Ask Singaporeans about Robertson Quay and they’ll likely still tell you the waterside district only has condominiums, with a handful of local restaurants serving the area’s predominantly expat residents. Take my taxi driver, for example, as I’m heading down there on a Saturday evening. ‘Why not go to Clarke Quay if you want some fun?’ he asks.

My response: Clarke Quay and the neighbouring Boat Quay are a bit much for me these days. Lots of tourists. Lots of drinking. Lots of sports bars. And on this evening, a man climbing a lamppost. No, there must be somewhere classier to have a good time.

Enter Quayside at Robertson Quay. In July 2017, it finally opened, after years of renovation that transformed an old retail centre and hotel into a sleekly designed complex. Opened by Kishin RK, a property mogul in his 30s, the complex now includes some 20 alfresco restaurants and bars facing the Singapore River, each with its own vibe and personality. A new InterContinental hotel opened later that year.

‘I never felt that the area fully embraced a riverside lifestyle, and I saw this as an opportunity to revitalise this part of the Singapore River – the third quay after Clarke Quay and Boat Quay,’ says Kishin.