From The Straits Times    |

These SG women opened their own hip ice cream parlour at Toa Payoh.jpg

Photography: Darren Chanag, Art direction: Alice Chua, Styling: CK, assisted by Grace Lim, Hair: Dorene Low/Scissors art, Makeup: Marie Soh, Outfit & Bracelet: Bimba Y Lola, Ring: Tory Burch

Khoh Wan Chin, 39, and Audrey Wang (right), 42
Owners of: CREAMIER at Block 128, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #01-835
Opened: November 2011

Most people draw up a business plan before renting a shop space, but the opposite happened for Wan Chin, who recalls falling in love with the ground-floor shop unit and its surroundings first.

While few businesswomen would see reason to set up shop in Singapore’s second-oldest neighbourhood, she saw a nice quiet space surrounded by lush greenery (this was in 2011, when the new housing estates in the vicinity had not yet been built).

After speaking to the landlady, Wan Chin got together with Audrey and another design acquaintance to come up with a suitable business concept. They observed that the area was quiet during the day even though many youngsters lived there, and figured it was because they didn’t have any “cool spots” to hang out at.

“It was a bit melancholic, considering Toa Payoh used to be a bustling area many years ago. There used to be a row of hawker stalls opposite (Block 128) and the bus interchange (before it was relocated to Toa Payoh Central) was just across the road,” says Wan Chin.

While an ice cream parlour was nothing new, these ladies didn’t want to offer what was already on the market, so they decided to make their own brand of artisanal ice cream. “People used to think that local products are inferior to those by international brands. These days, however, they also value locally made produce, as it’s fresher and more unique,” says Wan Chin.

Over the last three years, the pair has created more than 55 flavours – including Sea Salt Gula Melaka and Pineapple Chilli Sorbet.

Creamier’s customer base has expanded steadily, and is now made up of not only nearby residents but also extreme east- and west-siders who want a taste of its crispy Belgian waffles and unusual ice cream flavours.

And thanks to the horde of foodies streaming in, more hip dives – think The Daily Press cafe, froyo joint Frozen By A Thousand Blessings and cake shop Niche Boulangerie – have sprouted up in the last 12 months, making Toa Payoh hipster central.

The secret behind Creamier’s great-tasting ice cream? “Fresh ingredients and good equipment. Money is never my first consideration when it comes to our business. Taste is,” says Audrey, who reveals that they spent $15,000 on the ice cream display case and $20,000 on the coffee machine, and even imports their ingredients from Italy and France.

“At the end of the day, it’s easy to open a cafe, but it’s difficult to run every aspect of it with pride,” says Wan Chin. “We’re happy to know that when people talk about Toa Payoh, they immediately think of Creamier.”

These SG entreprueners created hip hubs out of sleepy HDB estates1.jpg

Photography: Darren Chang, Art Direction: Alice Chua, Styling CK, assisted by Grace Lim, Hair: Ashloi, using Redken, Makeup: Lolent Lee, using Dior, On Jerraldine: Sweater & Neckalce: Bimba Y Lola, Pants: Cos, Shoes: her own, On Sean: Outfit & shoes: COS

Sean Lim, 25, and Jerraldine Chen, 24
Owners of: SIN LEE FOODS at Block 4, Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, #01-164
Opened: Mid-June, 2014

When Sean and his girlfriend Jerraldine visited the 900 sq ft space that was to become their cafe in Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, it was love at first sight.

I live on the other side of Tiong Bahru and have seen it progress from a quiet neighbourhood to the talk of town. So when we found out that this space in the still-quiet part of Tiong Bahru (when Sin Lee Foods first opened last year, there were no other cafes in the vicinity; since then, four other cafes have opened nearby) was available, we knew this was it,” shares Sean. “I love how it sits atop a hill and has an alfresco area. Plus, this was the coffee shop I frequented with my family when I was younger.”

“We didn’t want a popular location where there were already cafes,” adds Jerraldine, a chef who interned at three-Michelin-starred restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York. “People were sceptical about us being able to draw crowds to such a secluded area, but we saw potential because it’s located just minutes away from town,” says Sean, who worked for three- Michelin-starred chef Guy Savoy, and previously dabbled in F&B consulting and seafood trading.

The gamble paid off : The business broke even eight months after it opened. On a busy Saturday, the cafe, which seats 50, sees more than 200 customers; you can expect to wait up to 30 minutes for a table (we suggest making a reservation via the Chope app).

While Sin Lee Foods’ off beat location and industrial vibe – think exposed brick walls, an old coffee shop signboard and artwork made out of old Chinese calendars – seem to work in its favour, the enterprising owners believe that it’s the inventive and well-executed dishes (such as the Aburi Broccoli Salad and Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fries) that are the real draw.

“We’ve always wanted to bring new life to sleepy Jalan Bukit Ho Swee and build a new community around this area,” says Sean. “It’s safe to say we’ve done just that.”

These SG entreprueners created hip hubs out of sleepy HDB estates2.jpg

Photography: Darren Chang, Art direction: Alice Chua, Styling: CK, assisted by Grace Lim, Hair: Ashloi, using Redken, Makeup: Lolent Lee, using Dior, On Junjie: Pullover, shirt & jeans: Hugo, On Shushan: Sweater & Skirt: Coach, Earring: Bimba Y Lola, On Victoria: Top: Calvin Klein, Platinum pants & necklace: In Good Company

(From left) Pan Junjie, 26, Pan Shushan, 28, and Victoria Pan, 29
Owners of: WHISK & PADDLE at 10 Tebing Lane
Opened: Late- October, 2014

A desire to find a spacious location for their cafe took the Pan siblings to Tebing Lane, a waterway-facing nook in Punggol. Despite its inaccessibility and remoteness, they were drawn to its spaciousness (it spans roughly 4,500 sq ft) and scenic surroundings.

“We wanted Whisk & Paddle to feel vast and homely, unlike many cafes, which tend to be really small,” says Junjie, who manages the bar, beverages and service staff . Victoria oversees marketing and operations.

Despite their mother’s concern about putting all their eggs in one basket, the siblings took a leap of faith and went into business together. After all, Victoria has relevant F&B experience – she did a stint with her dad’s bar-cum-restaurant business – while Junjie and Shushan had just graduated from communications school and culinary school respectively.

To cater to the young families living in the area, the trio decided on a familyfriendly cafe with an open concept. To achieve this, they demolished walls and set up tentage to give the space a breezy vibe with lots of natural lighting. They also designed play areas for children (with old-school games such as ring toss), set up booths selling knick-knacks and snacks they remembered buying “from the mamak shop below our flat when we were young”, and even styled the waiting area to look like a picture booth.

It opened in October last year, and within three months, saw a huge jump in the number of customers, serving as many as 700 a day on a busy weekend.

Today, some traipse all the way from the west (on public transport), while others have no qualms about bringing props – such as cutlery, tableware and even a rocking horse! – to snap Instagram-worthy shots of their time at the picturesque cafe.

Whisk & Paddle is also a hit with event planners. In fact, the siblings have received so many requests for hosting first-month birthdays and wedding solemnisations that they decided to cap the number of such events at just two per month.

The food is a big draw too: Frenchstyle desserts such as the Passionfruit Tart and Berry Rose Tart, which are baked fresh every day by pastry chef Shushan, and main dishes such as Macaroni & Cheese, made a la minute by head chef Mario Lee, are crowd favourites.

This story was first published in Her World Magazine August 2015. 

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