Beautiful presentation, varied textures, exquisite ingredients and multi-faceted aromas—dining, when done right, can be an amazingly sensorial experience; even more so when you add music to the equation. Tempo can affect your pace; volume, your palate; and genre, your level of pleasure. Thanks to these choice hangouts about town, all of our flavour senses will be truly sated.

At The Powder Room on Cecil Street, Old World glamour-meets-Wall Street-chic with reinvented cocktails that blur the lines between bar and kitchen, like cold smoking and sous vide for intense infusions. But what truly sets the tone of the glitzy ’20s is the soundscape—snazzy swing tunes by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald fill the room, while All That Jazz sessions every Tuesday feature soulful sets by chanteuse, Alicia Pan. For those looking for a more casual spot to unwind after work, &Sons at Cross Street offers the perfect combination of home-style Italian fare in a bistro setting and an acoustic pop playlist for you to chill to or sing along with. Small plates, cheese platters and charcoal-grilled meats are great for sharing as the live band plays unplugged versions of “Hot in Herre” and “Hotline Bling.”

Too mainstream? Discerning audiophiles (and some hipsters) can be found at LongPlay on Haji Lane, a retro-themed bar that is all about classic-inspired cocktails named after musicians, fusion bar bites and the vinyl revival. The turntable set-up is impressive, with a vinyl collection heaving with over 3,000 records spanning Motown, blues and glam rock. If these still don’t rock your boat, hop over to W Singapore – Sentosa Cove where the beats-per- minute increase as the day progresses—and vary between dining destinations: Instrumental pop at the Kitchen table; acid jazz at sophisticated steakhouse, Skirt; deep house at sexy watering hole, WOOBAR; and EDM for a pool party at WET Bar.

By Dana Koh