Located a half flight of stairs before a pole-dancing studio, Parliament is a self-proclaimed all-American dive bar in a shophouse, sporting retro and music-inspired motifs plus electric red neon lights. The casual neighbourhood joint is an approachable, friendly place for gatherings, with a straightforward cocktail menu and wallet-friendly drinks.
Pick from four weekly rotating specials or stick to the basics, which are 18 reliable options in the Bulletproof Classics section. Staples like whisky highballs and margaritas start at $18, but if you’re wise enough to get a few in the system before 8pm, they’ll only set you back $15 each – don’t expect much heavy-handedness on the booze though. If you’re even wiser, you’d come for the drinks and stay for the food – the bar whips up some bangin’ fried chicken stacks, and dare we say they’re even better than Chick-fil-A’s.
The original fried chicken burger ($23) does the job well with a colossal buttermilk-marinated chicken thigh, deep-fried to crisp perfection and paired with chipotle aioli. But it’s the buffalo fried chicken burger ($25) that has us singing praises. It’s got just the right amount of vinegary kick, dialled down with a creamy blue cheese sauce. The bar is mighty proud of its dedicated hot sauce station stocked with bottles sourced directly from New York, though frankly you won’t be needing any additional dressings here, seeing how flavour-packed the burgers are.