Bibik Violet

There definitely has been some social media attention being placed on Bibik Violet recently — perhaps one of the more anticipated new openings in the local F&B scene in recent times. A concept by Violet Oon, Bibik Violet is situated within the revamped and expanded Temasek Shophouse that is located along Orchard Road — whilst Temasek Shophouse used to occupy a single building since the building’s refurbishment into what it was since 2019, Bibik Violet occupies a spot within the newly-extended wing of the Temasek Shophouse which some might recall as SMA House that used to house Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). Occupying a space that is tucked towards the back of the entire building, Bibik Violet is decked in a setting with its interior being fitted with furniture and fittings that features a wooden accent — there is certainly a rustic, old-world Southeast Asian style going on with the entire space where opulence can be felt through the intricate details such as from the carpentry for its booth seats, chandeliers and shelving. Being a Peranakan-themed establishment, the interior also does not miss out on some of the Peranakan essentials — think Peranakan-styled mosaic tiles that are embellished on the booth seats, while one can also find the same on the floor; there are also elements like Tingkats and other wares that can be found in different spots around the space as well. Flora and fauna can also be found evidently used throughout the entire space that gives the interior an element of life. Despite sharing its roots with Violet Oon Singapore, Bibik Violet attempts to be an establishment that is more similar to that of a cafe set-up; this segregates it from the Violet Oon Singapore which is provides a more upscale and a more premium experience as compared with a focus on communal dining as opposed to one that features a number of individually-portioned main dishes that would work well for individual diners that Bibik Violet is all about. With this in mind, it is worth noting that Bibik Violet’s menu is segmented into sections dedicated to Breakfast Time (only available from 8:00am to 11:30am daily), One Dish Meals, Small Plates, Meat, Seafood, Vegetables, Meat and Desserts — the display cases at the counter are stocked with the various Kueh and dessert offerings that are available for the day. Beverages served up at Bibik Violet’s would include Classic Beverages (i.e. local-style Kopi, Teh etc.), Bibik’s Thirst Quenchers (i.e. unique concoctions), soft drinks and house wines and beers.

One of the dishes that seems to have been much mentioned about at Bibik Violet would probably be the Laksa. Bibik Violet describes their Laksa to come with elements such as rice noodles, coconut-spiced broth, prawns, fishcake, tau pok (ie. beancurd puffs), beansprouts and laksa leaves based on the description provided in its menu. Digging into the Laksa, the Laksa does come with slurpy rice noodles that are swimming in a coconut-spiced broth that carries a good balance of both coconut milk and rempah spices that gives it sufficient savoury flavour and fragrance without being too overly rich or jelak. The dollop of chili that comes atop gives the Laksa a mildly spicy kick that would tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to lower levels of spiciness. The Laksa here does come default with Thick Bee Hoon which comes all slurpy and smooth, though there is an option provided by Bibik Violet for one to switch up the noodles to Bee Hoon instead of that better suits one’s fancy. The Tau Pok are diced into smaller chunks here; a plus point here for those whom dislike being served with larger-sized beancurd puffs that generally make Laksas feel a tad more filling — though this also means that there is much less of a flavour burst from the Laksa gravy that is absorbed by the beancurd which gets released as one chews into them. Other elements like the beansprouts, half-boiled egg and fish cake were items that were pretty pedestrian and also what one would typically find in a usual bowl of Laksa; the beansprouts delivering a crunch and the fishcake provides a bouncy bite — the addition of hard-boiled egg sees the egg coming with soft whites and a fully-cooked yolk, while the prawns served up were pretty large and carried a natural sweetness of crustaceans along with it.

We have also given the Kueh Pie Tee a go during the same visit made to Bibik Violet — Bibik Violet describes the Kueh Pie Tee to come with elements such as crisp shells, shredded turnip, carrots, tofu and bamboo shoots with egg, chili and sweet sauce. There are four (4) crisp shells that come with each order of the Kueh Pie Tee, though there are more than sufficient condiments to go with the number of crisp shells that comes along with; all presented in a format where patrons will be required to plate the Kueh Pie Tee themselves. One thing that is noted about the mix of shredded turnip, carrots, tofu and bamboo shoots here in the Kueh Pie Tee at Bibik Violet is how the mix of ingredients do come with a pretty evident note of dried shrimps that also somewhat provided an element of bite along with the soft crunchiness of the stewed vegetables within; especially that of the the shredded turnip and bamboo shoots. With that being said, the mix of shredded turnip, carrots, tofu and bamboo shoots does come a bit on the wetter side here, though it does work out well that the crisp, deep-fried shells for the Kueh Pie Tee does hold up well to the moisture of the wet elements here that also includes that of the sauces that comes along on the side to be added. The addition of the minced hard-boiled egg does provides an eggy fragrance and soft, bouncy texture that adds on to the existing textures of the mix of shredded turnip, carrots, tofu and bamboo shoots. The sauces provided along on the side would be the sweet sauce that is almost similar to that of malt syrup that carries a slight hint of sweetness, while the chili is rather reminiscent to that which is being usually served up with Hainanese-style chicken rice that comes all zippy but at a very mild level of spiciness that should be tolerable even for to those whom have near zero tolerance to spiciness.

Wanting to go for a Meat dish to share across the table, we settle for the Babi Pongteh which is described on the menu to come with elements such as slow-braised pork belly, fermented soybean sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and potatoes. This comes in a size that would probably even be suitable for one hunger pax to be paired with a serving of Jasmine Rice on the side — something which we would recommend since it does help being a vehicle to mop up all of the gravy with. The Babi Pongteh does come with a good hint of sweetness and savouriness that is supplemented well with the addition of spices — very evident of notes from the caramelisation of the glaze whilst also hinting of other spices like cinnamon and star anise; all that while the pork belly comes all melt-in-the-mouth tender and without any undesirable porky stench coming along with it. The chunks of potato have been stewed to a soft texture which was easy to chew through, though the addition of green chilies was quite an interesting touch that felt more as though it was added more for an aesthetic appeal to provide a contrast of colours for the dish than actually added for the flavoural factor.

To end off the meal, we found ourselves opting for the Pulut Hitam Tart that was in the display case where all the other cakes and other bakes are being stocked up around the counter. The Pulut Hitam Tart is a modern and playful take on the classic Pulut Hitam (i.e. Black Glutinous Rice) dessert that one can easily find being served up at stalls specialising in local desserts in hawker centres, food courts and coffeeshops around — coming in a tart format with a tart base, this is an embodiment of local western fusion, making it less intimidating for non-locals being served in a format more familiar to them, but not losing the identity of the very dish that we grew up knowing and loving. The Pulut Hitam filling that sits on top of the tart was a hit to our tastebuds, carrying a lingering hint of sweetness amidst the grainy notes of black glutinous rice that also comes with the fragrance of coconut milk that adds a richness and a depth of flavours to the dessert. All these sits atop a buttery shortcrust tart base that holds up the elements sitting above it well; still retaining a firmness without crumbling messily as one lands a fork into it.

It wouldn’t be considered giving a Peranakan-themed establishment a visit if we skipped on the various Kueh offerings that Bibik Violet has to offer. We found ourselves going for the Ang Ku Kueh (Mung Bean), Kueh Dadar, Kueh Salat and Bika Ambon. The Ang Ku Kueh does come with a soft, moist and chewy skin that was a pretty good texture especially considering how we dropped by Bibik Violet on a weekday dinner service where the Kueh would likely be sitting around in the display for quite a while which would often turn it dry, greasy and sticky — we liked how the chewy skin of the Ang Ku Kueh here was one that didn’t stick to the teeth as well. The mung bean filling here was also especially smooth and not overly sweet as well, which made it quite a delight to have. Meanwhile, the Kueh Salat was the usual crowd pleaser here with its smooth pandan-infused curd that carried a hint of sweetness; a little bit similar to that of Kaya without being particularly gelatinous like how some commercially-made Nyonya kueh that is being retailed in market stalls, hawker centres, food courts and coffeeshops tend to be. This goes well with the sticky glutinous rice layer at the bottom which is sufficiently moist and does not stick to the teeth — all that whilst being infused with butterfly pea flower that adds specks of blue to the glutinous rice for a visual appeal. The Bika Ambon here comes with that satisfying honeycomb-esque texture that delivers a soft bite; all that whilst coming with a subtle hint of sweetness that lingers and the back of the tongue as one further chews into it. We felt that the Kueh Dadar here was the weakest link of the lot; whilst we love the earthy sweetness of the Gula Melaka of which the desiccated coconut was soaked in, though we did find that the Pandan crepe does come a little too thick for our liking.

We also went for the Kopi (Hot) to pair up with the food that we have ordered during our visit to Bibik Violet. The Kopi here is pretty much a smooth brew with evident smoky and roasty notes that delivers a caffeinated punch — all that whilst not being overly sweet from the addition of condensed milk, and is a cuppa that pairs well especially with the Nyonya Kueh and the various cakes and desserts that Bibik Violet has to offer. Considering how Violet Oon is a pretty much celebrated figure in the local F&B scene, it is little wonder how so much attention has been placed on the opening of Bibik Violet on social media and traditional media outlets. Whilst being conceptualised by the same people, Bibik Violet is evidently different from Violet Oon Singapore in quite a number of ways; the dining experience at Bibik Violet is most certainly less formal to begin with, and while dishes familiar to Violet Oon Singapore’s menu are available at Bibik Violet, Bibik Violet is an establishment that is overall more accessible in terms of dining environment, prices and portion sizes as compared to Violet Oon Singapore in general. One thing that we didn’t quite like about the dining experience at Bibik Violet was how service staff tends to hint patrons on turning over the table for the next group of patrons — whilst we do understand a need to do so considering how they are a strictly walk-in establishment with a queue of diners eagerly waiting in line, we did feel that the clearing of dishes prematurely from the table and the constant suggestion of getting the bills to the patrons to be a tad aggressive for a dining establishment like that. Prices of their One Dish Meals range from $7.90 to $18.90; the lowest-priced item being the Nasi Lemak Basic (comes with no meat items) while the priciest would be the Nasi Lemak with Rendang. The prices of the items from the Small Plates, Meat, Seafood and Vegetables section of the menu are also rather consistent to the price range of the dishes in the One Dish Meals section of the menu, with the priciest dish being at $19.90 being the Beef Rendang. It is still early days for Bibik Violet and we do think that the establishment is still trying to get a grasp on their operations amidst the social media attention which explains the hasty service; that being said, the food does provide a lot of promise for an establishment that attempts to not only embody the spirit of Peranakan heritage cuisine but also one that also showcases Singaporean dining culture — a spot that is worthy to check out on its own, as well as one to bring friends visiting from overseas for a taste of what the Singaporean dining scene has to offer!