Mediacorp actor-host Ben Yeo is back with another F&B venture, this time, in the heart of Orchard Road.
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup opened on Jul 27 at the newly renovated basement food court in Orchard Towers. It currently has two other outlets.
The stall specialises in Cantonese-style fish soup, which features a cloudy broth made by boiling pork broth and fish bones for hours.
A bowl of fish soup at Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup's Orchard Towers outlet. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Tan Xiang’s first-ever outlet, located in a Toa Payoh coffee shop, closed in July 2024 after just nine months due to manpower issues.
According to Yeo, 46, the stall was staffed by part-timers, some of whom would not turn up for work without notice.
“We’ve learned from that experience,” he tells 8days.sg. “The Orchard Towers stall is now run by full-time staff we trust and have worked with for a long time.”
Ben Yeo adds that he’ll personally be checking in at the stall from time to time to ensure smooth operations.
There is also another outlet located at a Kallang industrial canteen, where he also runs the zi char concept Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant.
Orchard Towers, a mall in Singapore that is aiming to shed its shady past. (Photo: CNA)
Though Yeo and his partners have a penchant for opening F&B joints in heartland estates and quiet industrial areas, they decided to go for a “prime area” for their latest venture.
Opening in Orchard Towers, a mall with a famously sleazy past, might raise some eyebrows, but Yeo isn’t fazed.
“Every place has its own history. Though Orchard Towers used to be sleazy, the place is very happening, just like Geylang, which has one of the best food scenes in Singapore,” he says.
He adds that the mall has cleaned up significantly and that they are targeting daytime crowds, not the late-night revellers.
“There’s a bustling lunch crowd here,” he explains.
The storefront of Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup’s Orchard Towers outlet. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Initially, they were looking at a standalone unit in the mall. But when the owner of the food court approached them to take up a stall space, they took the plunge.
“It’s a better location and we don’t have to invest so much start-up cost, why not?” he says.
The stall, their first air-conditioned venture and first venture into Orchard Road, cost about S$40,000 to set up.
Actor Ben Yeo. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Despite the upgraded location, prices for the fish soup are the same as its defunct Toa Payoh outlet.
Tan Xiang offers four different fish soup options: Batang Fish Soup (S$6.80), Fried Toman Fish Soup (S$6.80), Seafood Soup (S$6.80) with batang, prawns and sotong and Fried Grouper Bee Hoon Soup (S$8.80).
The default carb is thin bee hoon, but you can switch to mee sua, thick bee hoon, steamed rice or yam rice for an extra 80 cents to S$1.60.
Add-ons like prawn balls and tofu cubes start from 80 cents, while fish slices are from S$4 for 100g.
A highlight of the Orchard Towers outlet is the Fried Grouper Bee Hoon Soup, a new addition that’s exclusive to this location.
The fish is fried upon order and served on the side, keeping it crispy on the outside and juicy inside. According to Yeo, the meaty chunks “taste like fried chicken”.
To mark its opening as well as Singapore’s 60th birthday, Tan Xiang is offering a S$5 promotion on its batang fish soup and batang bee hoon soup till Aug 31.
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup is at 400 Brew Kopi, #B1-28, Orchard Towers, 400 Orchard Road, Singapore 238875. Open daily from 10am to 8pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup opened on Jul 27 at the newly renovated basement food court in Orchard Towers. It currently has two other outlets.
The stall specialises in Cantonese-style fish soup, which features a cloudy broth made by boiling pork broth and fish bones for hours.
A bowl of fish soup at Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup's Orchard Towers outlet. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Tan Xiang’s first-ever outlet, located in a Toa Payoh coffee shop, closed in July 2024 after just nine months due to manpower issues.
According to Yeo, 46, the stall was staffed by part-timers, some of whom would not turn up for work without notice.
“We’ve learned from that experience,” he tells 8days.sg. “The Orchard Towers stall is now run by full-time staff we trust and have worked with for a long time.”
Ben Yeo adds that he’ll personally be checking in at the stall from time to time to ensure smooth operations.
There is also another outlet located at a Kallang industrial canteen, where he also runs the zi char concept Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant.
Orchard Towers, a mall in Singapore that is aiming to shed its shady past. (Photo: CNA)
Though Yeo and his partners have a penchant for opening F&B joints in heartland estates and quiet industrial areas, they decided to go for a “prime area” for their latest venture.
Opening in Orchard Towers, a mall with a famously sleazy past, might raise some eyebrows, but Yeo isn’t fazed.
“Every place has its own history. Though Orchard Towers used to be sleazy, the place is very happening, just like Geylang, which has one of the best food scenes in Singapore,” he says.
He adds that the mall has cleaned up significantly and that they are targeting daytime crowds, not the late-night revellers.
“There’s a bustling lunch crowd here,” he explains.
The storefront of Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup’s Orchard Towers outlet. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Initially, they were looking at a standalone unit in the mall. But when the owner of the food court approached them to take up a stall space, they took the plunge.
“It’s a better location and we don’t have to invest so much start-up cost, why not?” he says.
The stall, their first air-conditioned venture and first venture into Orchard Road, cost about S$40,000 to set up.
Actor Ben Yeo. (Photo: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup)
Despite the upgraded location, prices for the fish soup are the same as its defunct Toa Payoh outlet.
Tan Xiang offers four different fish soup options: Batang Fish Soup (S$6.80), Fried Toman Fish Soup (S$6.80), Seafood Soup (S$6.80) with batang, prawns and sotong and Fried Grouper Bee Hoon Soup (S$8.80).
The default carb is thin bee hoon, but you can switch to mee sua, thick bee hoon, steamed rice or yam rice for an extra 80 cents to S$1.60.
Add-ons like prawn balls and tofu cubes start from 80 cents, while fish slices are from S$4 for 100g.
A highlight of the Orchard Towers outlet is the Fried Grouper Bee Hoon Soup, a new addition that’s exclusive to this location.
The fish is fried upon order and served on the side, keeping it crispy on the outside and juicy inside. According to Yeo, the meaty chunks “taste like fried chicken”.
To mark its opening as well as Singapore’s 60th birthday, Tan Xiang is offering a S$5 promotion on its batang fish soup and batang bee hoon soup till Aug 31.
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup is at 400 Brew Kopi, #B1-28, Orchard Towers, 400 Orchard Road, Singapore 238875. Open daily from 10am to 8pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...