Gastrobar review: Jekyll & Hyde returns with elevated zi char and a pet-friendly courtyard

Like its literary namesake, Jekyll & Hyde is no stranger to transformation. Once a nail salon-slash-watering hole on Tras Street, this bar stalwart made headlines when it closed down in the thick of the Covid-19 crisis last year. Less than a year later, it’s back in a new body in the Keong Saik area, with the same spirit of boozy daring and a zi char-inspired food lineup.

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Set in a two-storey shophouse along Neil Road, Jekyll & Hyde is quite aptly a space of two faces – as different as day and night. The pet-friendly courtyard out front has been transformed into a whimsical garden, its walls clad in green turf and lined with surreal, Victorian-inspired characters dreamed up by Hendrick’s Gin.

You almost expect the Mad Hatter to pop up and start pouring tea. Climb up to the upper floor, and the space shapeshifts into its darker, sleeker bar-ego – raw concrete, leather bar chairs, and a cheeky pop of neon.

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The brand-new food menu is a mishmash of local hawker and supper grub, reinvented – we recommend snagging a table in the breezy courtyard for the full zi char experience. Crafted by chef Alvin Tan – formerly head chef at Shanghai Dolly and Straits Clan – bites here range from the timeless to the topsy-turvy.

The Fresh Orh Lua ($22), for one, is a brinier inversion of the beloved oyster omelette. Crisp bits of egg are heaped atop Canadian oysters on the half-shell, and you slurp up the whole juicy, tasty mess in one go.

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Turning our national dish into a convenient dip, the Chilli Crab Nachos ($18) star chili sauce with deep umami notes from fermented soybeans. Ration the chunky toppings of deep sea crabmeat and ikura – the temptation to polish them off within your first few bites is real.

The Gula Melaka Top Shell ($15) drops another flavour bomb of sweet, savoury, and spicy by way of an intriguing snail salad. Think chewy snails bathed in a chili padi-spiked conch brine, brightened with three kinds of citrus juice and sweetened with gula melaka.

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There’re large plates of elevated hawker fare too, from bak kut teh to claypot rice. Jekyll’s Hua Tiao Bee Hoon ($25) is a silky, satisfying rendition of your classic seafood beehoon, heaped generously with prawns, sotong, and fried fish.

Our favourite of the night, though, is the Wagyu Char Kway Teow ($25) – each bite packs a mean punch of wok hei, topped with wagyu beef slices seared a pink, juicy medium-rare.

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Jekyll & Hyde’s old Mr Bean cocktail was the stuff of legend – a smooth brew of Lao Ban soya beancurd and vodka – and if you ask nicely, they might just whip up an off-menu special for you. Otherwise, the revamped cocktail program of 16 signatures (all priced at $22) has plenty more playful local twists in store, courtesy of Head Bartender Michael Foong.

Nasi lemak in highball form sounds a little too wacky for comfort, but we can attest that Pandan Valley is well worth the plunge. This fizzy concoction of pandan-infused Glenfiddich 12, coconut liqueur, and soda water is served with a thick smear of sambal on the glass rim.

Drunk on its own, the tipple is muted and mild; with a daub of sambal, the spice lingers on the tongue and unlocks rich notes of pandan and caramel.

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There’re a couple of fruity thirst-quenchers that would go down easy with their toast-forward weekend brunch. Daintily served in a teacup, Peach Please! is a fragrant, foamy cloud of a cocktail shaken with dried mango-infused Hendrick’s gin and vine peach liqueur.

Meanwhile, The Jungle Bird recreates the tiki tipple first whipped up by the famed Aviary Bar at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Blanco tequila, alongside the usual rum, Campari, and pineapple juice, all add up to a grassy-fresh, dangerously downable number.

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If you prefer a hit of caffeine for your liquid breakfast, the Morning Brew delivers with black tea-steeped rum, cardamom-infused coffee liqueur, and spiced chocolate bitters. It might sound bitter, but it leans surprisingly sweet and silky, with well-balanced herbal and roasty notes.

Follow that up with another twist on classic breakfast fuel, the PB & J – a blend of peanut butter-washed bourbon, Rinomato, and orange peel-infused Cinzano Bianco. The herbaceous vermouth somewhat overshadows the nutty notes, but we love the fun touch of the toasted marshmallow garnish.

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For a comforting nightcap, you can’t go wrong with the Clarified P&C. Pineapple-infused whisky, crème de cacao, and cinnamon syrup make for a woodsy, spice-rich brew, with Mozart dark chocolate liqueur brushed inside the glass for extra decadence.

Jekyll & Hyde is located at 74 Neil Rd, Singapore 088839, p. +65 8940 2450. Open Tues-Fri 4pm-10.30pm, Sat 11am-10.30pm, Sun 11am-6pm. Closed Mon.

This article was first published in City Nomads.