Playing with food and drinks: the rise of interactive bar menus in Singapore

For MO Bar, it created a digital seafaring world to reflect its nomadic roots. Concoctions from the Volume Three menu, which pulls from various regional countries. are now given a new home in its very first immersive hub.

The outdoor motif begins with a star map, where drinks come arranged in order of non-alcoholic to the strangest alcoholic content. Chart a course to various drink ‘destinations’, arranged in the sky in order of their alcoholic content and intensity. Other thoughtful elements make for an engaging adventure: Shooting stars fill the expansive sky, and the scene changes from dusk to dawn while scrolling. The boat even bobs with the current. “Be careful not to get seasick,” jokes bar manager Adrian Besa during the launch of the virtual menu. 

The virtual creation has also allowed MO Bar to better connect with guests – both local and abroad. “Having the digital menu gives guests convenient access to the menu even when they are not physically at the bar,” says the bartender. People can now stay updated with the bar’s latest offering, and easily check out its collection of takeaway cocktails.

But stunning visuals aside, the new immersive hub provides added practical benefits as well. Zooming into each drink depicts the actual images of cocktails, and it comes with an interactive function that helps tell the story of each cocktail. “The navigational system, together with the layout, design, and actual images, provides a more accurate representation of the drinks and allows guests to better decide on their preferred drink of choice,” explains Adrian. “Compared to the physical menu, a digital menu enhances the entire bar experience.”

Over at Atlas, its latest La Grande Nation menu hopes to transport guests back to the Art Deco era, beyond just its iconic gilded interior. And it begins by hitting the play button on an audio adventure; a fictional story set in 1925 Paris, where a journalist attends the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Moderne – an important exhibition of the time that eventually gave the Art Deco movement its name.

“Our space has a transportive quality, and we endeavoured to add an extra layer to this unique experience,” says general manager Annabelle Joyce, on the inspiration behind this novel journey back in time. “This evolved into the concept of having an audio reading to accompany the menu, inviting our guests to delve into an era of glamour and unbridled excess.”

The adventure follows Cecil Beaumont, a correspondent for a design and literary magazine as he interacts with four prominent figures of the artistic movement. Each character he meets serves as muses for the libations found in the menu’s four chapters.

Annabelle recommends sipping cocktails from corresponding chapters while listening to the accompanying audio scene for the best experience. The Musician ($24), for instance, is a bright and floral concoction with cognac, coconut cream, and mint, meant to be enjoyed when the story encounters painter Tamama De Lempicka, famously known for her glamourous and glossy pieces.

“By incorporating the sense of sound to both the visuals presented in the menu and the sense of taste with our cocktails, we hope to deliver an even more profound, holistic experience that taps into our guests' imagination to transcend time and space,” she says.

Beyond sound and taste, visual elements play an important role in the La Grande Nation experience. Vintage items from the era – maps, ticket stubs, catalogues, and the likes – were researched, digitised, then printed to complement the entire experience. The menu thus offers a treat for all the senses.

The best part: Everything comes together to create a varied, multi-sensory experience that is open to interpretation. Annabelle explains: “An individual's perspective on a story can vary. Guests can derive information by simply listening to the narrator's inflections or intonations, which may inform their choice of what to order, reshaping what a guest experience can be in an F&B setting.”