Ryan Clift’s The Tippling Club Was One of Singapore’s Best Restaurants. Now It’s Coming to Adelaide

Update Wednesday November 19, 2025: Clift has announced a third week at Canopy, which will include collaborations with top local talent, including star chef Justin James (whose food has only been available on a handful of occasions in the past year, as he focuses on opening his new Hills diner, Aptos) and Maxwell Wines’ executive chef Fabian Lehmann.

For nearly two decades, The Tippling Club was a crown jewel in Singapore’s food scene. It was opened by Ryan Clift in 2008 and quickly racked up accolades. It was the first Asian venue to make the World’s 50 Best Bars list and it received a Michelin Plate distinction.

It was a particular favourite among Aussie chefs, many of whom would visit as they were passing through Asia, or who did time at the restaurant. Magill Estate’s Scott Huggins was a former head chef, working under Clift.

It was an institution, and many mourned its loss when it closed at the end of last year.

Now it’s back – and in an unlikely way. Clift is bringing The Tippling Club to Adelaide for a residency at Canopy Bar in West End, where everything on the menu – from cocktails to main dishes – is transplanted from the Singapore venue.

There are two options for those looking to experience The Tippling Club: either a degustation in the private dining room or a late-night multi-course snack menu with paired cocktails, which will be available in Canopy’s main bar.

Speaking to Broadsheet, Clift describes the degustation as the perfect Tippling format. “We normally start with five or six individual snacks served, then we go into about seven to eight main courses, followed by two or three pre-desserts, followed by dessert, followed by petit fours,” he explains. “It'll most likely be anywhere from 10 to 14 courses, [but] that's classed as a small menu for Tippling Club.”

From 9pm until sold out, Clift and his team will swap into snack mode, serving a flight of five to seven snacks.

Both options will communicate Tippling Club’s fuss-free ethos. “Tippling Club was all about removing the snobbery from fine dining,” Clift says. “It was about mixing the bar world with the restaurant world [and] taking a fun approach to gastronomy … We were creating a food that is steeped in tradition, but with a fun, playful approach. I was always against the word ‘molecular’ and all that. For me, my food is just food, but done with a creative approach.”

You can expect dishes like parmesan beignets topped with jamon and caviar; razor clams bathed in pink garlic soup; and an intricate tarte tatin. Another highlight is Clift’s “very famous cured Wagyu dish that’s based on the concept of umami, so using umami to flavour or cure”.

There’s also a cult-favourite omurice-style omelette with mushroom, fermented truffle and a vin jaune sauce, which is like liquid egg. “It’s a very simple dish, but the elegance of eating it is what makes it really, really special.”

The initial Tippling Club Residency runs from November 19 to November 29. The chef collaboration dinners run from December 3 to December 6. Bookings are available now.

www.canopybar.com.au
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