Okay so me and my friends had this dying urge to sing some good old karaoke songs just this weekend. Having come out of a movie at 11pm, we knew that our alternatives would be Kbox/Partyworld. While those two are awesome options, the prices aren't! On a weekend, these places open till 6 in the morning, which is excellent for most late night owls. However their rooms go for like $80 for a room of four per hour, which simply put, is insane.
So having weighed all our options, i decided to use the trusty old internet and i googled KTV's in Singapore. And once again, google didn't fail me. I found this quaint little place called 'Teo Heng Karaoke Specialists' located in Katong Shopping Centre. While any shop that self-proclaims 'specialist' in their title ought to be slained, the reviews for this place weren't too bad. So my friends and I decided to give it a shot!
Of course, convincing my friends was another story altogether, as we're afraid it might be a dingy place. After much persuasion they finally relented and said they would follow me, look at the place and run away if need be.
Neither of them ran away.
So admittedly, at 12 midnight, the mall was dead and the hallways leading to the place looked like something out of a horror movie at best. We spent 5 minutes trying to follow the sound of music.
But look at what greeted us as we found the place. An instant transformation. While the bright orange is admittedly a little too 'over the top', I can't deny the bright colours lifted my spirits. So then we entered our room.
And I admitted even I was taken aback at the cleanliness, simplicity, and design. My friends were hooked.
This is what followed:
Okay from the first two pictures, you can see i was just trying very hard to sing. But this last picture of the food? Let me explain.
Pro's of this karaoke place:
-It costs you $12/hour for a room of 4
-You get to bring in your own food and drinks, as long as you don't make a mess
-They provide you with as many microphones as you need. You only have to ask
-All the microphones come with a disposable sock for cleanliness
-Drinks are all at $1/can
-You can even order food from them at very reasonable prices (that packet of wings cost us $9)
-The songs are updated with all the latest English songs (can't say for the other languages, but i'm guessing so.)
Cons:
-At katong shopping centre, it's a little out of the way for the regular singaporean (especially if you don't stay in the east)
-You don't get to blast the music at crazy levels cos the rooms are pretty close by each other, so they tell you to keep it slightly softer.
-It closes at 3am, compared to Kbox/Partyworld, which close at 6am.
-Let's face it, with a name like 'Teo Heng', it's not gonna attract many suitors immediately.
Conclusion:
All in all, their song selection is updated, if not better, than ANYWHERE else I've been. That, coupled with the fact that they let you bring in your food and drinks, plus the insanely cheap drink prices, and most importantly the cheap rates for the rooms, even a WEST-sider like me didn't mind the travel to Katong Shopping Centre. I would definitely tell people to give the place a try (:
I know i had a blast.
