It’s all about ume at Singapore’s new The Choya Ginza Bar, where there’s even Choya in the food
How much do you like plum and umeshu (Japanese plum wine)? If the answer is “absolutely obsessed”, then Millenia Walk’s new The Choya Ginza Bar Singapore could be your new favourite bar.
As the name suggests, this bar is a concept from Choya itself.
Choya is basically synonymous with plum wine, and one of the trailblazers of commercialising the traditional Japanese spirit, which was still mostly home-brewed up till the 1960s.
Building on Choya’s history of innovation with umeshu, the bar introduces Singaporeans — especially younger drinkers — to fresh ways of enjoying umeshu.
This is the second international — and third overall — outlet of Choya Ginza Bar, which first opened in Tokyo in 2019, and subsequently, Hong Kong in 2024.
Here, it’s all about ume (Japanese plums) and all the different ways to consume it — there’s a myriad of the brand’s signature pours, alongside cocktails and bites that revolve around ume, and Choya itself.
Yes, Choya in food — can you imagine that?
Choya Ginza Bar’s Happy Hour
One reason to visit Choya Ginza Bar is for its attractive Happy Hour, which runs from 4pm to 7pm daily, and offers drinks for as low as S$11.80.
If you want something refreshing, the Choya Sonic (S$11.80) is your best friend, being a simple mixture of umeshu with soda and tonic water that’s crisp and easy to drink.
However, we gravitated more towards the Choya Dry Sonic (S$13.80), which possessed a bit more complexity.
Compared to the plain Sonic concoction, this one had a ton more depth, with the dryness elegantly contrasting the sweetness of the umeshu itself.
That’s more of a personal preference, though!
Also, don’t miss out on the lotus root chips (S$8), which is probably one of our favourite bites at Choya Ginza Bar.
This dish doesn’t use any ume — unlike many of the other dishes on the Choya Ginza Bar menu — but we thought the combination of crispy lotus roots, umami nori (seaweed) salt, and smoked mayonnaise was super addictive!
Choya dishes and cocktail pairings
It’s not our first time trying a negroni with umeshu, but we found the Choya negroni (S$20) at Choya Ginza Bar pretty endearing.
Concocted with dry gin, Campari, and Choya single-year, it’s got the robustness you’d expect from a negroni, yet there’s also an underlying plum-tinged sweetness that blends well with the Campari’s herbaceous notes!
However, we thought the most interesting aspect of Choya Ginza Bar’s Singapore menu was the gastronomy.
You can find all sorts of unique creations that focus on ume — some ideas are simpler, such as the ume tartare that accompanies the yukari fries (S$16), but others are bolder, such as the braised short rib bowl (S$38), featuring meat braised in Choya.
One dish that really heavily focused on Choya itself was the ume seafood fricassee (S$28), where seafood came served in a Choya clam broth.
Candidly, it felt like the broth was a bit too heavy on the Choya sweetness, but it was an interesting look into how Choya can be incorporated into food.
Where Choya Ginza Bar really shows off its gastronomical chops is when you order one of its cocktail and food pairings.
For the sweet-toothed, we highly recommend the C4D and B&W Cheesewich (S$28).
The Cheesewich is a rich and decadent Oreo cheesecake-like dessert, while the C4D cocktail tastes like a cheesecake distilled into a drink, but has a splash of umeshu vibrance to elevate the base piquancy.
As for those who enjoy light, refreshing savoury bites, the Snow Garden and kani fumi maki (S$28) would fit your palate best.
The Snow Garden is a bright and floral slushie-style cocktail, while the roll is stuffed full of kani fumi (imitation snow crab sticks) and topped with Choya gel and umeboshi mayo for a burst of acidity.
Overall, nothing really blew us away, but Choya Ginza Bar isn’t aiming to be a premier bar. For its aim of using umeshu in fun, unconventional ways, we think it’s definitely quite an interesting place to visit!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the new udon spot by the team behind viral Yet To Name Ramen and the new Upper Thomson outlet of popular Marymount Bakehouse!
Wed 4pm to 11pm
Thu 4pm to 11pm
Fri 4pm to 12am
Sat 4pm to 12am
Sun 4pm to 11pm
- Promenade
- Esplanade
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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