A Review of Two Somerset Cafés
Rise Bakehouse (111 Somerset) · FYP Cafe (Orchard Central)
Singapore · February 2026
Singapore’s café culture has long transcended the perfunctory cup of kopi. In the Orchard–Somerset corridor, two establishments have carved out dedicated followings: Rise Bakehouse at TripleOne Somerset, celebrated for its pastel fairytale aesthetic and artisan bakes, and FYP (For You People) Cafe on the fourth floor of Orchard Central, a playful glamping-themed collaboration between BigBigFries and Whiskdom. This review examines both in detail — ambience, dish analysis, recipe recreation guidance, and delivery options — so you can make an informed choice before venturing out.
CAFÉ REVIEW I: RISE BAKEHOUSE — 111 SOMERSET
Overview & Ratings
Address: 111 Somerset Road, #01-05, TripleOne Somerset, Singapore 238164
Opening Hours: Mon–Thu 10:00 am – 6:30 pm | Fri–Sun 10:00 am – 9:30 pm
Halal Certified: Yes
Price Range: SGD $8–$25 per person (excluding beverages)
Reservations: Walk-in only; online cake orders via risebakehouse.sg
Overall Experience: ★★★★★ 9/10
Ambience: ★★★★★ 10/10
Food Quality: ★★★★★ 9/10
Value for Money: ★★★★☆ 8/10
Service: ★★★★☆ 8/10
Ambience & Interior Design
Rise Bakehouse at TripleOne Somerset occupies the former footprint of Glyph Supply Co, and the transformation is nothing short of theatrical. The moment you cross the threshold, pastel pink walls — a shade sitting somewhere between blush rose and candyfloss — envelop the space in a dreamlike warmth. Tall ceilings amplify the sense of airiness, while thoughtfully arranged dried floral installations suspend overhead, their sun-bleached hues of dusty mauve, champagne, and sage green creating an organic counterpoint to the café’s structured architecture.
Floor-to-ceiling windows line the front of the unit, flooding the interior with diffuse natural light throughout the morning and early afternoon — a quality that makes every slice of cake and waffle plate look like it was designed for a magazine shoot. The seating layout balances intimacy with practicality: there are café-height tables for groups, as well as smaller two-tops tucked near the windows for solo diners or couples seeking a quieter corner.
The overall effect is best described as ‘Korean cottage-core’: an Instagram dreamscape that, unlike many of its peers, never feels artificial or overwrought. Rise Bakehouse succeeds because the design choices are cohesive rather than eclectic.
Ambient noise levels are moderate on weekday afternoons but peak sharply on weekends, particularly after 11:00 am. Those seeking a contemplative working environment should time their visits to coincide with opening hours on weekdays. The café is conveniently situated a short walk from Somerset MRT (Exit B), making it accessible without being directly in the tourist thoroughfare.
Signature Dishes: In-Depth Analysis
- Brown Butter Waffles (from SGD $14.90++)
Rise Bakehouse’s identity is built, in large part, on this dish. The waffles are made from a batter enriched with beurre noisette — brown butter — which gives them a depth of flavour absent in conventional waffle preparations. The Maillard reaction compounds that develop during the butter-browning process (primarily pyrazines and furanones) impart a distinctly nutty, caramel-forward base note that is perceptible even before the first bite, announced by an aroma that drifts noticeably from the kitchen.
Texturally, the waffles exhibit a pronounced exterior crispness — the kind that yields with a satisfying, papery fracture — while the interior crumb remains soft and pillowy, achieving a moisture level that resists the common failing of waffles going limp under toppings. The golden-amber exterior hue is consistent across each pocket, indicating well-calibrated iron temperature and batter hydration ratios.
The Fresh Berries variant (SGD $16.90++) pairs the waffle with an assembly of strawberries, blueberries, and a vibrant red berry compote, alongside a scoop of gelato. The acidity of the berries — particularly the tartness of the compote — provides essential contrast to the richness of the batter, and crushed caramel biscuit is scattered on top to contribute both textural crunch and a secondary sweetness. It is indulgent but calibrated.
The Honey Soy Garlic Fried Chicken variant ($17.90++) moves the dish into savoury territory. The chicken component recalls the Korean dakgangjeong style: a double-fry technique yields a shell-like exterior crust that remains audibly crisp for a reasonable time post-plating, while the interior muscle fibres stay moist. Umami depth is provided by the soy component, brightness by the honey glaze, and pungency by aromatic garlic compounds. Sesame seeds complete the topping, adding a faintly bitter earthiness. - Scallop Rose Rigatoni
Described by the café’s own platform as a bestselling brunch main, this dish centres on tubular rigatoni pasta — likely a bronze-die extruded variety, given its slightly rough surface texture that holds sauce effectively — served with pan-seared scallops. Reviewers note the scallops as firm yet tender, suggesting a sear-to-warm internal temperature technique rather than the common error of overcooking. The sauce profile leans creamy-savoury rather than aggressively acidic, with the pasta described as arriving al dente.
Visually, the rose tint of the sauce (likely a tomato-cream emulsion, known in Italian culinary tradition as salsa rosa) contrasts elegantly against the pale ivory of the rigatoni and the golden-seared surface of the scallops, making this one of the more photographically compelling mains on the menu. - Artisanal Tea Cakes (SGD $7.50–$9.00++)
The rotating selection of tea cakes is arguably Rise Bakehouse’s most distinctive contribution to the Singapore café landscape. These are not cakes in the simple génoise or butter-cake tradition. They are architecturally refined single-portion slices featuring delicate mousses, mirror glazes, or hand-painted decorations atop sponge bases imbued with flavour-forward infusions. Past and rotating flavours have included Osmanthus Oolong, Yuzu Mascarpone, Mango Coconut, Thai Milk Tea, Honey Vanilla Chamomile, and Raspberry Lychee Rose.
The Osmanthus Oolong cake — a recurring seasonal highlight — features a sponge base with a subtle floral sweetness sourced from dried osmanthus blossoms. The oolong infusion is achieved through steeping the tea in warm dairy or syrup, which is then incorporated into the mousse layer. The result is a cake that tastes simultaneously of spring blossoms and a traditional Chinese tea house, yet reads as entirely contemporary in its presentation. Texture involves a contrast between the tender sponge (moist, with a fine crumb) and the silken mousse (cool, barely set, dissolving on the palate).
Recipe Recreation: Brown Butter Waffles with Berry Compote
The following is a home-kitchen interpretation of Rise Bakehouse’s signature brown butter waffles, reconstructed from available dish descriptions and standard culinary technique. It is not an official recipe.
For the Brown Butter Waffles (makes 4 waffles)
Plain flour: 200 g
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Caster sugar: 30 g
Salt: ½ tsp
Unsalted butter: 100 g (for browning)
Whole milk: 240 ml
Eggs: 2 large, separated
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Method — Waffle Batter
Step 1 — Brown the butter: Place butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously as it foams. Once the foam subsides and the solids at the base turn amber with a distinctly nutty aroma, immediately remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to halt cooking. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 2 — Combine dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until uniform.
Step 3 — Combine wet ingredients: Whisk cooled brown butter, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
Step 4 — Fold together: Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Fold gently until just combined; do not overmix (some lumps are acceptable and preferable to a gluten-developed batter).
Step 5 — Whip egg whites: Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold one-third into the batter to loosen, then fold in the remainder in two additions. This two-stage process preserves air volume.
Step 6 — Cook: Preheat a waffle iron to high heat and brush lightly with neutral oil. Pour approximately 180 ml of batter per waffle. Cook until steam ceases to emerge from the iron (approximately 4–5 minutes), indicating that surface moisture has been driven off and the crust has formed. The exterior should register a deep golden-amber hue.
For the Berry Compote
Mixed berries (fresh or frozen): 300 g
Caster sugar: 60 g
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Vanilla bean paste: ½ tsp
Step 1: Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Step 2: Reduce heat and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. The liquid should deepen to a ruby-crimson hue. Add vanilla and stir.
Step 3: Cool slightly before serving. The compote will thicken further upon cooling due to natural pectin in the berries.
To plate: Place waffle on a warmed plate. Spoon compote over the upper portion, allowing it to cascade naturally. Add a scoop of vanilla gelato or whipped cream. Scatter crushed caramelised biscuit (e.g. Lotus Biscoff) for textural contrast. Garnish with fresh strawberry halves and blueberries.
Delivery & Ordering Options — Rise Bakehouse
Rise Bakehouse operates online ordering primarily for whole cakes, which can be placed via their official website at risebakehouse.sg, with a recommended lead time of three days for custom or celebration cakes in 6″ and 8″ sizes. Walk-in purchases of sliced cakes, gelato, and selected baked goods are available daily at all outlets.
For brunch mains and waffles, the café operates as a dine-in establishment; however, these items may be available through third-party platforms such as GrabFood and Foodpanda for delivery. Availability and menus on delivery platforms may differ from the dine-in menu and should be verified on the respective apps prior to ordering.
Note that Rise Bakehouse is Halal-certified, making it suitable for Muslim diners — a relatively distinguishing feature in the specialty-café segment.
CAFÉ REVIEW II: FYP (FOR YOU PEOPLE) CAFE — ORCHARD CENTRAL
Overview & Ratings
Address: 181 Orchard Road, #04-22, Orchard Central, Singapore 238896
Opening Hours: Sun–Thu 11:00 am – 10:00 pm | Fri–Sat 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Halal Certified: No
Price Range: SGD $12–$26 per person (excluding beverages)
Concept: Collaboration: BigBigFries × Whiskdom
Overall Experience: ★★★★☆ 8/10
Ambience / Concept: ★★★★★ 9/10
Food Quality: ★★★★☆ 8/10
Value for Money: ★★★★☆ 8/10
Service: ★★★★☆ 7/10
Ambience & Interior Design
FYP Cafe is one of the more conceptually ambitious café environments in the Orchard corridor. Tucked into a quiet corner of Orchard Central’s fourth floor — an altitude that removes it from street-level foot traffic entirely, giving it an ‘undiscovered’ quality that regulars appreciate — the space draws on glamping (glamorous camping) as its organising aesthetic. The name FYP — short for ‘For You People’ — signals an inclusive, communal ethos: this is a café designed to accommodate work sessions, group catch-ups, and leisurely solo visits with equal ease.
The furniture is central to the concept’s execution. Low foldable metal camp tables, beige canvas camping chairs, and small lantern-style lighting fixtures compose a vocabulary that is visually cohesive without feeling costume-like. The neutral palette — warm beige, off-white, muted olive — is punctuated by the green and terracotta tones of potted foliage positioned throughout the space. The overall chromatic register is of the ‘warm minimalist’ category: soothing without being sterile.
One practical observation from multiple reviewers: the chair-to-table height ratio is not uniformly comfortable, with some camping chairs sitting slightly high relative to the low tables. This is a minor ergonomic consideration, more noticeable for taller diners or during extended meals. The space is equipped with Wi-Fi and electrical outlet points, making it functional for remote work. It also enjoys a degree of open-air exposure given its position beside Orchard Central’s upper-level ledge, creating natural ventilation — though this means ambient temperature can vary with Singapore’s weather patterns.
Signature Dishes: In-Depth Analysis
- Seafood Tom Yum Goong Pasta (SGD $22++)
This dish is consistently cited by repeat visitors as the standout brunch main — one reviewer characterised it as ’11/10, one of the best I’ve had.’ The preparation applies Thai culinary logic to an Italian pasta format: linguine (a flat, ribbon-cut pasta with a slightly elliptical cross-section that holds emulsified sauces well) is dressed in a tom yum-derived sauce that achieves both the characteristic sour-spicy brightness of the Thai original and a creamy body uncommon in traditional tom yum preparations.
The sourness in tom yum is typically derived from lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and fresh lime juice — all volatile aromatics that must be introduced at the correct stage of cooking to preserve their fragrance rather than reduce them to bitterness. The heat derives from bird’s eye chillies. FYP’s version introduces a cream component (likely coconut cream or dairy cream) that moderates the sharpness into a well-balanced, lingering warmth rather than an aggressive assault on the palate. The pasta arrives with a portion of prawns and scallops, described as plump and bouncy — indicators of freshness and minimal overcooking.
The visual presentation reads as a study in contrast: the amber-orange of the sauce against pale linguine, accented by the coral pink of poached prawns and the ivory of scallops, with a poached egg as the centrepiece — its orange-gold yolk, when broken, further enriching the sauce below. - BigBigFries (SGD $12.90+)
BigBigFries is the brand that brought FYP Cafe into existence, and their XXL handmade fries remain the café’s most iconic offering. The product differentiates itself from standard fry preparations by being made entirely from whole potatoes — no fillers, starches, or extruded potato compounds — cut into long, thick batons and fried to order. The result is a fry with a decisively crisp exterior shell (the Maillard-browned potato skin providing structural rigidity) and a fluffy, steaming interior starch — a textural duality that many potato preparations aspire to but rarely achieve consistently.
Diners select two sauces from six options: Himalayan Pink Salt, Nacho Cheese, Seaweed Mayonnaise, Truffle Mayonnaise, Mentaiko Mayonnaise, and Chicken Floss Special. The Mentaiko Mayonnaise — a Japanese-influenced condiment pairing the briny, slightly spicy roe of pollock (mentaiko) with a rich Japanese-style mayonnaise — is the most recommended combination, adding umami depth to the already satisfying potato canvas. The Truffle Mayonnaise delivers a more European-leaning earthiness through truffle oil emulsified into mayonnaise. - Truffle Beef Steak Bagel (SGD $14.90+)
The bagels at FYP originate from Whiskdom’s repertoire, which built its reputation on dense, chewy, hand-rolled bagels with a distinctive crust — the result of the traditional poaching step before baking, which gelatinises the exterior starch and produces a characteristic glossy, taut skin. The Truffle Beef Steak Bagel fills this vessel with sliced beef and a truffle-infused component, the earthiness of the truffle countered by the savoriness of the meat and the slight acidity of accompanying condiments. The bagel’s characteristic chew — a more complex mastication experience than a soft bun — integrates well with the bold-flavoured filling, providing structural resistance that enriches each bite. - Lava Brownies (Whiskdom)
Whiskdom’s lava brownies represent the dessert anchor of the FYP menu. Unlike conventional brownies — which are baked to a solid, fudgy set — the lava variant is deliberately under-set at the core, creating a molten chocolate interior that flows when the brownie is broken open. This requires precise oven temperature calibration and careful timing. The exterior must achieve a matte, crackle-top surface (formed by the dissolution and re-crystallisation of the sugar component) while the interior remains viscous. The contrast in temperature, texture, and colour between the set exterior crust and the warm flowing core is the defining sensory experience of the dish.
Recipe Recreation: Tom Yum Cream Linguine with Seafood
The following is a home-kitchen interpretation of FYP Cafe’s signature Tom Yum Pasta, developed from public dish descriptions and established Tom Yum Goong culinary technique. It is not an official recipe.
Ingredients (serves 2)
Linguine: 200 g
Medium prawns, peeled and deveined: 150 g
Sea scallops: 100 g
Lemongrass stalks: 2, bruised and knotted
Galangal: 4–5 thin slices
Kaffir lime leaves: 4
Bird’s eye chillies: 2–4 (to taste)
Straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms: 80 g
Fish sauce: 2 tbsp
Lime juice: 2 tbsp
Tom yum paste: 2 tbsp
Coconut cream: 150 ml
Chicken or prawn stock: 200 ml
Eggs: 2 (for poaching)
Neutral oil: 2 tbsp
Method
Step 1 — Aromatics base: Heat oil in a wide sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add bruised lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves. Stir-fry for one minute until fragrant. Add tom yum paste and cook a further minute, stirring to prevent scorching.
Step 2 — Build the sauce: Pour in prawn or chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil. Add sliced chillies and mushrooms. Simmer for five minutes. Remove lemongrass and galangal (if preferred). Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in coconut cream. Season with fish sauce and lime juice. Taste — the sauce should balance sour, spicy, salty, and lightly creamy notes simultaneously.
Step 3 — Cook the pasta: Bring a separate pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Cook linguine to one minute shy of the manufacturer’s al dente guideline. Reserve 100 ml of pasta water before draining.
Step 4 — Cook the seafood: Pat scallops dry (moisture inhibits browning). Sear in a dry, very hot pan for 60–90 seconds per side until a golden crust forms; do not move during searing. Remove. Poach prawns directly in the tom yum sauce for 2–3 minutes until pink and opaque.
Step 5 — Finish the pasta: Add drained linguine to the sauce pan. Toss over medium heat, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a glossy, coating consistency. Plate the pasta, top with scallops, and nestle a poached egg (water temperature 82°C, four minutes) in the centre.
Step 6 — Garnish: Finish with a pinch of shredded kaffir lime leaf, a wedge of fresh lime, and a drizzle of chilli oil if desired.
Delivery & Ordering Options — FYP Cafe
FYP Cafe operates primarily as a dine-in establishment. For delivery, the café’s dishes — particularly the fries and pasta — are likely listed on GrabFood and Foodpanda, though fry quality inevitably degrades with transit time; the crisp shell of the BigBigFries is a product of immediate consumption. For best results, the fries and lava brownies should be consumed on-premises.
Whiskdom’s baked goods (lava brownies, cookies) may be available for individual purchase and takeaway. For bulk orders of baked goods, enquiries can be directed through Whiskdom’s social media channels or ordering portal.
The café does not appear to operate a reservation system, and weekend queues have been noted by visitors; arriving shortly after the 11:00 am opening on weekdays is advised for those prioritising a quieter experience.
COMPARATIVE SUMMARY & VERDICT
Rise Bakehouse and FYP Cafe occupy adjacent but distinctly different positions in Singapore’s café landscape. Rise is, at its core, a patisserie-led establishment that has expanded into brunch: its identity is anchored in aesthetic refinement, with the food carefully calibrated to match its photogenic surroundings. FYP is a concept-forward hangout that prioritises flavour-driven comfort food within a clever thematic environment — its culinary highlight, the Tom Yum Pasta, would hold its own in any mid-tier Singapore restaurant context.
Rise Bakehouse is the superior destination for those whose visit centres on dessert — specifically, the seasonal tea cakes and brown butter waffles, which represent a genuine point of culinary distinction. FYP is the better choice for those seeking a more satisfying, substantially portioned brunch with bolder flavours and a convivial, unhurried atmosphere.
Both establishments occupy comfortable price brackets for the quality delivered, and both are a short walk from Somerset MRT Station, making a single afternoon visit to both — the patisserie first, the lunch main after — an entirely logical itinerary.
Review compiled February 2026. Prices are inclusive of ++ (prevailing taxes and service charge) where noted. Menus rotate seasonally; verify current offerings directly with each establishment.