With a few days left in Singapore, I did some last-minute sightseeing.

I decided to take the bus into town and check out Parkview Square. There was a Chinese calligraphy exhibition in its museum space.

Photos (from left): riding the bus in Singapore, passing colourful HDBs; Duo, skyscrapers with honeycomb-patterns near Parkview Plaza by Büro Ole Scheeren; “Snail Queen” by Salvador Dali outside Parkview Plaza

ParkView Plaza

Known as “Gotham City” because of its Art Deco style, Parkview Plaza is an iconic building in the Bugis neighbourhood. Inspired by Manhattan’s Chanin Building and completed in 2002, this towering office building once housed Divine Wine Bar, which was known for its wine fairies with their wings and tutus “flying” between the tiers of a massive wine tower to locate bottle orders.

This was what I came for.

I didn’t know Divine had closed and in its place was a new bar and lounge. Atlas opened back in March, about six months already. The wine tower, where fairies or angels, as some called them, once flew is now a gin tower. It holds more than 1,000 bottles.

Atlas Bar

Atlas Bar is full-on decadent in its decoration, with deep purple velvet seating which I loved. It reminded me of a brasserie. Like so many places in Singapore, Atlas Bar offers afternoon tea, a popular activity. I arrived too late it though. The classic afternoon tea is at Raffles Hotel. The Rose Veranda at Shangri-la is another popular one, and one where I frequented most, since it was close to home. Many of the other big hotels, like Fullerton Bay, also offer afternoon tea.

So I browsed the menu. I first ordered an Old Fashioned, my favourite while I figured out about food.