Founded by Christina from DreamCreations Interior, Food Philo is an experiential hybrid space where customers can get to see and touch various renovation materials over a healthy and delicious meal.
We sit down for a chat with her and her chef Ryan and get them to share more about the food philosophy of Food Philo.
Qanvast: Why did you decide to open this café-interior showroom hybrid space?
Christina (C): It suddenly occurred to me that when my clients meet me on weekday evenings, they need to have their dinner first. Hence, I decided to open this café so that I can have dinner together with my clients and discuss their project at the same time.
Also, I trained at Shatec previously so it has always been my dream to open an F&B space. The best thing about this café is that it combines my passion for cooking with my day job as an interior designer.
Qanvast: Is there any reason why you set up your café at Changi Business Park?
Ryan (R): We want to introduce healthy, quality food to the office workers in that area and educate their palates. Office workers are usually in a rush during the lunch hour and tend to grab quick meals that may not necessarily be healthy. Hence, we want our café to be a space where they can have a quick meal that is healthy and of quality.
Qanvast: Tell us about the design of your kitchen.
C: I was inspired by my travels to the United States and wanted my kitchen to look like a food truck such as the ones that can often be seen parked by the walkways of the street. To achieve that look, I hired a chef consultant to work with me on the design concept and the kitchen layout.
Qanvast: Tell us more about the interior showroom aspect of this café.
C: There is a renovation corner in the café where patrons can see and touch the various renovation materials. If any of our patrons have renovation enquiries, we are also open to them approaching us so that we can discuss things with them; simply set up an appointment with our interior firm - DreamCreations Interior.
Qanvast: What kind of food does your café serve?
R: Our café has a pick-and-mix concept where customers can choose what dishes they want. We specialise in Western cuisine which is cooked in a healthy style.
Our menu also changes depending on the day of the week. For instance, when you come on Monday, we might be serving pork chop with apple sauce but when you come on Tuesday, the pork might be done up in a different style. We try to spice things up by employing different preparation and cooking methods so that customers have something new to look forward to whenever they dine here.
Qanvast: What is your philosophy when it comes to the food served at this café?
R: We want to educate people on how to eat right and to choose food that is better for them. Hence, we serve quality, healthy food at slightly lower prices so that more people can enjoy our food.
We also place an emphasis on serving fresh food. To that end, we limit the portions of food that we put out daily so that whatever is on your plate is of tip-top quality.
Qanvast: How is the experience of renovating a commercial unit as compared to taking on residential projects?
C: Since there is rental to be paid every month, we want to complete the project in the shortest time as possible to save costs. Furthermore, we can only carry out renovation works at night which means that the labour costs are higher.
There is also a lot of paperwork when it comes to government and NEA regulations so we had to spend a lot of time getting the paperwork in order. Trying to complete everything within the time frame was very tough.
*** Food Philo is located at Changi Business Park Avenue 1; opens at 11am to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays only. Interior design consultation is by appointment only.***
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