Frisch & Barc

The name Frisch & Barc was inspired by Austrian Nobel prize-winner Karl Ritter von Frisch and his study of bees. He noticed the creatures would form a community when building a hive in the wild. This type of hive is known as a barc.

When owners and siblings John and Kim Wong opened in June 2016, that is what they wanted to achieve – a community of people that keep coming back.

Asha Hall from Ash & Colour is responsible for the cafe’s fresh interior. Blue and green – the colours bees see the world in – feature throughout. The brunch menu combines Australian, American and Malaysian flavours. French toast is served with pandan custard; the omelette comes with Singapore chilli crab and the Black Angus corned beef potato hash is dressed with Sriracha soy.

There’s a deep focus on coffee, from the roast (Frisch & Barc is the only cafe that carries beans from local roaster, Top Shelf) through to the technique. Every morning, water for the day is blended from the tap and a reverse osmosis unit to get the right levels for the best cup of coffee.

Milk coffee drinkers will be steered towards the house blend while the single origin is recommended for those that take their coffee black. The latter is served with sparkling water and cascara – a fruity syrup made from the coffee cherry – on the side.