Actor Ben Yeo opens Kuala Lumpur-style fish soup stall in Toa Payoh, also sells charcoal you tiao

When 8days.sg spoke to Ben Yeo, 45, in June this year, the actor and serial hawkerpreneur lamented about the challenges of F&B and how he had shut his lok lok and izakaya-style hawker stalls at his beer garden Playground in Kallang due to manpower-related issues.

Fast forward three months and he has opened a new concept: Tan Xiang Fish Soup.

A spinoff of his zi char joint Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant, situated in the same industrial canteen in Kallang, the stall opened on Sep 22 in a Toa Payoh coffee shop which also houses popular Muslim food stall Kedai Makan Muhajirin known for its S$1 nasi lemak.

The fish soup isn’t exactly new. Ben and his partners have been selling the dish as part of their lunch menu at their zi char stall since May. They differentiated themselves from competitors by offering “Kuala Lumpur-style” fish soup. 

Unlike Teochew-style fish soup which boasts a light, clear soup, the KL version leans towards Cantonese-style (a similar version is also sold in Singapore), which is rich and milky.

It is made using the same base stock as the broth for their fish head steamboat which is achieved by brewing fish, chicken and pork bones for five hours till cloudy. According to Ben’s partner Ah Di, who used to work as a cook in a fish head bee hoon restaurant in Malaysia, other essentials include preserved vegetable strips, tomatoes and thin bee hoon.

They decided to set up a stall specialising in fish soup after the dish was well received. 

“We started selling fish soup at Kallang to test waters and get feedback. Now that we know customers like our fish soup, we want to branch out and open stalls in other areas,” shared Ben.

He added: “A lot of customers also told us that they want to try our fish soup but are unable to make the trip to Kallang during lunch as it is a bit out of the way. Now that it is available in a more centralised location, more people will be able to try it. We hope to open many more outlets around Singapore.”

They are also looking to expand their zi char concept but finding a suitable location and manpower has not been easy. “You need a big space with good rental and around 20 staff to run it,” said Ben.

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The new stall offers three types of fish soup: Red grouper (S$12), mackerel, or batang, (S$6) and fried fish using snakehead (S$6). 

Compared to the Kallang stall, which only offers fish soup with boiled or fried snakehead slices at S$4.50, the price here is around 30 per cent higher. According to Ben, the steeper price tag is due to the larger serving size.

Carbs like rice, thin and thick bee hoon will cost an extra 80 cents, while ee mian is S$1. If you want something different, Tan Xiang also offers dough fritter-themed sides and add-ons like charcoal you tiao and crispy you tiao to pair with your fish soup.

“We have been offering charcoal you tiao as an add-on for our seafood hotpot at our Chinese restaurant Tan Xiang Yuan and it is quite popular with customers. Dipping you tiao in soup is a very local thing. I personally love to have you tiao with soya bean milk,” said Ben.

We only managed to try the red grouper fish soup as the batang and fried fish were sold out when we visited the stall around 5pm on a weekday.

Our bowl came with six thick grouper slices, delicately cooked to perfection, along with tofu cubes, yam sticks, tomato and preserved vegetable strips. The soup is creamy, robust with umami flavour. The salted vegetables give it a piquant kick and the tender yam chunks, one of our favourite ingredients in fish head steamboat, are a delightful addition.

Custom-made by a supplier, these jet-black fried dough sticks are crisp on the outside, soft and chewy within, though not as light and airy as we’d like. It serves as a great vehicle to soak up the broth and the slight savoury flavour goes very well with the soup. We’re surprised at how much we enjoyed this pairing.

For S$6.80, you get a pair of you tiao sandwiched with otah paste. It is refried before serving so it is hot and crisp. The otah is fragrant with aromatic spices and we detect bits of fish. Not bad. There are plans to offer other variations like you tiao with fish or squid paste in the future.

Tan Xiang Fish Soup is at Ee Hoe Eating House, #01-758, Blk 20, Toa Payoh Lor 7, Singapore 310020. Open daily 8am to 6pm.

This story was originally published in 8Days.