Ume Maru

Calling all Japanophiles and self-professed weebs: this Japanese bar beckons, and geeks will immediately get its reference to Jimbocho – a popular area in Japan that’s lined with old bookstores. This craft whisky and cocktail bar is hidden behind shelves of manga books, and it’s the sister outlet of Umesan 100, another Japanese bar focused on umeshu that’s hidden behind colourful ‘vending machines’ in Fortune Centre. The cocktail list sees anime-inspired creations like Songbird ($22), inspired by ‘Belle’; Light of Nara ($22) inspired by the Shishigami forest spirit from ‘Princess Mononoke’; Matxha ($22) which is a reinterpretation of Eru Chitanda’s favourite drink in ‘Hyouka’; and Tiffany Sky ($22), a bright blue tipple inspired by the azure skies in ‘Land of the Lustrous’. Meanwhile, serious whisky aficionados can choose from four craft whisky tasting sets (from $32) that contain three 30-millilitre pours of whisky from around the world.