Dodo Rhum House sits in humble fashion near nosier, more proud joints like Blue Chilli and The Latin Quarter on street 178.

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Its unobtrusive presence is made aware by dark embers of orange and red lighting and a quiet rhythm of jazz tunes that seep out its front doors.

French banter from TV5 Monde can be heard behind the jazz cadence, probably to suit the taste of Dodo’s French owner, Rémy Choisy.

Together with his ex-wife, who lives upstairs, and two kitchen-staff, Dodo Rhum House is kept running.

The small number of helping hands seems to spur staff into ignoring the professional barrier between employee and customer, often adhered at busier spots.

Instead they happily befriend patrons – often sitting down with them to engage in friendly conversation.

But it’s not just this tight-knit, friendly ambiance that is the draw card for many patrons: the plethora of rum is all too alluring for avid rum drinkers. You can tickle your taste buds with a variety of home-made flavoured rum. Choisy started making rum almost six years ago - an art he learnt from books and researching recipes on the internet.

He has whittled his rum menu from more than 20 flavours down to the top 10: Chocolate, ginger, passionfruit, caramel, coffee, strawberry, cinnamon, spices and coconut. A single shot goes for US$1.50 and a double for $2.50 – served on the rocks.

To make the rumming experience more tasteful, a small menu of authentic French cuisine is available.

It includes dishes like boeuf bourguignon for $8, stewed duck in red wine for $8.50 and for something friendlier on the pocket and a little less French - a Dodo burger with fries for $4.50.

Address: Dodo Rhum House, #42 Street 178.