It's been two years since the Coach Play Shophouse opened its unique concept along the shophouse-laden Keong Saik Road. What once was a three-floored fusion of retail and experience with a Coach Café on the ground floor, has now transformed into a potential nighttime hotspot. The Coach Café has now been reimagined into an all-new Coach Bar.

Think of the Coach Bar as a new Coach-branded speakeasy. While it simply replaces the Coach Café, it's position at the back of the ground floor—past a selection of the brand's fashion pieces—gives it a rather speakeasy vibe; it's almost like it was always meant to be one. The interior has been slightly revamped to reflect its more nighttime endeavours. In place of the previous pastel decorations to resemble an American diner-café hybrid, vintage tapes (that's the precursor to digital streaming and even CDs, for all you Gen Zs) fill up top shelves, and counter-seating greets patrons near the entrance.

The bar is still relatively bright at opening, thanks to the skylight at the corner. But as the sun goes down, it's bathed in a red glow, with candles lit on every table. The music thumps, but not overwhelmingly so, pumping out '70s soul, '90s hip-hop, funk and deep-cut rarities. It's certainly not a K-pop playlist, but if En Vogue, Paula Abdul and the best of Millennial-era hits are more your speed, this is it.

Bar bites are aplenty, consisting of a pretty decent selection of elevated American classics. Most are meant for sharing—the likes of Pastrami Poppers and Bar Chips—with the Coach Steak Sandwich and Silver Service Hot Dog quite possibly things off the menu you'd want to scarf down solo. There's a raw menu consisting of a Shrimp Cocktail and caviar, but if you're looking for a taste of the latter, we'd recommend the heavenly pairing of the bar's This Sundae topped with caviar. It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty-savoury, but even caviar-less the sundae is quite a standout.

But most importantly, the drinks. The Coach Bar offers a decent selection of wines if that's your poison. Cocktails, as expected, lean American with the Manhattan, and Cosmopolitan. For fans of espresso martinis, we'd highly recommend the Grey Goose Espresso Martini that's deliciously creamy and balanced. The Waldorff Highball, Cosmopolitan, as well as the Tabby Disco Tea can also be made zero-proof.

The highlight—and we're certain will be a big draw for the Coach Bar—is the SGD12 Proper Martini Service. Essentially, you can opt to create your own martinis through a personalised table service with a selection of accoutrements. There's absolutely no time cap to the offering too; martini hour starts at 4pm.

The Coach Bar is located at the Coach Play Shophouse at 5 Keong Saik Road, and opens Thursdays to Mondays from 4pm to 12am.