Ben Yeo Opens Retro Wet Market-Themed Kopitiam In Chai Chee That Cost $800K To Set Up
Mediacorp actor-host and serial F&B entrepreneur Ben Yeo has done it again.
Hot on the heels of opening the second outlet of his popular zi char concept, Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant, in Woodlands in January, the 45-year-old has set up his latest venture, a nostalgic wet market-themed kopitiam called Tan Xiang Chai Chee. Located in an industrial canteen, the coffee shop opened its doors on April 27.
Besides Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant’s third outlet, Ben and his four partners from the zi char biz, including chef Cao Yong, also run the drinks stall.
Together, they also own four other F&B concepts: Mod Chinese restaurant Tan Xiang Yuan, beer garden Playground, as well as roast meat and fish soup hawker stalls. All of these were started in the last four years.
When 8days.sg visited the kopitiam earlier this week, most of the tenants were still in the midst of setting up. Ben tells us that there will be seven stalls in total, including buzzy names like celebrity chef Alvin Leong’s ban mian joint Ba Wang Pan Mee and a new nasi padang concept by Muslim-owned Kampong Glam cafe The Padangton.
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Why invest $800K into a kopitiam?
After opening several hawker joints in foodcourts and coffeeshops in the past decade, Ben decided to start his own kopitiam as he wanted more control over the design and concept of not just his stall, but also the entire space.
“We don’t want to be just another stall in a generic coffeeshop. With every zi char stall we open, we want to create a different experience for customers, and being kopitiam operators gives us the flexibility to do so. For example, we worked with our landlords to turn the Kallang canteen into a beer garden and our second zi char stall in Woodlands is designed like a kampong house,” he explains.
“Customers’ expectations have changed, and you have to always come up with something different to attract them.”
Ben and his partners invested around $800,000 in the kopitiam and hope to “break even in three to five years”.
“That’s the average timeline for an investment of this scale. We haven’t broken even for our first outlet in Kallang, which opened in May 2022, yet, but business is healthy and we are on track to hit our target,” he says.
With new F&B concepts opening every few months, are they expanding too quickly?
"No, we are just going with the flow. It’s always been our plan to open four or five zi char outlets in all corners of Singapore, so when we see a suitable space or opportunity, we will go for it,” says Ben.
“But we will take a break after this. Too exhausted already,” admits Ben.
The theme was inspired by its location
The sprawling 400-seat kopitiam has been modelled to look like a “wet market from the ’80s and ’90s” as an ode to the history of the neighbourhood — Chai Chee is Hokkien for vegetable market.
From the retro-looking signs to the rustic wooden stalls and vintage knick-knacks and kiddy rides – which children can sit for free or at an old-school price of 20 cents – the space has been thoughtfully done up to reflect what it was like to dine and shop at the wet market of yesteryears – minus the unpleasant smells and wet, slippery floors. Instagram-worthy photo spots and xinyao tunes playing in the background complete the nostalgic ambience.
While the place evokes memories, don’t expect it to look very realistic.
“It’s about 60 per cent there,” says Ben. “We could have made it super authentic by doing a lot of fabrication and custom-making stools to match the retro orange tables but who would want to sit on them for hours when they dine? You also have to take into account the habits of people today.”
Similar to the wet market, the kopitiam is also divided into three sections: “dry” and “wet” zones, and hawker centre.
“Dry” section: Where dried food & sundry “stalls” are located
Before you enter the kopitiam, you will be greeted by the “dry” section featuring four backdrops complete with props for your photo ops. Nope, no actual dry goods aside from a few snacks are sold here.
Browse through old SBC Radio and TV Times magazines at the “newsstand” or enjoy a cuppa at the “rattan shop”.
“Hawker centre” section
This spacious area features the “classic hawker centre look” with its glossy orange tables and retro signage.
According to Ben, mainly green and orange tables were used in hawker centres back in the day and he had to get them custom-made for the kopitiam.
“Wet” section
Roast meats hanging on the rack and fresh fish displayed in tanks and on ice are reminiscent of butcher and fishmonger stalls.
The stalls
When fully occupied, there will be seven stalls, of which two - Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat and the drinks stall - are run by Ben and his partners.
Expect the usual zi char fare like rice and noodle dishes (from $4.50), live seafood, and, of course, their signature charcoal fish head steamboat (from $46). Crowd favourites from their two outlets like shrimp balls with truffle sauce and XO charcoal yam ring are also sold here. Prices are the same across the outlets.
Around 60 per cent of the menu is new and exclusive to the Chai Chee branch (see below photos) such as seafood soup, priced from a wallet-friendly $3.80. There are 16 varieties of seafood to choose from and available daily from 7am to 4.30pm.
Drinks Stall
Besides the classic beverages like coffee and tea, the stall also has a small selection of retro-inspired offerings like bird’s nest, bandung and salted calamansi ($3), as well as “mocktails”.
DIY Coffee Set, $9.90 (for 2 pax)
There’s also a cute DIY coffee set for those who want to brew their own kopi. The stall staff preps the coffee powder and brewing vessels, and you pull the kopi yourself at your table. Quite fun. The high tea set, which serves two, comes with toast and soft-boiled eggs. Available daily from 2pm to 5pm.
The rest of the hawker brands were curated by Ben and team.
Gurih by The Padangton
This includes Halal nasi padang stall Gurih (it means "savoury" in Bahasa Indonesia), a new hawker concept by casual eatery The Padangton, known for its fusion Padang fare like a riff of the Beef Wellington pie using rendang filling, which they call Padangton. Expect favourites like mee soto, mee rebus, and nasi lemak, and nasi padang, including their signature beef rendang.
Ba Wang Pan Mee
Another tenant is ban mian concept Ba Wang Pan Mee by Alvin Leong, executive chef at Parkroyal Collection Pickering. The brand, which has an outlet in Ang Mo Kio, is known for its handmade ban mian with traditional and unique pairings like Hakka fried pork belly. Alvin is also a familiar face on TV, having made guest appearances on Mediacorp Ch 8’s variety shows like Food Struck, and participated in cooking competition King Of Culinary.
Rounding up the rest of the tenants are cai png stall Pacific Mixed Vegetable Rice, that has 25 outlets island-wide, and roast meat joint Ming Xing Roasted Delights. The last stall is yet to be confirmed.
The details
Tan Xiang Chai Chee is at 510 Chai Chee Lane, S469027. Open daily from 6am - 10pm. Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat is open daily from 11.30am – 9.30pm. For reservations, Whatsapp 8843 1738. More info on Instagram.
Photos: Kelvin Chia
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
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