ZPLUS KTV (Pacific Plaza)

ZPLUS KTV is a science-fiction themed karaoke bar on level 5 of Pacific Plaza on Scotts Road, a couple of minutes from Orchard station. Seventeen rooms, all done out in neon and brushed metal rather than the usual patterned sofas.

The theming is why people pick it — Tron and Star Trek are the reference points, there is a life-size light cycle in the entrance, and the room lighting can be set to match whatever you are singing. The audio is a German system and the sound is a real step up from the budget chains. The song list runs wide across English and Mandarin with Korean and Japanese alongside. Rooms are charged by the hour, from around $22 in the afternoon.

It suits groups celebrating something, and anyone who wants the room to photograph as well as it sounds. Prices sit above the by-the-room chains, which is the trade for the fit-out — if the singing matters more than the setting, Teo Heng at Centrepoint is ten minutes away for a fraction of it. There is a membership that pays for itself quickly if you come back, and the doors stay open into the small hours.