Some establishments take pride in subverting clichés. Others, such as Fook, prefer to revise tired concepts. Why stick your neck out if there is still an appreciative audience? Though not exactly teeming, the restaurant sees a steady trickle of customers on Friday nights, though we suspect it might have something to do with the buy-one-free-one promo on The Entertainer app.
The OG of Oriental-themed bars, PS150 entered the scene in December 2015. Since then, a slew of imitators have jumped on the bandwagon: Shelley Yu's, ShuangXi and Suzie Wong are just three we can name off the top of our heads.
Paper lanterns, red fairy lights, water features, and fetishised artwork of Asian women wearing skintight xi paos or sarongs peer down at us as we peruse the menu. It all feels so déjà vu.