Tartan in the Tropics

I now know where to go in Singapore to eat kipper toasties and haggis. There's a new bar in town, it's called the Highlander, and it's Scottish.

Of course, it still has to deal with the fact that it is in Singapore, which makes for some interesting juxtapositions. Like the twenty Chinese bagpipers who marched in double file in a circle, before a drum and pipe performance by a quartet of authentic Scots called Clann An Drumma. That's Gaelic, so it is pronounced "Coit On Drim" and it means "Pass the Salt". And then there were the staff, all Malay and Chinese, and all obligingly attired in tartan kilts.

(Question : If it is worn by a girl is it called a kilt or just a skirt?).

Incongruity aside, it's a friendly joint, and with two hundred whiskies to choose from, they might get a bit more of my custom.

I love these geographically themed bars. A couple of doors down from Highlander is Cuba Libre. And across a paved courtyard is Marrakesh. It's brilliant how the names leave nothing to the imagination, least of all the staff uniforms. The guys at Cuba Libre had the inevitable sleeveless jackets and hats. And the ones at Marrakesh were dressed like Sam, the black pianist in Casablanca.

One day I'll open a bar called Antarctica and dress my waiters up as penguins.