Review: Third Floor Social is your new Orchard hangout that’s cafe by day, bar by night
- Third Floor Social takes over the rooftop space of Design Orchard, run by the team behind No Sleep Club.
- The menu changes from lunch plates in the day to more indulgent dinner options, backed by serious coffee and well-made cocktails.
- Dishes we recommend include the braised beef cheek and Brillat Savarin sticky malt loaf.
The third-floor rooftop space of Design Orchard has long been something of an open secret for those looking for somewhere to chill amidst the bustle. From up there, you can watch the busyness of Orchard Road unfold while comfortably removed from it all.
And then there’s the fact that it’s been home to so many cafe iterations over the years — Alchemist Coffee with its cool, minimalist iteration, followed by Nowafter Cafe’s trendy Instagram-led iteration.
Both made sense in their own way, and now the space has a new identity in the form of Third Floor Social, which honestly might have the best name yet because that’s exactly what it is.
The backstory
Interestingly, Third Floor Social was conceptualised by the same veterans behind No Sleep Club, a restaurant-bar with a solid track record, so my expectations are there.
The vibe at Third Floor Social is fairly different from the space’s previous tenants, or even your typical cafe or bar.
Rather, it looks like the living room of someone with really good taste — lounge sofas, low coffee tables, designer-type chairs, larger round tables for groups, along with an open kitchen and bar counter where you can watch the action up close.
During the day, it’s cafe-like, as you’d imagine — you’ll see people working on laptops and reading — but I can imagine the energy shifting as evening rolls around when the wine and cocktails start flowing.
Our verdict
Third Floor Social is a very easy place to like. The food is generally well-executed and thoughtful, the space is calm and welcoming, and the service is mostly warm without being intrusive.
Right now, it’s also pleasantly uncrowded in the day, making it a great spot if you want to read, chat, or just zone out for a bit.
The lunch menu, which doesn’t differ too much from its dinner offerings, has some solid options that look great and taste even better.
Its drinks menu, as you’d expect of No Sleep Club, covers all bases, with coffee, non-coffee options (matcha, hojicha, and the likes), and cocktails — both classics and jazzed-up ones.
If you’re dithering between visiting at lunch or dinner, we’d actually say the latter so you can try its cocktails, unless you don’t mind drinks during the day, of course.
What it’s good for
One of the most memorable things here is the Brillat Savarin sticky malt loaf (S$12), a sort of loose, slightly cheeky take on a sticky toffee pudding.
There’s so much to love about this: The dense-but-moist loaf, the crusty edges that are just a bit sticky, and the luxurious slices of Brillat Savarin, a French triple-cream cheese that’s rich, slightly salty, and pleasantly pungent (a bit like brie but with more character).
Truffled honey is drizzled over everything as a finishing touch, adding a floral sweetness and gentle earthiness. It may sound like a lot of paper, but it’s beautifully balanced.
If you’re gunning for something savoury, the sausage pizette (S$20) has all the right fundamentals: a great crust and dough showing proper leopard spotting — clearly freshly baked.
It’s sliced into four handfuls, which feels a bit small for the price, but the base is solid, with housemade sausage, tomato sauce, hot honey, and stracciatella on top. I wish it could push into more innovative territory, but it’s otherwise a straightforward, well-executed pie that’ll be great with a glass of good white wine.
The interestingly named Not a McMuffin (S$14) could have been just a gimmick, but it’s actually legit.
Larger than a slider but smaller than a full-blown burger, it uses a grilled milk bun rather than an English muffin which the original comes with.
The homemade sausage patty here is perfectly seasoned and has a nice firm texture, with an omelette, melted cheddar, and pickled shallots that cut through all that richness with a sharp acidity.
Could the omelette be fluffier and custardy rather than firm and spongy? Yes, but I suspect this is the point to keep things interesting.
Now if you have time at lunch to sit down to a bigger meal, you’d want a bite of the real showstopper, the braised beef cheek (S$26), which is so astounding and soft you could eat it with just a fork.
It comes with semolina gnocchi that has this interesting texture — almost like fried Burmese tofu if you’ve had it before — slightly firm on the outside with a creamy interior.
The endives and anchovy salsa verde add texture and bite, and just enough herbaceousness and heat to cut through the richness of the braising sauce. This is the kind of dish that makes you slow down and savour every bite.
I didn’t get to try Third Floor Social’s other mains, but this is as strong a contender as it gets.
For dessert (if the sticky malt loaf isn’t enough), you’ll want to consider the salted tahini ice cream (S$12), which is spot-on.
That nutty, salty-sweet ice cream with the crisp churro twisted into a circle and topped with bits of crunchy caramel rice puffs and fresh strawberries? It’s a playful-yet-elevated dish, and just a really satisfying way to end the meal.
A note that if you order this, you’ll have to be prepared to eat this fast, as the churro comes freshly baked and hot, which causes the ice cream to melt fast, really fast. Unless melted ice cream is your thing, that is.
With Third Floor Social being a cafe by day, coffee is taken quite seriously here, as you can expect.
Prices start at S$6 for a black, S$7.50 for a white, and there are also options for seasonal filter coffee and extras such as a special milk made with Krispy Kreme donuts.
I definitely want to try the latter, but on my visit, I ordered the cold brew & tonic (S$8) for a particularly hot afternoon. It leans slightly fruity but finishes on the more bitter end, which will suit those who prefer their coffee with a bit of complexity — this is clearly good beans and tonic.
What it could improve on
The matcha latte (S$8.50) was disappointing, especially considering how many excellent matcha speciality shops Singapore has now — the general standard for a good matcha latte has really increased.
This one falls short, tasting a bit too milky and sweet rather than letting the matcha flavour come through. The colour is good, and it looks like premium matcha (which you’d expect at this price), but the matcha flavour is buried somewhere beneath all that milk and sweetness.
Dismal matcha drink aside, everything else was stellar, and I absolutely can see myself swinging by this nook the next time I’m in Orchard, or maybe for dinner so I can see how the vibes differ then. And maybe grab a cocktail, or two, while I’m at it.
Our quick takes
Is it conducive to conversation? Absolutely, especially if you like being surrounded by nature.
Is a reservation necessary? Recommended, especially if you’re planning on a full meal or need a seat at the bar, as the low tables can be a bit uncomfortable.
How to get there? Take the stairs or lift up from the left side of Design Orchard, a three-minute walk from Somerset MRT station.
HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.
Happen to be in town? Read more about the limited-time-only White Rabbit candy-inspired afternoon tea and Bedrock Bar & Grill’s World Meat Series with a 10-meat tasting menu.
Wed 11am - 11pm
Thu 11am - 11pm
Fri 11am - 11pm
Sat 11am - 11pm
Sun 11am - 7pm
- Somerset
Gary eats and knows things, which he attributes to over 30 years of eating and drinking — surely that must count for something, he surmises. He was previously the deputy editor at City Nomads and content lead at Burpple.
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