A new all-day kopitiam bar called Orh Gao Peh Gao has just opened at New Bahru’s Factory Block Food Hall, bringing together local breakfast culture, Asian comfort food and Singapore craft beer under one roof.
To older Singaporeans, the name may sound strangely familiar.
“Orh Gao Peh Gao” was once dialect slang used by coffeeshop uncles and aunties to refer to stout and beer respectively — a fitting identity for a concept now blending kopi culture with craft beer in a distinctly modern way.
Breakfast kaya toast at 9am. Craft beer till 11pm.
Singapore’s Kopitiam Culture Is Getting A Gen Z Rebrand
Younger Singaporeans no longer separate “coffee shop food” from “cool dining” — and Orh Gao Peh Gao understands that perfectly.
At its original Serene Centre outlet, Peh Gao Coffeeshop operates in the day before transforming into Orh Gao Taproom at night. But at the new New Bahru outlet, both concepts now exist together as one all-day experience.
The Hokkien Mee Tai Mak Might Become Its Viral Dish
At first glance, it sounds slightly illegal.
Replacing yellow noodles with chewy silver needle noodles feels like something that should not work, but the combination of rich stock, tiger prawns, sambal belachan, pork lard and calamansi still delivers all the comforting flavours Singaporeans expect from Hokkien mee.
It is familiar enough to feel nostalgic while weird enough to become conversation material, which is basically the formula for modern viral food culture.
Other new dishes include Pork Chop Fried Rice, Tobiko Prawn Fried Rice, Chimichurri Pork Chop and Chicken Skewer Salad, alongside returning favourites like Crab Fried Rice, Har Cheong Gai and Curry Mussels.
The Kaya Toast Cocktail Sounds Ridiculously Good
Then there is the Kaya Toast Cocktail. Made with pandan-infused whisky, coconut cream and gula melaka, the drink sounds gimmicky until you realise those flavours actually make terrifying amounts of sense together.
The outlet also runs a 14-tap programme dedicated entirely to Singapore craft breweries like Brewlander, Alive Brewing, Ren Min and Sunbird Brewery.
Image from Orh Gao Peh Gao
