Park Side opens at Singapore Botanic Gardens, serving modern Asian brunch plates

There’s a new reason to linger at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Park Side, the latest concept from PS Gourmet has opened at the Nassim Gate Visitor Centre. It’s exactly the kind of place that makes you want to cancel your plans and watch the day while away.

Billed as a casual all-day cafe inspired by slow weekends and picnic afternoons, Park Side is designed to feel like a welcoming cottage by the park. 

The vibe? Unhurried. The crowd? Literally everyone.

The cafe is family-, kid-, and pet-friendly (for outdoor seats only), which feels right at home within the UNESCO World Heritage grounds it occupies.

Good food, great views

For PS Gourmet — the homegrown brand behind Singapore’s beloved PS Cafe, Jypsy, Chopsuey Cafe, and Chip Bee Bistro — Park Side marks a distinct new chapter. The group is now venturing into decidedly more casual, park-side territory with this one.

Think less polished brunch destination, more neighbourhood haunt — just with a very scenic postcard backdrop.

What sets Park Side apart is its menu philosophy: Rather than sticking to straightforward local classics, the kitchen reimagines familiar Asian flavours with a modern take. Tropical fruits, spices, and herbs, including curry leaves and rojak flowers, all make appearances, but in ways that feel fresh, rather than formulaic.

The result is comfort food that nods to Singapore’s culinary heritage, without being beholden to it.

The format is fuss-free by design, with many dishes built for sharing and convivial dining, making them just as suited for a takeaway picnic on the lawn, as a sit-down meal inside. It also has a takeaway kiosk to the side of the restaurant entrance, mainly serving drinks and soft-serve, to-go.

If you’re really keen to check out this new cafe, we recommend swinging by on a weekday during non-peak hours, as it doesn’t take reservations (and can get busy!).

Brunch here is served from 8am to 4pm, while the all-day menu of nibbles and larger plates runs from 11am until closing.

What’s good at Park Side

With a menu this eclectic, knowing where to start can feel a little overwhelming — so let’s begin where every good park outing should, which is with drinks.

Before you even glance at the food menu, we implore you to flip straight to the drinks. If you’ve been out for a stroll around the Singapore Botanic Gardens, chances are you’re parched — and Park Side has the antidote.

The mango sago (S$8) and chrysanthemum (S$8) slushies are your first port of call. The chrysanthemum, bright with its namesake tea and calamansi juice, is clean and citrusy — the kind of drink you’ll polish off embarrassingly fast.

The mango sago, on the other hand, is worth nursing: Coconut, mango, lime, grapefruit, and sago come together in a sweet-sour sipper made fun by bouncy pearls and fibrous grapefruit bits.

If caffeine is more your speed, the Sweet After Rain (S$9) — a cold-brew swirled with gula Melaka, pandan, and sea-salt cream — hits that rare sweet spot of bitter, sweet, and creamy, all at once. It’s good enough to double as dessert, if that’s not your thing.

The yuzu Mornings (S$8.50), a cold brew spiked with fresh orange juice and a splash of yuzu, leans bitter but finishes on a bright, citrusy note — exactly what you need when the humidity starts winning.

As for the food, we’d recommend going in sharing-style: Portions are generous, the menu has plenty to explore, and everything’s more fun when someone else is reaching across the table.

A strong starting point is the kaya, bacon & eggs (S$22), where kaya French toast is stacked with fried egg and crispy bacon, finished with a drizzle of Okinawa black sugar caramel. It sounds like it could tip into cloying territory, but the bacon keeps things in check with just enough saltiness to balance the sweetness.

Indulgent, but not gratuitously so.

Meat lovers will want to clock the luncheon bun (S$24), a burger built around housemade luncheon meat — two thick slices of it — layered with omelette, cheddar, and tamarind tomato jam, served with a side of tater tots.

It’s hearty and deeply satisfying, though the tamarind tomato jam does get a little lost beneath the richness of everything else. A minor quibble for what is otherwise a very comforting plate.

For something you don’t often find on a cafe menu, the bak chor & bacon udon (S$28) is a standout. Think the soul of bak chor mee, reworked with udon noodles and a pork-and-bacon bolognese — rich, umami-laden, and genuinely comforting.

The crispy chilli shrimp on top leans nutty and earthy, rather than fiery, and the bouncy udon makes this one very hard to share graciously.

Park Side’s take on fish & chips — the spiced fish & chips (S$28) — uses white snapper in a curry beer batter, with fries tossed in amchoor (a fruity, tart seasoning made from dried unripe green mangoes) for a tangy edge. It’s on the pricier side, but the savoury-sour twist on a classic is a fun one that earns its keep.

Save room for dessert, because PS Gourmet rarely misses on the sweet end. Alongside familiar options such as key lime pie (S$14) and the rich chocolate cake (S$14), the soft-serve sundaes are worth the extra stomach space.

Swan Lake (S$14) — vanilla soft-serve over vanilla cake, topped with mixed berry sauce and flaked almonds — is essentially a mixed berry shortcake with a lot more ice cream involved. Against Singapore’s heat, paired with a frosty slushie, it’s the ideal full-stop to a lazy afternoon in the gardens.

Worth a stroll over

Park Side isn’t trying to be your next special-occasion restaurant — and that’s precisely the point. It’s the kind of place you stumble into after a morning walk, end up staying for hours, and leave already planning your next visit.

With a menu that manages to feel both familiar and genuinely inventive, and a setting that does half the heavy lifting, it’s one of the more effortless additions to Singapore’s cafe scene in a while.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out the new Korean steakhouse, Drim Gold, at Weave Sentosa, and these new food spots at Lentor Modern.