PS Cafe vibe returns to Chip Bee Bistro in Holland Village
Food plays second fiddle to the ambience, but the new eatery is a breath of fresh air in the tired neighbourhood
NEW RESTAURANT
Chip Bee Bistro 44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-48 Singapore 278116 Tel: 6717-8000 (WhatsApp) Open for lunch and dinner Fri to Sat: 11 am to 3.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 11.30 pm. Dinner only Tues to Thurs
IF YOUR memory stretches as far back as the ancient pre-avocado toast era, you might remember truffle fries.
Those were simpler times – when Y2K was the crisis du jour, and chemically enhanced oil drizzled on shoestring potatoes was what set you apart on the (then) hipster scale from the plebeians at McDonald’s.
Nobody did it better than PS Cafe, which was synonymous with the sticky date pudding-led, laid-back Aussie cafe lifestyle movement that was all the rage in the late 90s/early noughts. So forgive us for being a little nostalgic for a brand name which now has all the charm of a VC-purchased restaurant chain.
Enter PS Cafe version 2.0, now renamed Chip Bee Bistro by its original founder Peter Teo, whose decision to open in Holland Village is either a miscalculation, or could spur much-needed new life in the beleaguered lifestyle enclave.
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Sitting among a smattering of retail and bakery outlets still holding the fort along the residential stretch of Jalan Merah Saga, it looks perfectly in place with its retro looks and distinctive Aussie vibe. This time, though, there’s a separate bar at the entrance, a nod to Teo’s venture into the alcohol business.
The interiors have been lovingly designed with great attention to detail – from the mosaic flooring to classic bistro chairs and blackboard menu spelling out the highlights in clean, minimalist font. Even the bathroom is so pretty, you just want to hang around inside to admire it.
Of course, it says something about PS Cafe if the best thing about it was the fries. That is, the food always played second fiddle to the ambience. You still get very good fries at Chip Bee Bistro – albeit without the truffle oil – but the menu is basic cafe fare. Nothing fancy, just familiar and passable cooking meant for mindless grazing as you linger and shoot the breeze with pals like you did decades ago.
Oyster shots (S$8 each) drown out any potential shown by Japanese molluscs that steep in an extra-sharp raspberry mignonette. Knock it back in one gulp if you dare, or gingerly rescue it from its astringent bath and slurp up whatever natural briny plumpness remains.
Whipped feta toast (S$11) is a comforting salve for your acid-washed palate. Thick, lightly grilled slices of bread are smeared with creamy cheese and dusted with pistachio dukka and a drizzle of honey.
There are healthy greens on the menu, including a caesar salad of yore. But we skip that in favour of triple cheese potato crocchette (S$14), which is exactly as described – a deep-fried mashed potato ball stuffed with melted cheese and showered with shaved parmesan, nestled in a sweet and tangy tomato sauce.
A similar tomato trope continues with casarecce (S$30) – twisty pasta in a muted sauce with a hint of lobster bisque and a scattering of crab meat and shrimp. Not a shining example of Italian flair, but nothing to feel indignant about unless you’re somebody’s nonna.
The kitchen is good at crunchy things, though, so the battered crimson snapper (S$32) is just what we need to sink our teeth into. Tasteless white fish is compensated for by a maybe-too-thick deep-fried crust that’s fun to snack on, with decent mushy peas and a so-so tartare sauce to relieve the monotony. But we polish off the fries – perfectly thin and crisp-tender. Ask for chilli sauce to dip.
Desserts have always been a strong point, and here, it’s not fat cakes under glass domes that attract but a freshly baked apple tarte tatin (S$16) – hot flaky pastry layered with tender apples, doused in intense caramel sauce and topped with ice cream and bits of cookie crumble.
Otherwise, there’s a lighter version of tiramisu (S$16), where airy mascarpone envelopes coffee-soaked sponge in equal layers of cake and cream. Hazelnuts and cocoa nibs give you something extra to chew on.
Teo doesn’t reinvent the cafe wheel with Chip Bee Bistro – he just rinses and repeats what worked in the past. He’s not so much running a restaurant as he is offering a lifestyle choice with snacks included. It’s a neighbourhood joint in a neighbourhood we wish we could be a part of.
It’s a taste of what Holland Village should, and used to be. And if the stars could get their act together to align, it could still be.
Rating: 6
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