Capella Singapore holding Taschen book pop-up until Jan 19, open to public

Months ago, I chanced upon a TikTok trend in which individuals are seen engrossed in a book at a bar. If the comments were anything to go by, reading and drinking have long been considered separate pursuits. Yet, the idea that the Venn diagram of literature lovers and liquor lovers rarely overlap is but a stereotype.

Capella Singapore knows a good book, like good booze, requires slow savouring. The luxury hotel’s newest bar The Pineapple Room is now running a pop-up bookstore with titles from leading art book publisher Taschen.

The pop-up is open to the public from 11am to 7pm daily till Sunday (Jan 19). Admission is complimentary.

It coincides with Singapore Art Week, which will run from Jan 17 to 26.

Nearly 70 coffee table books spanning art, fashion, travel and gastronomy were specially curated by Taschen to embody the “storytelling ethos” of The Pineapple Room, named after Sentosa's little-known storied past of being a pineapple plantation. The cocktail lounge has archival documents from Singapore, including photos from the 1940s to 1960s, and original vintage maps on display.

If you have the time, I recommend wandering into The Living Room, a space that's surely designed for lingering, adjacent to The Pineapple Room.

But fair warning, don't expect to pop in and out. It’s the kind of place where you could easily lose track of time, especially with a strong drink and a thoughtfully chosen coffee table book – or several. Drinks and books, that is.

With too many titles on display, many of which cover topics I never even knew exist, you'd be spoilt for choice picking the ideal coffee table book. But there's no rush, with food and beverage offerings to try too, specially crafted to complement the immersive literary worlds.

Inspired by select titles on display are curated set of cocktails, zero-proof beverages and artisanal bites.

Tuck into plant-based gyoza inspired by Florilegium: The Book of Plants, for instance. Or dig into duck rillettes with crostini, orange zest and onion confit, fashioned after a hefty travel tome about what to do in 36 hours in Europe by The New York Times. 

And then do what I did: Cancel all plans for the day to read.

The Pineapple Room is located at Capella Singapore, 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297.