Syip: White Minimalist Cafe Opens in the Farrer Park Neighbourhood

Ready to make those post lockdown 2.0 dine-in plans? Owen Road has a brand new cafe by the name of Syip (pronounced ‘sip’) that has recently opened it’s doors!

Of course, the combination of it being a new cafe and this weekend being the first one of dining in naturally meant queues, thus we waited about 15 to 20 minutes for a table.

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With stark white furniture, raw slabs of concrete grey, wooden accents, and preserved flowers and plants in beige, Syip really does commit to the plain, minimalist aesthetic.

The result of which is a bright airy space that feels bigger than it actually is.

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Located in the Farrer Park area, which is already home to many cafes (like Daizu which just opened last year) and not too far from the Lavender / Jalan Besar area which houses the likes of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Apartment Coffee, LUCID and more, Syip is definitely in good company.

Syip is actually the brainchild of two sisters who ran Soft Peaks Bakery, an online upstart specialising in tiramisu, which they’ve handily brought over to Syip as well.

Besides tiramisu, they have split their menu into brunch, rice bowls, pastas, sides, and other sweets.

Here, we tried their brunch specialities, namely, the Burrata French Toast (S$22) and the Creamy Chicken Scrambled Egg Croissant (S$16).

Of the two, I definitely preferred the Creamy Chicken Scrambled Egg Croissant, which was delightful. The cream was not too thick, which made it easy to enjoy. The chicken was tender, and the cream sauce complemented the eggs and buttery flavours of the croissant beautifully.

That’s not to say that the Burrata French Toast wasn’t good, the toast came really thick, and was soft but not soggy, which is important. The edges had a lovely crisp to them as well for balance of texture. Those not keen on cheese don’t have to be put off by the burrata, as it was pretty light in flavour and aroma, and seriously stringy and chewy. Served with two pieces of maple glazed bacon, you can add more syrup for good measure, but this is definitely a dish best saved for those more inclined to sweet brunches.

Coffee wise, you can find the usual espresso-based offerings, their specialty iced Syip Black Coffee (S$6) and Syip White Coffee (S$6.50) served with whipped cream.

I decided to try their specialty Matcha Strawberry Latte (S$7.50) which sounded intriguing.

With strawberry bits and syrup, it offered quite a strong counter to the usual bitter and earthy flavour profile of matcha lattes, so those who dislike that bitterness can definitely give this a try. I personally felt (as a matcha latte lover) the taste of strawberry was quite strong, which combined with the milky flavours drowned out the matcha a little, and I missed that earthy aftertaste.

Coupled with my French Toast, it was quite a sweet brunch.

Respite came with iced water, which was served in metal cups you’d find in a Korean restaurant, which I thought was pretty interesting, ha.

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Overall, Syip is definitely off to a great start, with a concise and focused menu, an interior to die for, and a convenient location that already attracts many brunch lovers.

I won’t be surprised if this cafe becomes a mainstay in the future, now let’s just hope that groups of more than 2 will be able to dine in soon.