Private Dining Room in Singapore: Hire the Room, Bring Your Own Chef

Search for a private dining room in Singapore and page one is mostly restaurants with a room at the back. That is the right answer if you want their menu and their waiters. It is the wrong one if you want your own food, your own drinks and a dinner that runs on your clock.

The Loft at 42 Foch Road, a few minutes from Bendemeer MRT, works the other way round. You hire the room by the hour and fill the table yourself.

What changes when you hire the room, not the restaurant?

A restaurant private room is sold on the food. You pick a set menu, there is usually a minimum spend, and the room is yours for the hours the restaurant keeps. In return, staff cook, serve and clear.

At The Loft the room is the only thing we charge for. Nothing is billed per head, so the room costs the same if two guests cancel that afternoon. The food and drinks are yours to sort out.

How much does a private dining room cost in Singapore?

The bill has two parts: the hourly rate times your hours, and what you spend on food. That might be a chef's fee, a caterer's invoice or a supermarket run. If a restaurant has quoted you per head, type it in below to compare.

Compare like with like. A restaurant quote pays for cooks and waiters. This figure never pays for someone to clear.

How many people can sit down to dinner at The Loft?

The published capacity of 40 is for a standing or buffet-style party. A sit-down dinner is set by tables and chairs, so here is the plan from our furniture list.

Main table, Level 1. The 240cm dining table with its 10 dining chairs.

Serving line, Level 1. The 220cm catering table and the 200cm kitchen island, where a chef can plate up or a caterer can lay out trays.

Second table, Level 2. The 220cm dining table with 8 chairs.

That is about 18 seated across two tables. One honest limit: they sit on different floors, so at 18 you are hosting two dinners that share one kitchen. To keep everyone at one table, stop at 10. Above 18, go buffet, with the sofas and stackable chairs for sitting, or run two sittings.

Can you bring a private chef, a caterer or cook yourselves?

Yes to all three. A private chef gets an oven, a cooker, a kettle and a fridge. That is the whole kitchen list, so ask your chef to bring anything else they need.

A caterer is the easy route. Our add-ons page lists catering partners for buffets, meal boxes and tea receptions. A potluck works too, since outside food is allowed.

Bring your own wine or beer. No corkage charge is listed in our published terms.

What is the catch?

Nobody serves and nobody clears. That is the trade for choosing your own food, and it is easy to plan around.

Give two jobs to named people. One plates up or keeps the buffet topped up. Another takes the last half hour: rubbish bagged, leftovers packed to take home, chairs put back. The house charges $15 if food and drinks are left behind and $20 if trash is not bagged, so a roll of bin bags by the door pays for itself.

Book that half hour as part of your time, because staying late without approval is billed at 1.5 times the hourly rate. And fix your chef's date first: dates and timings cannot change within a week of the event.

Tell guests it is a shoes-off room, with a taped line at the entrance where footwear comes off. If you want to be waited on, with courses brought out and plates cleared while you talk, book a restaurant private room. That is a service we do not offer.

FAQ: booking a private dining room in Singapore

Keep reading

Start with the pillar guide to private event venues in Singapore. If the dinner is for someone's big day, read the birthday party venue guide. For a team dinner on the company card, see corporate event venues in Singapore. Full specs sit on The Loft page, and our caterers are on the catering and add-ons page.