X Bistro is the latest addition to Rhumerie Bounty's fleet of nautically themed rum bars. If you've been aboard the previous branches, you already know what this entails. Lots of rum, shivered timbers and the like. If you're unfamiliar, you can get a heavily elided and brogue-studded sketch of the concept right here.

The key difference with X Bistro: It has a galley. Coming from said galley is a small menu of bar snacks with decidedly French influences -- duck rillettes, foie gras terrine or pork paté, for example -- along with more conventional items like pizzas and potato wedges. There is also a set meal deal that changes daily. True to bistro form, you'll just have to see what they've scrawled on the chalkboard that day. I've tried it a couple of times, most of what I've seen is slow-cooked French comfort dishes like beef Bourguignon or duck leg confit served in a cocotte alongside a salad.

Atmosphere: Unmistakably Bounty. It's crowded and convivial and all of the hallmark nautical themes are there: antiqued timber floors, walls stacked with facades of rum barrels, arched doorways, etc. They've added a few cool little design cues here and there like ropes wrapped around the table tops and a wall of illuminated rum bottles. The space feels markedly smaller than the other two branches, but to make up for that, there is a couple of crow's nest-sized terraces so you can whiff of the fresh sea air. Music is a mixed bag drawing heavily from an indie catalog and a variety of French electronica and folk music.

Damage: Cocktails start at 58rmb for rum concoctions and other classics and top out around 168rmb for the champagne variety. If you're into the whole brevity thing, shooters go for 50. Arrangés, or their famous fruit infused rums, go for 130 to 200rmb for a 250ml bottle. Artisan rums are anywhere from 50 to 270rmb for a dram or so while bottles start at 550, going all the way up to 15,000. Beers are 30 to 60. Bar snacks at either 68 or 78. Set meals are 58 for a salad, main and soft drink. Add 30 to that for dessert and coffee.

Who's going: As expected, you'll find a din of Francophonic strains intermingling with the hovering haze of cigarette smoke. Unlike Bounty's other two branches, however, the crowd seems a bit more mature and sophisticated. These are people on their way to and from sit-and-sip establishments like Alchemist and Apothecary, not Shiva and Shelter.

First impressions: Well, as far as restaurants go, X Bistro is still a great rum bar. While it's certainly nice to know that you can hedge against a rum hangover with a bite to eat, all the signs in this place still point to "bar," not "bistro."