On Jul 3, a Facebook post on foodie group Toa Payoh Makan Places piqued the curiosity of netizens as it shared that celeb F&B boss Ben Yeo’s Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup stall in Toa Payoh had shuttered.
The poster, Wang Pei Wen (transliterated from Chinese), wrote: “Ben Yeo's fish soup closed down [sic]. Haven’t got a chance to try it.”
The stall opened just nine months ago in September 2023, and specialises in KL-style Cantonese fish soup, which features a cloudy broth made by boiling fish bones for hours.
While there were headlines about the stall’s closure, Ben told 8days.sg that he had actually “relocated, not closed” his fish soup joint last month, moving the operations from Toa Payoh to another coffeeshop called Tan Xiang Chai Chee in Bedok that is wholly operated by him and his four business partners.
Previously, he had closed his izakaya stall SG Umami and Korean fusion lok lok stall Geon Bae in Kallang, citing a struggle to “maintain consistency” in food quality.
Ben then shifted his focus to Tan Xiang Chai Chee, which cost S$800,000 to set up and boasts fancy S$80,000 toilets that come with Dyson hand dryers, air-con and faux gold sinks.
The gents' bathroom at Tan Xiang Chai Chee. (Photo: 8days/Kelvin Chia)
According to Ben, the fish soup stall’s relocation was to address the manpower shortage that was plaguing his Toa Payoh stall.
How so?
He explained: “We have had staff who suddenly couldn’t show up for work, and we had to rearrange our manpower [pool] and ended up opening our stall late ’cause they need to travel down to Toa Payoh. By moving our stall to Chai Chee, we can easily transfer staff who are already at the coffeeshop to the fish soup side.”
In response to 8days.sg’s question about how business at the Toa Payoh stall was doing, Ben said: “It depends. Sometimes we have more customers. During opening, the business was very good, but like all businesses, there will be hype at the start but it will slow down a little later.”
Other than Chai Chee, Tan Xiang’s sliced fish soup is also available at his other kopitiam, a Kallang industrial canteen.
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup at Chai Chee shares a space with Ben’s charcoal fish head steamboat stall. And because the retro-themed kopitiam is spacious with 400 seats and steady manpower, Ben has expanded his fish soup offerings there.
“We have more seafood soup options now, like lala, prawns and premium fresh fish. Prices go up to S$20 a bowl,” he shared. But you can still get classic bowls at the same price as Toa Payoh, like Red Grouper (S$12), Batang (S$6) and Snakehead (S$6) in your choice of boiled or fried fish.
A bowl of fish soup from Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
However, the stall’s unique charcoal you tiao is off the menu.
“That’s also extra work and manpower to make. It was selling well, but you have to consider whether it’s worth the effort to do it,” Ben commented.
“Everything is trial and error [in F&B].”
Tan Xiang Chai Chee is at 510 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore 469027. Open daily 6am to 10pm. Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat is open daily from 11.30am to 9.30pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
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The poster, Wang Pei Wen (transliterated from Chinese), wrote: “Ben Yeo's fish soup closed down [sic]. Haven’t got a chance to try it.”
The stall opened just nine months ago in September 2023, and specialises in KL-style Cantonese fish soup, which features a cloudy broth made by boiling fish bones for hours.
While there were headlines about the stall’s closure, Ben told 8days.sg that he had actually “relocated, not closed” his fish soup joint last month, moving the operations from Toa Payoh to another coffeeshop called Tan Xiang Chai Chee in Bedok that is wholly operated by him and his four business partners.
Previously, he had closed his izakaya stall SG Umami and Korean fusion lok lok stall Geon Bae in Kallang, citing a struggle to “maintain consistency” in food quality.
Ben then shifted his focus to Tan Xiang Chai Chee, which cost S$800,000 to set up and boasts fancy S$80,000 toilets that come with Dyson hand dryers, air-con and faux gold sinks.
The gents' bathroom at Tan Xiang Chai Chee. (Photo: 8days/Kelvin Chia)
According to Ben, the fish soup stall’s relocation was to address the manpower shortage that was plaguing his Toa Payoh stall.
How so?
He explained: “We have had staff who suddenly couldn’t show up for work, and we had to rearrange our manpower [pool] and ended up opening our stall late ’cause they need to travel down to Toa Payoh. By moving our stall to Chai Chee, we can easily transfer staff who are already at the coffeeshop to the fish soup side.”
In response to 8days.sg’s question about how business at the Toa Payoh stall was doing, Ben said: “It depends. Sometimes we have more customers. During opening, the business was very good, but like all businesses, there will be hype at the start but it will slow down a little later.”
Other than Chai Chee, Tan Xiang’s sliced fish soup is also available at his other kopitiam, a Kallang industrial canteen.
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup at Chai Chee shares a space with Ben’s charcoal fish head steamboat stall. And because the retro-themed kopitiam is spacious with 400 seats and steady manpower, Ben has expanded his fish soup offerings there.
“We have more seafood soup options now, like lala, prawns and premium fresh fish. Prices go up to S$20 a bowl,” he shared. But you can still get classic bowls at the same price as Toa Payoh, like Red Grouper (S$12), Batang (S$6) and Snakehead (S$6) in your choice of boiled or fried fish.
A bowl of fish soup from Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
However, the stall’s unique charcoal you tiao is off the menu.
“That’s also extra work and manpower to make. It was selling well, but you have to consider whether it’s worth the effort to do it,” Ben commented.
“Everything is trial and error [in F&B].”
Tan Xiang Chai Chee is at 510 Chai Chee Lane, Singapore 469027. Open daily 6am to 10pm. Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat is open daily from 11.30am to 9.30pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
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