Third & Sixth Bistro Bar at Seah Street

Story of Lapel:

Tall one met fat one, engaged in a conversation on music, and ended up joining fat one’s band where the pale one is the bassist. Together, with other band members, they wrote songs, performed at various gigs, and even won competitions. Sadly, the band disbanded when the pale one went to serve the nation, but they all remained close friends, as close as family.”

“And one day, the three good friends decided to TOTALLY OPEN A BAR!” And so, Lapel was born.


Didn’t realise that all three of them, ‘tall’,’fat’ and ‘pale’, were in the background when I took this shot!

Third & Sixth is Lapel’s first-ever bistro-bar outlet. It represents what the Lapel guys love and stand for –great food (their definition of great food is sinful and tasty), copious amount of alcohol (especially beers), and quality according-to-them-balls-out music (especially from the ‘90s).

The name Third & Sixth simply comes from its unit number, 36 Seah Street. This no-frills, chill-out enclave is where you can unwind and bask in the miscellany of handpicked music selection.

Three of them come from different cultures and backgrounds. Adam, the tall one, and the alcoholic one, comes from Burma. Pio, the fat one (I can’t bring myself to call someone fat, but this was how they described him as), is a Portuguese-Indian mix, hailing from Malaysia, who has accumulated a breadth of culinary experiences from working at several esteemed F&B restaurants in Singapore. Eddy, the pale one, is a Singaporean-Chinese and Korean mix, whose mum owns a couple of Korean restaurants in Singapore. Their diverse ethnic backgrounds are reflects on the varied menu. The kimchi that they serve/incorporated into their dishes is stolen (okay, taken) from Eddy’s mum’s restaurant.

Being the music lovers that they are, the names on the menu are also music-inspired and some are names that remind them of childhood, such as ‘Made for Mario’ and ‘Found Nemo’.


Nachooo Libre ($6)

For a perfect way to start off the evening, munch on the Nachooo Libre. Crunchy corn chips are topped with homemade pico de gallo, melted cheese and sour cream. This is sinfully good. Top up $3 to add chilli con carne. This is the cherry on top of the cake.


Yomomoso ($10 for 6 pcs/$18 for 12 pcs)

The highly raved Yomomoso lives up to its standards. Slightly spicy, sweet and savoury, the thick coat of Korean homemade yomomoso sauce encrusting juicy meat hits the spot.


Rings of Cthulhu ($8)

“Fried calamari in beer batter, which makes it that much better.” They couldn’t have said it better themselves.

This was one of the highlights of that evening, although all three starters I had didn’t disappoint. I’m usually not a fan of calamari, as I detest that chewy texture when prepared negligently. Third & Sixth, however, serves up calamari so succulent to the bite, fresh tasting and almost silky in texture, underneath that light crisp coating.

All sides come with a choice of dipping sauce, all concocted in-house. The garlic aioli is a top pick!


Found Nemo ($14)

Nemo landed on pan with lemon herb butter

Here comes seafood. It was almost devastating to hear about Nemo’s death, from the menu description. I felt a sense of relief only after I was clued in that Nemo (clown fish) wasn’t killed to put this dish together. Pink dory fish, not that Dory in the movie Finding Nemo, is grilled to a succulent finish, lightly browned on the outside, and fragrant of butter and herbs. The lemon gives it a refreshing touch.


Blinky ‘n’ Chips ($14)

Beer-battered, spice marinated pink dory fish with steak-cut fries

Ordered this because I had some really scrumptious bite-sized battered fish at their opening, but this dish arrived with an intimidating portion of charred beer-battered fish. Well thankfully the fish somehow manages to stay so moist and tender throughout, beneath that dark crust. It was in fact satisfying to the point where not a single crumb was left.


Killer Kathoey ($14)

Chicken patty massaged with Thai herbs and spices

I remembered the chicken patty to be much more moist during the opening party, but seems like the chicken has run out of juices to impress this time round. Better luck next time! The Thai herbs and spices are a good touch; the fragrance and flavour are undoubtedly noteworthy.


No. 36 ($14)

Third & Sixth’s trademark burger slapped with caramelised onions, cheddar cheese and bacon

I would highly recommend the beef burgers instead. They contain 150g of homemade Australian grain-fed beef patty, grilled to moist juicy perfection, and served with a side of steak-cut fries, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and onions.

My only gripe is that the breads aren’t baked in-house. I can easily overlook that element since the juicy beef patties seem to have bribed me into consensus that the burgers are worth ordering.

Feel free to stack up your burger with add-ons, such as egg ($1), additional cheese ($2), mushroom ($2), chicken patty ($4), beef patty ($4… wait, $4 only???), caramelised onions ($1), bacon strips ($2), chilli con carne ($3) and Portobello ($4).

No. 36 is one of their best sellers, and I don’t see why not.


Messy Mexican ($14)

Topped with chilli con carne and fresh pico de gallo

Messy Mexican is a personal pick. The fresh pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca, a condiment made from chopped tomato, white onion and chilli, provides a touch of freshness to the burger, while the chilli con carne furnishes the already-juicy burger with even more moisture, and an amazing depth of flavour.

The food exceeded my expectations, and they’re definitely no run-of-the-mill bar grubs. Most of the items on the menu, if not all, pair well with various types of beers.

This bistro-bar lacks formality, in a good way. Sweep aside dining etiquettes for the evening, and just enjoy good food, good booze and good music with good company over great conversations.

Did I mention, all prices stated are nett? There is no additional GST or service charge.

Those working in the vicinity can indulge in affordable set lunches from $9.90 nett, which include a starter and main of your choice, and ‘bottomless iced tea’. Add $3 to the price of any main in the a la carte menu to make it a set. Set lunches are available only for lunch, from 12pm to 3pm.

Enjoy draught beers from $8 nett during the ‘crazy hour’ from 12pm to 3pm. Happy hours are from 3pm to 9pm, gulp down Asahi and Great White at just $10 nett each, Magners at $12 nett.

I think they’re awfully bias, but 2D/3D artists, designers, writers, illustrators, editors, students of such professions and hotel staffs can present your staff/student pass or namecard to enjoy happy hour prices all day on weekdays! Yay?

Third & Sixth Bistro Bar
36 Seah Street
Singapore 188392

Tel:

Opening hours:
Monday – Friday: 12pm-12am
Saturdays: 6pm-12am
Closed on Sundays.

Pssst, they’re in the midst of applying for a licence to operate till… late. Check their facebook page for updates! ()