The owners of 11 Hamilton Road have changed hands pretty often over the years, despite being in the cafes-populated Jalan Besar area.
This space has been occupied by Hustle Co., later rebranded as 11 Hamilton, and now For The People.
Competition is steep though, with popular cafes such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Lucid and Apartment Coffee in the vicinity.
With an intention to create a space for people to connect and recharge over food and drinks, the space at For The People is considerably spacious with a 60 seaters space.
The layout reminds of me of an IKEA showroom with a contemporary-style co-working space in terms of their furniture and finishing.
There is WiFi coverage and multiple powerpoints for diners to do internet-browsing and some email-clearing (but we probably won’t recommend long Zoom-meetings to keep the environment conducive for other patrons).
Stepping inside, the first area is the coffee bar with various pastries on display at the counter.
Booth seats and window seats are available for those who prefer their private space; while sofa seats are equipped with low tables for small gatherings over some drinks and light bites.
The second area is more open with tables and chairs to accommodate another 30 pax for dining in.
Note that their All-Day Dining menu is only available till 3pm – which in fact is nott really “all day”.
I made a second visit in order to get my hands on the the more interesting brunch food items such as Pesto Scramble ($18), Coconut Pancakes ($16), Fried Chicken & Waffles ($18), Crispy Churros Waffles ($12) and French Toast ($16).
Instead, bistro grub such as Gourmet Burgers ($17 – $22), Pasta ($15) and Mains ($14 – $28) are available throughout the day.
On the menu are the usual suspects such as Carbonara ($15), Garlic Aglio Olio ($15), Beer-battered Fish & Chips ($19) and Smoked Grass Fed Ribeye ($28).
For some light bites, Truffle Fries ($10), Sweet Potato Fries ($9), Chilli Cheese Beef Fries ($15), 5- Spice Popcorn Chicken ($10) and Chilli Beef Nachos ($12) are part of their Side dishes menu.
While there are many Korean-inspired dishes, the Gochujang Chicken Burger ($17) and Korean Gochujang Fried Chicken ($15) stood out to me, made using a fermented red chili paste with a savory, sweet, and spicy taste.
Initially, I expected it to be really spicy as Koreans generally have a high tolerance to spicy food.
It turned out that the spicy-ness was pretty manageable, with a more savoury slant in the initial bite and a lingering spiciness towards the end.
The Korean Gochujang Fried Chicken ($15) came with 4 wings and 4 drumsticks, generously coated with Gochujang marinate.
Fresh chickens are used, which explained the moist and tender meat.
I enjoyed the Gochujang marination which is suitable for a non-spicy eater like me but the batter was lacking some crisp and crunch and leaned towards a slightly saucy and soggy’ texture.
On their drinks menu, only espresso-based drinks such as Espresso ($4), Piccolo ($4.50), Long Black ($6), White ($6-6.50) and Mocha ($7) are available.
Coffee beans is supplied by Bettr Barista, a two-beans blend from Colombian and Brazilian for espresso-based drinks.
Serious coffee drinkers will probably be disappointed with the lack of options for pour over coffee but there are always other serious coffee places nearby.
Other interesting options include Vanilla Latte ($7), Chai Latte ($7), Carbon Black (Iced $8) which is a shot of espresso with tonic water and iced versions are available at an additional $1.
I enjoyed my cup of Flat White ($6.50) that came with double shots of espresso, medium bodied, smooth and robust with a nutty and chocolatey finish.
On a side note, each drink such as the Matcha Latte (Hot $7, Iced $8) is served with a piece of cookie by the side.
As a matchaholic, the unsweetened Matcha Latte fell short of expectation and turned out pretty bland and lacked the fragrance.
While Buttermilk Waffles are the most common waffles in cafes, the Crispy Churros Waffles ($12) here sounded interesting, baked and dusted with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with chocolate syrup, and complemented with dragonfruit and kiwi on its side.
Unlike buttermilk waffles, the churros waffles turned out softer and more doughy almost like a cake without the crisp of a churros as it’s baked instead of deep-fried.
Service is worth a mention as the staffs are very attentive to every details and would check in on each diner to receive their feedback.
In addition, they have a reward system with 5% cash back for diners to return son subsequent visits, as this space is created for the people and for everyone to visit.
For the People
11 Hamilton Road, Singapore 209182
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 9pm (Tues – Sun), Closed Mon
Other Related Entries
Lucid (Hamilton Road)
Apartment Coffee (Lavender Street)
Antea Social (Jalan Besar)
Gelato Labo (Cavan Road)
Black Fairy Coffee (Tyrwhitt Road)
* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.