“We Relocated, Not Closed”: Ben Yeo Clarifies Reports That He Shut Toa Payoh Fish Soup Stall 9 Months After Opening
The stall specialises in KL-style cloudy fish soup, and is a spinoff of Ben’s zi char joint Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat Restaurant.
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.
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“We relocated, not closed”
While there were headlines about the stall’s closure, Ben tells 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 $800k to set up and boasts fancy $80k toilets that come with Dyson hand dryers, air-con and faux gold sinks.
In response to 8days.sg’s question about how business at the Toa Payoh stall was doing, Ben says: “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.
Expanded fish soup menu at Chai Chee
Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup at Chai Chee shares a space with Ben’s charcoal fish head steamboat stall. And ’cos 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 $20 a bowl,” he shares. But you can still get classic bowls at the same price as Toa Payoh, like Red Grouper ($12), Batang ($6) and Snakehead ($6) in your choice of boiled or fried fish.
The stall’s unique charcoal you tiao is off the menu, though. “That’s also extra work and manpower to make lah. It was selling well, but you have to consider whether it’s worth the effort to do it,” Ben comments. “Everything is trial and error [in F&B].”
Tan Xiang Chai Chee is at 510 Chai Chee Lane, S469027. Open daily 6am-10pm. Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat open daily from 11.30am–9.30pm. Tel: 8843-1738 (WhatsApp). Instagram
Photos: Tan Xiang Sliced Fish Soup
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