Ben Yeo Opens New Cantonese Charcoal-Roasted Meat Stall, Mango Roast Duck On The Menu
Less than two months after opening his Tan Xiang Fish Soup stall in Toa Payoh, actor-host Ben Yeo, 45, has launched another new hawker concept: A roast meat stall called Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast.
The stall opened just yesterday (Nov 13) at an industrial canteen in Kallang, the same premises where his popular zi char joint Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant and beer garden Playground reside.
It offers Cantonese-style charcoal-roasted meats like siew yoke, char siew, roast duck, as well as soy sauce chicken.
Why roast meat?
There had been plans to offer roast meat as part of the zi char menu at Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant. “The waiting time can be quite long during peak hours so we wanted to offer something that can be served quickly so that customers can enjoy it while waiting,” says the famous towkay. “Also, roast meats are charcoal-roasted, which is in line with our Tan Xiang brand.” ‘Tan xiang’ means charcoal fragrance in Chinese.
Just as they were about to introduce the new dishes, a couple of stall units at the Kallang canteen became available, so Ben and his business partners snapped them up and opened a standalone roast meat stall.
“With a larger kitchen space, we can introduce more offerings. In addition to roast meat platters, we also sell individual portions like char siew rice or noodles for lunch on weekdays to cater to the office workers in the vicinity,” shares Ben.
Kitchen is helmed by Hai Tien Lo chef’s protégé
Helming the kitchen at Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast is 58-year-old Ng Yow Kheng, who has 36 years of experience as a roast meat specialist. Affectionately known as Kheng Gor, he is the protégé of famed Chinese masterchef Chan Chen Hei, who memorably cooked at Pan Pacific hotel’s Cantonese restaurant Hai Tien Lo and his own, but now-defunct, Chef Chan’s Restaurant at Odeon Towers. Kheng Gor’s last stint was as the Chinese BBQ chef at Chinatown restaurant Spring Court before retiring in 2020.
The menu
There are three signature specialty roasts offered: char siew, siew yoke, roast duck as well as soy sauce chicken.Prices start at $5 for a plate of char siew or soy sauce chicken rice or noodles and $5.50 for the roast duck or roast pork version. Roasts go from $12 for a small portion and $20 for meat platters. You can also get a whole roast duck at $58 ($32 for half) or soy sauce chicken at $40 ($22 for half).
The meats are marinated overnight and roasted on-site in a traditional charcoal dome cooker throughout the day.
According to Ben, the siew yoke and char siew are modelled after those that Kheng Gor used to cook at Hai Tien Lo. “The recipes are the same, with some minor tweaks to some ingredients used,” he says.
Tan Xiang Fish Soup opens second outlet
In addition to Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast, Ben and his partners have also opened their second Tan Xiang Fish Soup outlet in Kallang. The menu is identical to their original stall in Toa Payoh.
Prior to starting Tan Xiang Fish Soup, they offered $4.50 no-frills fish soup with snakehead slices at their zi char joint. With prices now from $6 for a bowl of sliced fish soup with boiled fresh batang — around 30 per cent higher — is he worried that customers would be put off by the steeper price tag?
“Customers will naturally compare prices at the start, but after they see the amount of fish we serve, they will understand. We are not worried, we let our food do the talking,” says Ben confidently.
Roast Pork Rice, $5.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Fresh Malaysian pork belly is rubbed with a five-spice powder blend and left to marinate overnight. The top layer of the skin is removed during roasting, resulting in thin, crisp crackling and beneath it, well-streaked fatty-lean meat that is perfectly seasoned and wonderfully tender. Shiok when paired with rice and the in-house garlicky chilli sauce.
Char Siew Rice, $5
The char siew is not bad too. The chunky, meaty slices are nicely caramelised with a succulent bite, but we would have preferred a fattier cut of pork and more char. The glaze is also overpowered by too much hoisin sauce.
Roast Duck Noodles, $5.50
This is not your traditional Cantonese-style roast duck; the herbal bird is infused with dang gui (angelica root). Kheng Gor uses fresh Malaysian ducks weighing about 2.5 to 2.8kg each for the roast. Cloaked in roasty skin and served with herbal jus, we love how the tender meat boasts the subtle fragrance of dang gui. It also comes with a thick braised gravy on the side and spicy sambal belacan, which is made in-house.
For dinner service, the stall also offers a unique Mango Roast Duck ($36 for half; $68 whole) drizzled with sweet-sour mango sauce and served with fresh mango and lettuce so it can be eaten as a wrap.
Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast is at 5 Kallang Place, S339152. Open daily from 11.30am to 5pm. Roast meats are available via zi char stall Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant at dinner. More info via Instagram.
Tan Xiang Fish Soup at Kallang is open on weekdays from 11am to 2.30pm. Closed on Sat & Sun. More info on Instagram.
Photos: Tan Xiang Charcoal Roast
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