The entrepreneur making a quiet city sing: How Indra Kantono is shaking up Singapore’s nightlife

Considering the recent spate of restaurant and bar closures in Singapore, one might conclude that the city-state’s F&B scene has lost its fizz: 1,267 food businesses shuttered between January and April alone. But Indra Kantono begs to differ. The Indonesia-born co-founder of hospitality company Jigger & Pony Group recently launched two successful businesses within six months. First came Pop City, a cocktail bar inspired by contemporary Japan, followed by BOP, billed as Singapore’s first Korean cocktail-dining bar.

Despite opening these spots in quick succession, Kantono never rushes the process. “We start by taking an honest look at the scene and thinking about what we can add to it,” he says. Singapore’s nightlife offering has become increasingly competitive in recent years, partly because the city isn’t constrained by classic bartending styles. Instead, it has found inspiration in Southeast Asian ingredients, Japanese hospitality and European traditions, creating what Kantono describes as “new formats that don’t fit neatly into any category”.

The group has also focused on creating welcoming, living-room-like third places where the drinks are as approachable as the friendly staff. “In an uncertain and divided world, bars are places where we can talk over our differences – at least, for a few hours,” says Kantono. Authenticity matters too. “The concepts need to be rooted in personal experiences,” he says. “For example, Uno Jang, our South Korean creative director, based BOP on his memories of his country’s drinking culture.” Whatever Jigger & Pony Group’s precise formula, it’s working – as one glance at the snaking queue outside BOP will make abundantly clear.
jiggerandponygroup.com