Live Rooms: Jazz, Opera and Late Dim Sum

Singapore's best live rooms are small ones: a jazz bar in a marina, an opera tea house on Smith Street, a dim sum hall that serves until the small hours. For jazz with dinner, we'd go to Simply Jazz at Marina at Keppel Bay. For something you'll see nowhere else, take a Friday or Saturday on Smith Street for Chinese opera. Both fill up at weekends, so book ahead.

Jazz by the water

Simply Jazz is on Level 1 of Marina at Keppel Bay, a 12 to 15 minute walk from HarbourFront MRT. It opens Wednesday to Saturday from 6.30pm, with two sets on Wednesday and Thursday and three on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday it opens at 4pm, and the jam session runs from 5pm to 8pm. The room is shut on Monday and Tuesday.

At Gillman Barracks, The Blackbird plays rock and blues as well as jazz, with a revolving roster of bands and classic-rock nights. It's open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, so look at the band schedule before you pick an evening. The kitchen does burgers and sharing plates.

On Sentosa, Maduro Jazz and Whisky Bar is in the lower lobby of Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, with live bands from 8.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Dress smart casual, book a table by WhatsApp or email, and expect it to be closed on Sundays. In Kampong Gelam (Kampong Glam), Blu Jaz Cafe off Bali Lane keeps a looser programme of live music, comedy and poetry nights, and some Level 1 sets are free entry.

Opera on Smith Street

Smith Street in Chinatown has two opera rooms. Opera Livehouse by Ping Sheh at 11A Smith Street puts on a one-hour show every Saturday from 7pm. The performers present one classic piece and explain its plot, so you can follow what you're watching. Tickets are S$10, booked on WhatsApp.

Down the road at No. 5, the Chinese Opera Tea House runs English-subtitled shows every Friday and Saturday. The 8pm to 9pm show is S$25 nett with tea, snacks and dessert, and you need to be in by 7.50pm. The 7pm to 9pm option is S$40 nett and starts with a set dinner. Book by phone or email with the Chinese Theatre Circle, which also runs karaoke afternoons from Tuesday to Sunday.

Afterwards, head to Tanjong Pagar Road for a drink at The Elephant Room, a cocktail bar built around stories from Little India. It opens at 6pm and closes at 1am, or 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Walk-ins are welcome, reservations are recommended, and Monday is its day off.

Concerts, big and small

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra plays all year at the Singapore Conference Hall on Shenton Way, with tickets from S$28. Arrive at least 15 minutes early, because latecomers wait for a suitable break, and note that children under 6 are admitted only to three named concerts. For a Western orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays at the Esplanade Concert Hall, and the venues can be chilly, so bring a jacket.

The free option is the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, an open-air stage on the waterfront side of the building. Concerts need no ticket, the Esplanade calendar lists what's on, and a mat to sit on helps. At one-north, Timbre has local bands every evening in a food park, beside one-north MRT.

Dim sum after the show

Swee Choon on Jalan Besar is open from 7am to 2am from Sunday to Thursday, and until 4am on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays. Last orders come 30 minutes before closing, which makes it the easy supper after an opera or a late set. You can dine in, take away or order delivery.