Ignite Bistro & Bar brings jazz-lounge charm and mod-Asian plates to Balestier

Singapore’s bar-and-bistro radar tends to lock onto Orchard or Clarke Quay, so when a new spot quietly opens in Balestier, it had better offer something memorable. 

Tucked into the ground floor of One Dusun Residences, Ignite Bistro & Bar delivers just that.

Dim lighting drapes over sleek wooden tables, and soft jazz-tinged background music hums beneath the chatter — an ambience more akin to a jazz lounge, than your typical neighbourhood haunt.

Here, Balestier fades into the backdrop, and you’re pulled into a space where modern Asian cuisine and craft cocktails feel right at home.

When a neighbourhood bistro feels like a city bar

Despite its unassuming facade in one of Balestier’s residential blocks, Ignite Bistro & Bar immediately feels as if you have left the bustling neighbourhood and been transported to a swanky bar.

Walk in and you’re greeted by warm, dim lighting that melts the outside world away, sleek surfaces, and soft jazz or lounge beats, humbling the space into something quietly stylish.

One of the brains behind Ignite Bistro & Bar is Jasper, whose pivot from being a financial advisor to working at his family’s construction business, and then to the bar and restaurant scene, speaks to bold ambition.

For this business, he teamed up with four other partners to launch Ignite Bistro & Bar in May, aiming to bring modern Asian cuisine and elevated bar culture to a part of town that’s typically overlooked by such concepts.

This isn’t a casual local haunt, though. Jasper’s vision was clear: Fuse bold Asian flavours with Western culinary techniques, match them with craft cocktails, and treat the dining-bar hybrid like a jazz lounge experience.

The result is a menu built for sharing, drinks built for lingering, and an interior that makes you forget you’re in Balestier.

Sharing plates and slow sips

Sliding into the sofa seat, our first sip of the evening came in the form of Quacka-Cola (S$22) — a quirky Jack Daniel’s No. 7 base stirred with five-spice, duck fat, and plum pebbles.

It’s smoky, savoury, and surprisingly reminiscent of a pina colada — and yes, that’s a compliment.

It’s a slow, steady start to Ignite’s spirited lineup, paving the way for bolder concoctions such as the Hot and Cold (S$22). This herbal-leaning cocktail layers Tuo Pai Qu Jiu baijiu with pineapple, lime, coconut, and cacao butter, creating a flavour that lingers with both warmth and intrigue.

Between the two, we found ourselves drawn to the latter for its strong first impression and mellow finish — a drink that somehow manages to soothe and startle at once.

Ignite Bistro & Bar’s food menu is designed around small plates for sharing, and that’s exactly how it should be approached. We kicked things off with the mala popcorn chicken with curry mayo (S$16) — salty, savoury, and immensely addictive.

Inspired by the Sichuan classic la zi ji, these crisp nuggets are meant to be chased with Ignite’s irresistible curry mayo. We’d happily buy a whole jar of that sauce, if we could.

If you’re still in a fried-food mood, the honey sriracha chicken wings (S$16) is another crowd-pleaser. The chicken, sous-vide before being deep-fried, pulls apart beautifully — tender within, golden outside.

Our only gripe? The honey sriracha glaze could use a little more fire; it leaned too mild for its name.

Balancing the heat and heft, the Namjin octopus leg (S$22) offers a lighter detour. Sliced into bite-sized discs and tossed with chopped tomatoes, peppers, and corn, the octopus brings a satisfying chew that contrasts well with the herbaceous Thai fish sauce-based dressing.

It’s fresh, lively, and designed for a mid-meal reset.

When it comes to heartier fare, few dishes command the table like the honey mustard lamb ribs (S$18). Fall-off-the-bone tender and beautifully marbled, each bite delivers smoky depth with a sweet-tangy punch of mustard — one of those dishes you instinctively guard from your dining companions.

The sweet paprika pork ribeye (S$20) follows with a similar heft, its sous-vide cut finished on the pan for that golden crust.

While the pork ran a touch dry on its own, the tangy accompanying slaw saved the day — a crunchy, creamy companion that balanced out every mouthful.

A warm spark in Balestier’s nightscape

There’s something about Ignite Bistro & Bar that makes you forget where you are — perhaps it’s the warm glow, the jazz, or the seamless mix of smoky cocktails and comforting small plates.

Either way, it’s proof that good food and atmosphere don’t need a downtown postcode to shine. Balestier just got a whole lot more interesting.

For more ideas on what to eat, try Naakin, a halal spot serving homely Thai fare in Amoy, and also check out these 15 places for comforting bak kut teh in Singapore.