From rooms with gorgeous views to bespoke menus, these private dining rooms offer novelty and serenity sans isolation, at a time when we want nothing more than to get out and live a little – safely.
Privacy within a public space is a luxury worth paying for. Perks like discretion and exclusivity aside, private dining rooms grant occupants niceties both off-menu and, sometimes, off-the-wall. Think rarified, immersive experiences bolstered with fine food, better drinks – or simply the best view in the house. It’s the perfect solution when you want to dine with a select group of friends (once regulations are relaxed, of course) but cannot be bothered with dusting off the silverware.
NEST AT ONE FARRER
Some of the most exclusive private dining rooms are perched high above the heritage district of Little India with panoramic views of the city. There are 13 venues at Nest at One Farrer where guests can enjoy complete exclusivity and privacy while enjoying bespoke menus from the hotel’s award-winning culinary team. But why stop there? Take it up another notch at one of the five villas – they feature outdoor patios, living areas and even attached bedrooms should you decide to retire for the evening. www. onefarrer.com
BASQUE KITCHEN BY AITOR
Basque Kitchen by Aitor returns from hiatus with aplomb, reclaiming its Michelin star post-relocation with an unerring dedication to produce-driven gastronomy courtesy of Basque Country. The new restaurant at The Fullerton Waterboat House now affords a beautiful private dining room decked in warm creamy hues with a capacity for eight. Dine on chef-patron Aitor Jeronimo Orive’s evolved and elevated dishes and an expanded beverage list (choose from over 600 wines) while admiring the breathtaking riverfront view. www.basquekitchenbyaitor.com
MIN JIANG AT DEMPSEY
If one desires a green escape within the Singapore cityscape, they look to the verdant hills of Dempsey. Within, Min Jiang at Dempsey provides: the colonialera building was given a chic, chinoiserie-forward facelift when the Sichuan-Cantonese restaurant took over the space in 2019. Wooded and rattan accents dominate in the joint’s three private dining rooms (seating 10 each, or 26 altogether), with similarlyfurnished chairs to match. A timber trellis ceiling and mosaic floors complete the get-up, framing the bucolic beauty beyond. www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/dining/min-jiang-dempsey
RESTAURANT GAIG
The first international outpost of family-run (and Michelin-starred) Gaig Barcelona is a distillation of its Catalonian roots, five generations in the making. And nowhere is that more apparent than Restaurant Gaig’s private dining room for ten. The recently refurbished sanctum wears its contemporary Catalonian influences on its sleeves in livery and decor, in keeping with Restaurant Gaig’s commitment to preserving its home country’s culinary tradition vis-à-vis 150-yearold recipes passed from parent to child. singapur. restaurantgaig.com
LEVEL33
Entering the restaurant – up 33 floors via private elevator no less – already feels like one’s in on a big secret. Stride on, however, past the copper brewery and floor-to-ceiling windows to the Baron Philippe de Rothschild rooms (so named for wine producer and longtime partner Chateau Mouton Rothschild’s founder) for a slice of private heaven. The entire space has room for 26 seated guests, though it can be partitioned for further privacy – with top billing, surely, going to the seat with an unadulterated view of that Marina Bay skyline. www.level33.com.sg
ZAFFERANO ITALIAN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
Wine, like no other beverage, inspires. It drives conversation (and loosens tongues) for laymen and the learned alike. The label alone often divides the room – let alone the vino within. No wonder, then, that Zafferano’s private lounge seats a dozen within the Italian stalwart’s wine room. You’re right in the thick of it, yet removed enough to focus on what’s important. Like your dining companions – or that intriguing Zinfandel peeking over their shoulders. zafferano.sg
THE DRAGON CHAMBER
Clandestine dining chambers aren’t just for serious business. Sometimes, a little irreverence is in order. Enter The Dragon Chamber, a mod-Chinese restaurant that’s actually a speakeasy hidden behind the façade of a kopitiam, adopting a grungy Sinopunk look complete with neon fixtures and corrugated zinc reminiscent of a Hong Kong gangster flick. Guests are ushered further inside to the private room to enjoy unconventional dishes from its refreshed menu. thedragonchamber.com
