Tiong Bahru is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Singapore. Along the many streets there with dialect names are old eateries like Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu at Eng Hoon Street which also houses Pin Sheng Teochew Bak Chor Mee stall.
Chinese Dialects in Singapore
Dialects is a topic in the news in Singapore recently. CNA reported on 12 August 2022 that the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said parents’ dialect groups would again be included in digital birth certificates issued from 1 September 2022. Strong feelings had been expressed over the ICA’s recent practice of excluding dialect information. The use of dialects had being somewhat controversial since Singapore’s bilingual education policy led to the implementation of the Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) in 1979.
We are glad that the heritage associated with dialects did not disappear completely. In an estate with cultural and historic significance like Tiong Bahru, there is still a street named after a Hokkien shipping magnate Khoo Tiong Poh and another named after a Teochew merchant Tan Yong Siak. Other roads with dialect names were named after prominent businessmen and clan association leaders such as Seet Moh Guan, Koh Eng Hoon and Seah Eu Chin. More importantly for us, we can still find the cuisine of different dialect groups in Tiong Bahru. In the eatery known as Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu, located at the junction of Eng Hoon Street and Tiong Poh Road, we can get good Yong Tao Hu, of Hakka origin, Hainanese Kaya Toast and Teochew Bak Chor Mee.
Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu
Yong tao hu (also spelled yong tau foo, yong tau fu,or yong tofu and other variants; or niang doufu (酿豆腐) in Mandarin and even yentafo in Thai) is basically a Hakka dish of bean curd stuffed with ground meat or fish paste. Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu has been selling yong tau foo from the coffeeshop at 56 Eng Hoon Street since 1989.
Below are pictures of the price lists for yong tau hu, laksa and drinks (when we visited the eatery in mid 2022).
As you can see from the price list or menu above, you do not get to choose the yong tau hu items. The options are simply dry or soup and with or without bee hoon. The basic bowl is $5.50 and the bigger bowl is $7.50 Add $1 if you want vegetables. There is a new Laksa version.
The system is that you find a table and note the table number. You order and pay at the counter and tell the cashier your table number. The food and drinks will be served to you.
Yong Tao Hu Dry & Soup
We ordered two bowls of bee hoon soup with vegetables and a bowl of dry yong tao hu with bee hoon The wait for the food was fairly short – less than 10 minutes.
The yong tao hu items included handmade fish balls, fish paste in bean curd skins, stuffed tau kwa and tau hoo. The broth was simple yellow bean soup and quite plain. The fish balls had a nice texture. Every item was nice, especially when eaten with the chilli sauce provided. The chilli sauce, which was the subject of a court case (Straits Times, 18 April 2018), was quite spicy and very good for dipping.
Pin Sheng Teochew Bak Chor Mee
Pin Sheng Teochew Bak Chor Mee offers minced meat noodles and fishball noodles at $5 for a small bowl and $7 for a large bowl. There is a choice of spicy or non-spicy sauce.
We ordered the signature Pin Sheng Teochew Minced Meat Noodle Dry. There was a generous amount of toppings, including Teochew meatballs and fish dumplings, minced meat, pork slices, mushrooms, fish cakes and fish balls. We liked the taste and texture of Teochew meatballs and fish dumplings. The noodles were nicely cooked and had a bouncy texture. The sauce was flavourful. It was a very enjoyable bowl of Teochew minced meat noodles.
Kaya Toast
The traditional kaya toast ($1.40) at from the coffee stall at Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu ticked all the right boxes. The bun was light and soft. There was the alluring aroma of freshly toasted bread. The kaya and slab of butter made the simple piece of bread into a delightful treat.
Heritage Food
Singaporeans can enjoy the flavours of the world and all sorts of fusion cuisines. However, we are very happy that in a humble eatery like Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu we still enjoy traditional food at affordable prices in a clean and comfortable venue. Long may we have access to such dialect food for they are a window to our country’s history and cultural evolution and a delicious way to celebrate our heritage.
Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Hu
#01-46, 56 Eng Hoon Street
Singapore 160056
Tel: +65 8833 2282
Opening Hours: 7.30 am – 9.30 pm
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
Share this:
Discover more from The Ordinary Patrons
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.