[Photos: Kim Choong]

Brought in by the “King of Clubs” Chris Barish, Black Tap owner and a veteran of many successful clubs in the United States, Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beers at The Shoppe of Marina Bay Sands is a 3-part restaurant made to be “fun”.

The façade is decorated with artwork in collaboration with local Singaporean artists. A neon lights wall signage occupies the entrance of the craft beer bar, whilst a colourful wall mural by graffiti artist Has. J creates the entrance to the restaurant. There are also art pieces of the 80s and 90s stereo icon hanging in the restaurant. It is very retro and if you were a kid growing up with skateboards and roller skates, the iconic music player would be a familiar device, unlike for the millennial kids who would probably have no idea how to make it function.

Chicken Wings

The first part of the restaurant after the “Black Tap Singapore” wall mural is the kitchen. Burger buns and beef for the burgers are shipped all the way from the United States to ensure the same quality and consistency as the original joint in New York. The locally inspired craft burger is The Cantonese BBQ Burger with a prime burger, bacon, Cantonese mayo of black bean and garlic, and BBQ sauce made with sambal, served with sweet potato fries. There are also the Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad, Crispy Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Korean BBQ Wings which use chickens imported from Malaysia. We are sure the leaves for the salads are from Malaysia too!

Fried Chicken Burger

The second and middle section of the restaurant is the most colourful, and a great space for insta stories. Watch Black Tap’s signature CrazyShakes being put together at the open island workstation atop of which sit glass candy display cases containing candies and sprinkles. At $S19 to $S22 per glass, this is probably the only outlet that sells their shakes at higher prices than their booze. Try The Bam Bam Shake (our favourite with fruity pebbles, rice krispies and strawberry pop tart), The Cotton Candy Shake (think Unicorn), Cookies ‘n Cream Supreme (with a giant Oreo) and Brooklyn Blackout (chocolate injection). The shakes are as big as a meal on its own and we think it’s best for sharing. It’s good for soul-mending after a hard day at work or if you’re needing a boost for comfort (don’t count the calories).

Black Tap's signature CrazyShakes

The third and last is the bar area, where beers, wines, cocktails and other beverages are churned out. The drinks prices are reasonable for the standard of the location. Craft beer on tap is at $16 a glass and $13 by the bottle. Expect local brews from Archipelago and international brands such as Brooklyn, Lost Coast, Deschutes, Sweetwater, and Moon Dog to name a few. House wines are at $16 per glass and $58 by the bottle; cocktails at $21 per glass and non-alcoholic drinks from $6 for coffee and tea, to $20 for a slushie.

We think that Black Tap is a great addition to the mostly fine dining spaces in MBS. With its location at the south side entrance, it offers a menu with good price points to the office area as well as to shoppers and diners.