Hidden Gems: Meet Shen Tan of Kizuna

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shen Tan.

Shen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Kizuna began with a simple idea: to create a space where people could slow down, connect and feel at home. The name “Kizuna” comes from the Japanese word for bonds or connections, and it reflects something that has always been important to me. I spent about a decade in Japan, and many of my personal experiences there shaped the way I think about community, hospitality and the role that a small neighbourhood space can play in people’s lives.

The opportunity to start Kizuna came unexpectedly in 2019, when my family asked if I would consider taking over a space that had previously been my grandfather’s bakery and was later run by my aunt and uncles. The bakery closed in late 2019, and I decided to transform the space into a café.

We started Kizuna as the first specialty coffee shop in the neighbourhood. At the time, there weren’t any specialty coffee options around, and I wanted to create a warm, welcoming space that felt more like a second home than a conventional café.

Of course, the neighbourhood has changed since then. There are now around a dozen specialty coffee places in the area, which is wonderful to see. And Kizuna has changed too.

We had been serving cocktails since our first year, and over time I began to see more and more potential in that side of the business. Eventually, we decided to take it a step further and focus entirely on cocktails and izakaya-inspired bites. We have now stopped serving coffee altogether.

In some ways, it’s a very different Kizuna from the one we started with, but the underlying idea hasn’t really changed. It’s still about bringing people together and creating a space where people feel comfortable staying, talking and connecting. We’re simply expressing that idea through cocktails, food and hospitality now rather than coffee.

The journey has been anything but predictable, but I think that’s part of what makes building a small independent business so meaningful. You start with an idea, and if you’re willing to listen and adapt, it eventually becomes something of its own.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. In fact, Kizuna’s beginning was probably about as challenging as it could have been for a new hospitality business.

We were preparing to open just as COVID-19 hit. During those early days, it felt like constant firefighting. There was always another operational issue, another restriction, another uncertainty to deal with. We would make a plan and then have to change it almost immediately.

We eventually received permission to open in April 2020, only to find ourselves dealing with further restrictions almost immediately. There were periods when we simply couldn’t operate in the way we had intended, and as a new business, that uncertainty was incredibly difficult.

There were also all the challenges that come with running a small independent business: managing costs, building a team, dealing with suppliers and regulations, understanding what customers want and constantly figuring out how to keep moving forward.

COVID taught me a lot about resilience, but perhaps more importantly, it taught me how important it is to be adaptable. When you’re constantly firefighting, you learn very quickly that you can’t control everything. You can only respond to what is in front of you.

That mindset has stayed with me. Our evolution from a specialty coffee shop into a cocktail and izakaya concept is partly a reflection of that. You have to be willing to recognise when something is changing and have the courage to change with it.

The hardest moments were also the ones that taught me the most. Kizuna survived because we kept adapting, but also because we never lost sight of the reason we started it in the first place: creating a place where people could come together.

As you know, we’re big fans of Kizuna. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Kizuna is an independent neighbourhood cocktail bar and izakaya in Potong Pasir, Singapore. The name comes from the Japanese word for bonds or connections, and that idea has become much more meaningful to us as the business has grown.

We originally started as a specialty coffee shop in 2020, and at the time we were the first specialty coffee concept in the neighbourhood. Cocktails were part of Kizuna from our first year, but over time we found ourselves becoming increasingly passionate about that side of the business. Today, we have stopped serving coffee altogether and are fully focused on cocktails and izakaya-inspired bites.

What sets Kizuna apart is not just what we serve, but what happens around it.

We are incredibly proud that Kizuna has become a place where people make meaningful connections. Some of those connections have gone on to become collaborations, new jobs, friendships and opportunities. Hearing these stories is one of the most rewarding parts of running the business.

We are also proud that people feel comfortable coming to Kizuna on their own. To us, that is a very special kind of trust. Some of our regulars tell us that they are quite careful about who they introduce to Kizuna because it is their safe space, their home, and they want to share it with people they feel will appreciate it.

Sometimes that loyalty comes through in wonderfully unexpected ways. One guest once told us he felt bad that he had written a review for a new place that had opened down the road but had not reviewed Kizuna. His reason was that he still wanted to be able to get a seat when he came back to see us. We laughed, but it also made us incredibly proud. It was such a simple and funny way of telling us that Kizuna mattered to him.

We are proud of our team too. Our bartenders have developed a strong knowledge of cocktails, techniques and the craft behind what they do. But beyond technical skills, what makes me proudest is that my team serves with their hearts. Technical skills can be learned, but genuine care for people is something I value enormously.

That spirit has also taken us beyond Kizuna itself. We had the opportunity to travel to Bhutan to teach girls at a guesthouse and café how to make cocktails. This particular guesthouse became very close to our hearts. It had a spirit that felt very familiar to Kizuna, warm, personal and centred around bringing people together. It was incredibly meaningful to see that, after our visit, they developed a night drinks programme of their own.

I think that is what I am most proud of about Kizuna. We started with the intention of creating a neighbourhood space, but along the way, it has become something much more personal. We have created a place where people feel comfortable coming alone, where regulars introduce people they care about, where unexpected relationships turn into opportunities, and where our team can share their craft with genuine warmth.

Of course, we care deeply about what is in the glass and on the plate. Our cocktails, techniques and food matter to us. But ultimately, what we are most proud of is what happens because people choose to sit down together. If Kizuna can help two people meet, give someone a sense of belonging, or simply become a place where someone feels at home, then we feel we have done something worthwhile.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I think what makes me happiest is seeing people connect, often in ways they never expected.

It could be something as simple as watching two strangers start talking at the bar, seeing a regular bring someone new to Kizuna, or hearing that a conversation that started over a drink eventually led to a friendship, collaboration or even a new job. I love those little moments when you realise that something you created has brought people together in a meaningful way.

I also find a lot of happiness in the quieter things. A good meal with people I love, discovering a beautiful place, travelling somewhere new, or sitting down at the end of a long day with a good drink and no particular agenda.

And I get a lot of happiness from seeing people I care about grow. That includes my team. Watching someone become more confident, develop their skills, take ownership of something and realise how capable they are is incredibly rewarding.

Perhaps that is why hospitality feels so personal to me. So much of it is about creating the conditions for people to have a good moment, even if you are not the person having that moment yourself.

I think happiness, for me, is ultimately about connection, curiosity and being present enough to notice the good things when they happen.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kizunasg/

Image Credits
Gent Ho, Goderic Tia, Ting Wang