Review: Chip Bee Bistro does a solid savoury brunch, while its sweets need some work

It’s no longer enough to just have a signature, best-selling dish or even a stellar menu in today’s dining scene. Instead, it’s about everything from the careful curation of your plates, interior, right down to your ambience and song choices, if you want to bring customers in.

Diving into this competitive fray is Chip Bee Bistro, the latest F&B venture by Peter Teo, who some might recognise as the co-founder of the ubiquitous PS Cafe, the household brand that helped redefine what cafe chic is in Singapore. 

Following a short hiatus from the F&B scene, Peter is back with something warmly familiar, yet clearly (and deliciously) grown-up.

The backstory

For those not in the know, PS Cafe was founded in 1999 by Peter Teo and his longtime partners, Philip Chin and Richard Chamberlain. 

In 2022, the trio sold their stakes in PS Gourmet — the parent company behind PS Cafe, Jypsy, and Chopsuey Cafe — to investment firm Sun Venture, deciding that it was time for fresh leadership to bring the group forward. 

Peter then spent some time in New Zealand, enjoying his retirement, but soon found himself missing the pace of his past F&B life. 

His restlessness saw him launch Distillius Craft Distillery early this year with several others, producing aperitifs such as a torch-ginger amaro and pandan liqueur. 

Eventually, the idea of creating a dedicated space to showcase these alcoholic creations soon evolved physically into Chip Bee Bistro today.

On why he chose to open the concept at Holland Village, it was as much about sentiment as it was about strategy. Not only had Peter lived in the neighbourhood early in his career, but he also saw the opening of Chip Bee Bistro in the area as an opportunity to re-energise Holland Village with a new chapter.

Our verdict

Despite sharing the same founder, Chip Bee Bistro doesn’t feel like a spin-off of PS Cafe — and that’s precisely, and thankfully, its strength.

Its black, grey, and white floor tiles are a nod to PS Cafe’s charm and distinguishable decor, but that’s where the similarities seem to end. The rest of the furniture features dark wood, featured in its trimmings and panels, and complemented by sexy, ambient lighting.

We can just imagine how intimate and cosy this place can look come nightfall, and seem like just the spot for an intimate date night.

We, however, visited on the weekend for brunch — the brunch menu mainly focuses on familiar comforts such as pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and sides to share, and even has a cheeky Brunchtails (or brunch cocktails) section, as well as low-ABV quenchers.

If you’re looking to try heartier plates with more variety, then dinner is the time to pop by with a good mix of small and large plates to share, in addition to its pasta and side dishes.

Our take on its brunch menu? The mains are hearty and satisfying, the sides punch above their weight, and the drinks are crafted with enough thought to hold their own. (For those who know and love their drinks, it might excite you that they were crafted in consultation with Jay Gray, who founded popular cocktail bar Sago House.)

While the desserts could use some finessing, the overall experience at Chip Bee Bistro is one of generous portions, honest flavours, and a space that feels as much about comfort as it does about craft. 

It’s the kind of place you’ll leave happily stuffed — and mentally planning when to return and what to order on your next visit.

What it’s good for

If you’re the type who likes variety, you’ll want to come here with a bigger party so you can order a few plates for sharing, which I naturally did. 

To start things off, I got the sloppy beef brisket sandwich (S$27). It’s a dish I don’t often see on a menu here in Singapore (outside of American-style restaurants or sandwich speciality shops), so I didn’t hesitate to order it — and was thankful that I didn’t.

The thick slices of beef, braised in onions and herbs for three hours, made for a gloriously messy bite. All of this was made even tastier when you slather on the accompanying tomato jam chutney.

Another comfort craving of mine is a hearty bolognese, so the bolognese, toast, egg (S$25) felt like a natural next choice.  

In this dish, the usual pasta base is swapped out for two slabs of chargrilled sourdough, topped with what the menu dubs “chef Chris’ bolo”. The executive chef helming Chip Bee’s kitchen, chef Chris Phillips was also with the PS Gourmet group for a number of years. 

His version leaned tomato-forward and was a touch more acidic than I would have preferred. That said, it was still hearty and well-seasoned enough that I polished it off without complaint.

While Chip Bee Bistro’s mains did their job well, the standout dish of the afternoon was unexpectedly the split wings (S$13), even though it sounds relatively simple. 

We ordered these with our mains, and the wings — about eight of them, marinated in fish sauce and five-spice powder — arrived together, crisp and fragrant.

What made this stand out was not only its golden crisp skin and succulent meat, but its accompanying tangy fish sauce dip. To say it was addictive was an understatement, we wiped it up. 

The other side we ordered, the curry salt fries (S$8.50) were a close runner-up, and is a must-order if it’s your first time at Chip Bee Bistro.

Chip Bee Bistro also serves regular fries and smashed potatoes, if you’re seeking alternative potato snacks, but the choice of curry salty fries was clear as day for us as they’re the only taters that come with two types of curry sauces.

The fries are served in a cone, dusted with curry powder. The two sauces are a Lankan curry dip and a house curry ketchup, which we happily double-dipped into, between bites of everything else. 

Of the two, we adored the Lankan curry sauce, and our server pointed out its similarity to the crowd-favourite McDonald’s curry sauce — we couldn’t agree more. 

Food aside, with Peter’s distillery fuelling the conceptualisation of Chip Bee Bistro, and a name like Jay Gray behind its drinks, its beverages, too, deserve the spotlight

The drinks section in Chip Bee Bistro’s brunch menu is varied: There are Brunchtails, beers, juices, kombuchas, 0% bistro sodas (in collaboration with Distillius Craft Distillery), teas, and soft drinks.

We decided to try one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic beverage, and opted for a 0% bistro soda, the roselle, torch & ginger (S$10). The drink, which combines roselle and torch flower cordial with ginger beer, was a punchy palate-cleanser that was sour, with a floral sweetness.

Having come for brunch, I just had to pick something from the Brunchtails selection, and opted for the caffeinated, alcoholic loaded ice CBB coffee (S$20) made with amaro, rum, and two shots of espresso. It also comes with a small pitcher of milk on the side.

The combination is seemingly benign at first, tasting just like a robust coffee. But after adding a splash of milk, this turns into a creamy, boozy indulgence that can actually be quite dangerous.

What it could improve on

PS Cafe regulars know that its sticky date pudding is a must-order when you’re at the cafe, so naturally, I had to try Chip Bee Bistro’s take, the cheekily named Dicky State (S$14), that plays on the name of PS Cafe’s popular dessert.

This version folds in more dates, has carrots, and is paired with a butterscotch sauce made from brown sugar (while PS’ version comes with a toffee sauce).

It’s a touch firmer and less sweet than PS Cafe’s (or at least what I remember of it), with a subtle salty edge. It’s tasty, yes — but I wouldn’t consider it a levelled-up version as it doesn’t leave that lasting an impression, as the OG dish did with many cafe-goers.

However, if desserts are your jam, and you’re a diehard date pudding fan, it’ll do the trick.

The Chip Bee tiramisu (S$16) seemed more fun (as a biased tiramisu lover), but sadly, the dessert fell short for me. 

Light, airy, and generously laced with alcohol, the tiramisu came topped with chocolate, cacao nibs, and crushed almonds for plenty of crunch.

Unfortunately, the boozy punch drowned out all traces of coffee, throwing the balance off. For a dessert that should celebrate a balanced take on coffee and alcohol (at least for the boozy version), the alcohol content felt too heavy-handed, and I left it unfinished.

I did, however, appreciate the crushed almonds, which provided a pleasurable contrast to the velvety tiramisu.

To the cafe’s credit, they had double-checked if I was alright with a boozier dessert, and I had happily agreed, not realising they had meant that it was that boozy. 

They later realised I hadn’t finished my dessert, and recommended we try the apple tarte tatin (S$16) on our next visit, since we had already downed quite a few dishes by now and were out of stomach space. 

Curious about the dish, I did a quick search of the cafe’s reviews after our meal, and it seemed clear that the apple tarte tartin was quite the hit, so take it from us (and the server) to order it if you swing by. 

All things considered, given that Chip Bee Bistro has close to 10 desserts to choose from — from chocolate mousse to a creme brulee, and even a sorbet sundae — there is bound to be a sweet treat for everyone.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes. While the place can get lively with chatter, the tables are well spaced out to allow for more intimate conversations. 

Is a reservation necessary? Yes, especially if you’re planning to dine with three people or more, and if you intend to head down on the weekends.

How to get there? Chip Bee Bistro is a 3-minute walk from Holland Village MRT Exit A.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For the latest eats, read our story on the new European dining spot, Salt & Soul, and find out more about Sansara’s revamp, where they’re serving up North Indian royal cuisine.