Bibik Violet (Temasek Shophouse)

Bibik Violet (Temasek Shophouse) is an all-day Peranakan café and bakery at 28 Orchard Road, run by the Violet Oon group. It opened in September 2025 as a more relaxed offshoot of the Violet Oon restaurants. Violet Oon runs the business with her children, Su-lyn and Yiming Tay.

The idea is simple Nyonya home cooking at a lower price than the group's full-service restaurants. The room seats around 54, and you order by scanning a QR code at your table.

What to order

The menu runs from breakfast to dinner. On weekday mornings you can start with kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs and kopi, or with mee siam. Hae bee hiam toast, spread with a spicy dried shrimp sambal, is another choice. The toasts come back for an afternoon tea slot every day.

Later in the day, one-dish meals take over. Choices include Nyonya laksa, Nyonya prawn mee and nasi lemak with ayam berempah, a crisp fried chicken marinated in spices. Larger plates are made for sharing:

• Buah keluak soft rib: pork ribs braised in a rich sauce made with the black buah keluak nut
• Babi pongteh: pork belly braised for a long time with bamboo shoots and potatoes, in a sauce of fermented soybeans
• Beef rendang: beef cooked slowly in coconut milk, spices and lime leaves
• Kueh pie tee: crisp little cups of shredded turnip, topped with egg and chilli
• Udang nanas: prawns cooked with pineapple in a sour, gently spicy tamarind gravy

Save room for something sweet. Nyonya kueh are made by hand each day and set out at the counter from the afternoon until they sell out. Bakes such as sugee cake change from day to day. If these dishes are new to you, our guide to Peranakan food explains the basics.

The setting

The café is in Block D of Temasek Shophouse, a heritage building next to MacDonald House. Inside, rattan details and vintage furniture sit beside old Peranakan tiles saved from early 1900s shophouses. It feels relaxed and homely rather than formal. The wider building works as a hub for social causes, with other social enterprises under the same roof.

Good to know before you go

• Walk-ins are welcome, and the café's website says there is no need to book.
• You can order online for same-day pick-up. Whole cakes need a day's notice.
• Breakfast dishes such as mee siam are only served on weekday mornings, and the café opens later at weekends, so check the menu if you have one in mind.
• Several dishes use pork or prawns. Chap chye and a vegetable curry are listed with the vegetable dishes, but ask staff about your needs.
• The café also sells its own kaya, kopi and teh to take home.
• A second outlet has opened at Great World, which may suit you if you stay near the river.

Getting there

Temasek Shophouse sits at the Dhoby Ghaut end of Orchard Road, a short walk from Plaza Singapura. The café's website points visitors to Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, a short walk away. Our Orchard Road guide covers what else to see and do nearby.

Nearby

For another Peranakan meal in the area, Simply Peranakan Cuisine is at Hotel Chancellor@Orchard. You can also browse more Peranakan restaurants, other cafés and bakeries, or all restaurants in Orchard and River Valley. For menus and online orders, visit the Bibik Violet website.