Oatsome: Meet the couple behind the viral Korean-inspired dessert cafe

It’s 7am on a Monday in Tanjong Pagar, and Andy Toh, 34, and Cheree Chew, 31, are already in rhythm, deep in prep mode. 

There’s yoghurt to strain, toppings to portion and bakes to assemble, to ensure everything runs smoothly once the doors at Oatsome opens. 

Cheree pauses to photograph the day’s special — little treats she prepares for guests each morning — before posting them to the shop’s Instagram. 

By the time they unlock the doors, there’s already a queue snaking outside the Korean-inspired cafe that’s become something of a phenomenon since opening its brick-and-mortar store in January. 

The queues that form most afternoons only tell part of the story. Oatsome’s real origin is even sweeter — a business literally born from Andy and Cheree’s love story. 

The recipe for romance (and a business)

Back in 2020, Andy and Cheree were preparing for their wedding. Wanting to look and feel their best, they experimented with healthier recipes and hunted for foods that made dieting feel less like a punishment. 

Overnight oats became their salvation, prized for its convenience, customisability and flavour. 

Cheree, then a foodie influencer, posted her perfected recipe online. 

The response was immediate and ravenous. Could she make a jar to sell?

She said yes, and squeezed orders in after her day job. Then, the orders multiplied. Andy, ever the supportive partner, stepped in to help.

What they couldn’t anticipate was that over the next few years, their breakfast ritual would snowball into a full-fledged business with its own physical space.

After a run at Baker X, an incubation space that lets home-based businesses test the physical-retail waters, something shifted for Cheree. Meeting customers face-to-face, watching them light up over food that was both indulgent and nourishing, awakened something. 

“Being able to serve food that was healthy and made people feel good was something I was really passionate about,” Cheree explains. She left her job at Housing Development Board in pursuit of that, to take on more orders and dive deeper into R&D. 

For Andy, taking on a bigger role when Oatsome took its next step felt only natural — he left his full-time, corporate job late last year.

“We both wanted to experience working together,” Andy says. “Ultimately, opening a cafe was one of our pipe dreams when we started dating, years ago.” 

Back then, they were just teenagers at a retail job, daydreaming about a future that seemed far away. 

Today, that future means 7am arrivals and 10pm departures from their shop after another sold-out day.

Seoul-mates

The “someday” officially got an address in January 2026. 

Oatsome occupies a serene, minimalist space in Tanjong Pagar, reminiscent of a cafe in Seoul. The space is a token of their post-Covid-19 travels to Korea and Japan, where they fell in love with the dessert cafe scene and knew they had to recreate it back home. 

The decision to open in Tanjong Pagar was deliberate. Close to the Central Business District, where many of their loyal fans work and surrounded by Korean shops that complemented the concept, it checked every box.

“We were quite determined about the location,” Andy says. “It was about waiting for the perfect space.” 

When it finally became available, signing the lease marked one of many milestones they’ve celebrated together: First date, first overnight-oats sale, the first time a customer told them they couldn’t go back to regular desserts after trying Oatsome’s.

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Sweet without the guilt

The couple made it their mission to recreate their experience locally, with a healthier, Oatsome twist that doesn’t compromise on taste. 

The secret lies in what they don’t use. Instead of using creams, which can be rich but calorie-dense, Oatsome’s parfaits and desserts are built on its housemade Greek yoghurt.

It’s a painstaking 72-hour process that delivers a high-protein and low-calorie alternative with the same creamy, luxurious texture. 

“We’ve had customers buy our Greek yoghurt and trick their kids into thinking that it’s ice cream,” the couple recalls. 

The versatility of the ingredient allows Cheree and Andy to rotate the menu at Oatsome every three weeks — frequently enough that you’ll see a fresh slate of bites by the time you read this.

It’s a tempo that’s made possible by the impressive repertoire of flavours they’ve built over two and a half years as a home-based business.

But some things are too beloved to rotate out. Its apple cinnamon parfait (S$20) earned permanent residency on their menu, by popular demand. The combination is deceptively simple: Apple cinnamon yoghurt layered with apple cinnamon cubes, dark chocolate and cinnamon crumbles. 

The result? An addictive dessert that’s packed with 16g of protein and 341 calories for the whole generous bowl.

The Greek yoghurt also stars in Oatsome’s Seoul-inspired mammoth bbangs (from $15), literally “massive bread”. These are Cheree’s answer to the cream-laden Korean originals she adores, but struggles to finish. Oatsome’s version swaps the cream for its signature yoghurt to give the dessert the same satisfaction, sans the sugar crash. 

“The Korean cafe and dessert scenes are considered one of the best,” Andy notes. “We often travel every quarter to try out new flavours and spend time to R&D the flavours we like.”

At Oatsome’s DIY yoghurt bar, almost every topping is made in-house: The sugar-free mochi brownie, black sesame granola, and nut butters. It’s a labour-intensive approach that explains the 7am mornings and 10pm nights, but for Andy and Cheree, there’s no other way.

Opposites attract… and complement

When the doors open each day, they fall into a choreography refined over years of partnership. Cheree greets the regulars by name as Andy preps the orders with quiet efficiency. In the kitchen, they move with the efficiency of two people who’ve learned each other’s ins and outs.

“We are opposites,” Cheree jokes. Where she was shy speaking on camera, Andy was confident and loud. And where Andy feels awkward posing, Cheree smiles naturally. 

But it’s this complementary dynamic that makes the business work. 

Cheree handles the creative side, developing recipes, managing social media and perfecting each bake with a sharp attention to detail. Andy tackles logistics, finance and operations — the calm anchor to her passionate perfectionism. What ties them together, though, is their shared commitment and passion for building this together.

What’s baking next

Working together hasn’t strained their relationship. If anything, it’s strengthened it.

“Being able to work together really helps bring our relationship closer,” Andy muses. “We can spend more time together and have quality conversations on a Thursday afternoon. Something that wouldn’t be possible if I were still working full-time.” 

The couple has more flavours waiting in the wings, though they’re keeping details under wraps.

The broader vision remains simple: “To have a lasting impact for people who have a sweet-tooth, but can indulge guilt-free with us, and hopefully inspire more people to eat healthier.”

17 years ago, two teenagers met at a retail job and dreamed about maybe, someday, opening a cafe together. 

Today, they’re up at 7 am, straining yoghurt and testing new parfait combinations, building something that’s equal parts business and love story — proof that the best things really do take time. 

72 hours, to be exact.

Hungry for more eats? Check out McDonald’s new sweet paprika burgers release and this whimsical one-woman-show bakery in Tiong Bahru! If you’re in the mood for more love stories, read about this “black cat and golden retriever” couple who runs a hidden-gem izakaya!