Thye Moh Chan tau sar piah 豆沙饼 at Paragon

Thye Moh Chan is a confectionery and gift shop located in the basement of the Paragon Shopping Mall on Orchard Road.  All the Teochew folks and “kah kee nung” should be happy to see their traditional Teochew food and gift items made available at such a convenient location. It looks like the traditional Teochew Thye Moh Chan tau sar piah gone upmarket!  We stopped by the store the other day to sample some.

The shop at Paragon was a very interesting one.  In additional to the famous Thye Moh Chan tau sar piah, they also sell other things like teochew rice dumplings and mooncakes.  There are also Teochew cultural items such as the very traditional and nowadays seldom seen gift baskets used for the conveyance of gifts, particularly during weddings. It was refreshing to see these items in the cosmopolitan setting of Orchard Road.  Perhaps we can still preserve some of our old Teochew customs before it is too late.

Anyway, getting married was not uppermost in our minds although the upsized double-happiness buns looked very attractive and we were tempted to try them. They were about 6 inches in diameter and cost $15 each.  We decided to buy a few of the regular tau sar piah 豆沙饼  which were much smaller and cost $1.60 each.

Our selection was individually wrapped and labelled. That was a thoughtful gesture as the TSPs all look the same on the exterior.

Our verdict?  The savoury and the yam ones were our favourites. We must say that the others that we bought were also good and all of them were very finely made.  The only regret was that they were so small. Two bites and each was gone! 80 cents per bite. It is quite an expensive snack, but if you are trying to impress your Teochew parents or parents-in-law (actual or potential), it is a small investment that may reap good returns.

Anyway, this is not something you will eat everyday. I am sure there are lower priced alternatives (for example, there is a food festival happening now across the road at Takashimaya till 19 July 2015 – see our post on the fair here – where you can find them at $5 for five) , but I suppose you pay more for the service, convenience and packaging. The items here at Paragon and especially the Thye Moh Chan tau sar piah certainly make attractive, traditional gifts.

Thye Moh Chan
#B1-11/12 Paragon
290 Orchard Road
Singapore 238859

Nearby Stations : Somerset, Orchard

www.thyemohchan.com