Iconic craft-beer bar Orh Gao Taproom at Serene Centre reopens, adding new daytime concept Peh Gao
2026 so far has so far been marked with a multitude of closures of many familiar stalwarts in the local F&B scene — it’s really not easy out there.
Thankfully, there’s some good news, as iconic craft-beer bar Orh Gao Taproom (“orh gao” translates to “black dog” in Hokkien) has just officially reopened! On March 28, to be exact!
For those who may not have heard the news: The beloved drinking spot at Serene Centre shuttered in July 2025, owing to lease renewal issues.
After six long years, it hesitantly announced its closure, giving the usual promises of “it’s not goodbye” — though there were no updates on what this meant for the brand, for the rest of 2025.
However, in 2026, after months of dealing with renovations and logistics issues, Orh Gao Taproom has finally re-opened at Serene Centre!
It’s not at the spot it used to be, though — it’s moved deeper into the mall, away from the more spacious main-road-facing unit it occupied for the last six years.
The Orh Gao Taproom team is also taking its “new year, new me” resolution quite seriously, as it has launched yet another concept in tandem with its re-opening.
Known as Peh Gao Coffeeshop, this new concept takes over the space during the day (between 8am to 4pm), and serves up a whole different menu.
For those who don’t speak Hokkien: “Peh gao” translates to “white dog” in Hokkien, which is the perfect, contrasting moniker for Orh Gao Taproom’s daytime alter ego!
Orh Gao Taproom’s bites
With its re-opening, Orh Gao Taproom has brought in a refreshed menu with new items, while keeping some of the all-time crowd favourites.
Most regulars would wax lyrical about its har cheong gai (shrimp paste chicken, S$15), roasted pork belly (S$15), and Gao vinegar fries (S$15), all of which are bona fide Orh Gao Taproom legends and simply immaculate bar snacks to pair with your beer.
In particular, we are absolutely supportive of the har cheong gai dish’s continued reign — these are gloriously crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and boast an abundance of umami.
Besides these protein-leaning faves, carbs are also respected here — afterall everything here is inspired by familiar regional comfort dishes, and there’s nothing this region loves more, than rice and noodles.
You could go for the olive fried rice (S$15) or crab fried rice (S$19), but if you really had to choose, we’d recommend the kra pow mee tai mak (S$15) because it is not every day that you see such a dish at a bar.
Every mouthful in this Thai-style rendition is punctuated with spicy and crumbly kra pow (basil stir-fried pork), which pairs well with the bouncy rice noodle squiggles, with the gooey egg yolk rounding everything off nicely.
Then there’s the OG beef rendang (S$22), made with black angus beef cheeks for extra succulence.
While we adore how outrageously tender the beef cheek is, we also give kudos to the satisfyingly rich gravy that’s inundated with spice fragrance and heady whiffs of coconut milk.
Orh Gao Taproom might not be a proper Peranakan or Malay restaurant, but we think this dish easily stacks up against some of the most well-known restaurants in that category.
For something new, there’s the tofu dip + chips (S$11), a pan-Asian reimagination of chips and dips.
We appreciate how the kitchen mixes tofu hummus with mala spice, and uses fried wonton skin as chips, instead of going the tried-and-tested route of hummus with pita bread or chips, or simple nachos.
The gratuitous crunch of the fried wonton skin makes this a lethally addictive bar snack.
Peh Gao Coffeeshop’s grub
Some might not know this, but Orh Gao Taproom used to also house a Killiney Kopitiam franchise, which operated in the day, at its old spot.
However, with the new chapter that comes with the relocation, the team decided that it was time for them to expand their culinary repertoire with a daytime concept of their own, in the form of Peh Gao Coffeeshop.
Since Orh Gao Taproom was always known for its hearty local-inspired flavours, they decided that the new Peh Gao Coffeeshop’s menu would build on that, too.
In many ways, Peh Gao’s menu is a nod towards the its previous daytime offerings — with one of the most talked-about dishes then and now, being the kaya butter toast (S$2.80).
Guests can also find other interesting variations within the “traditional toast” section, with items such as kaya peanut butter toast (S$2.80), Nutella toast (S$3), and kaya butter French toast (S$4).
The toasts can be enjoyed as a set with a S$3.50 top-up, giving you a hot drink and soft-boiled eggs (S$2.20 a la carte).
Another veritably familiar local creature comfort on Peh Gao’s menu is its nasi lemak: It’s offered with different proteins, including nasi lemak rempah chicken (S$12), nasi lemak har cheong gai (S$12) and nasi lemak beef rendang (S$15).
Fragrant coconut rice, shiok sambal, paired with the legendary har cheong gai or our new-favourite beef rendang? Sounds like heaven.
Rounding the menu at Peh Gao off, are a medley of noodle dishes, in particular soupy Vietnamese pho and dry udon.
The pho original (S$13) uses spiced beef broth that’s made from scratch in-house, and comes with beef chuck slices, but you can also opt for the pho ultimate (S$19) that comes with a much heartier beef short-rib!
As for dry noods lovers, Peh Gao Coffeeshop has two options: Either the pork and mushroom udon (S$12) or the punchier, tongue-numbing mapo tofu udon (S$12).
With a dual day-to-night concept, and a new range of menu offerings across the day, we can safely say that Orh Gao’s re-opening will be satisfying for both camps of its regulars.
Beer guzzlers will relish the return of their regular watering hole, while those who enjoyed its food will love the refreshed and expanded menu — which they can even enjoy in the day now, with the opening Peh Gao Coffeeshop!
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the Samyang Buldak Carbonara special collab at KFC and the hottest new burger joint opened by Scarpetta!
Tue 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 11pm
Wed 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 11pm
Thu 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 11pm
Fri 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 12am
Sat 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 12am
Sun 8am - 4pm | 5pm - 11pm
- Botanic Gardens
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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