Tea Valley: Bringing Taiwan’s Street Food Flavors to Singapore

[Image of Tea Valley Downtown East outlet]

Tea Valley (茶食坊), a casual Taiwanese dining chain in Singapore, has ambitious plans for expansion. At a tasting event held at their first location in Downtown East, Director Lawrence Lim shared his vision for growing the brand beyond just new locations, but also in the variety of services they offer.

[Image of Lawrence Lim, Director of Tea Valley]

“I want to provide real value to our customers,” Lim explained. “Taiwan’s street food scene left a big impression on me. I firmly believe that delicious food should be accessible to everyone at reasonable prices. By opening more branches across Singapore, we hope to enrich the country’s vibrant street food landscape.”

Starting as a bubble tea shop in 1999, Tea Valley soon broadened its offerings to include Taiwanese street food. In Taiwan, mobile food stalls are a common sight in the evenings, popping up in narrow alleys and bustling night markets. Fried and deep-fried snacks are popular choices for their quick and convenient nature, especially on colder nights.

Lim has carefully curated a menu featuring popular Taiwanese street food dishes, adapting them for local palates. He meticulously tests each recipe, noting that some favorites in Taiwan, like the chewy tianbula (甜不辣), don’t always resonate with Singaporean tastes and require adjustments, such as transforming it into a fishcake. Some dishes simply fall out of style and are eventually removed from the menu.

The tasting menu showcased a range of enticing options: a single-serving seafood steamboat, hot and sour noodles, crispy fried enoki mushrooms, deep-fried cuttlefish, and crispy salted chicken. To complement the savory selections, a variety of Tea Valley’s 40 tea offerings were also available, including jasmine passion tea, honey lemon tea, and rose honey tea.

Each dish reflected a thoughtful balance between authenticity and local preferences. The seafood steamboat offered a vibrant medley of fresh prawns and vegetables, while the fried dishes boasted a light and crispy batter encasing flavorful ingredients. While similar dishes in Taiwan tend to be more intensely seasoned, Tea Valley’s versions were adjusted to cater to the local preference for less oily fare.

Lim is committed to using high-quality ingredients, importing premium teas and other ingredients directly from Taiwan to ensure an authentic experience. The menu features classic dishes like oyster meesua, plum sweet potato fries, and crispy salted chicken. To maintain consistent quality across all locations, he recently invested in a central kitchen. Looking ahead, Lim is exploring catering and franchising opportunities, as well as planning a new outlet in Tiong Bahru.

[Instagram photo of Crispy salted chicken]

[Instagram photo of Seafood steamboat with teriyaki chicken on the side]

[Instagram photo of Hot and sour noodles]

[Instagram photo of Golden needle mushroom]

[Instagram photo of Deep-fried cuttlefish]

[Instagram photo of Rose honey tea at Tea Valley]

[Instagram photo of Jasmine milk green tea with white pearls]

Ready to experience Tea Valley?

From April 5th to 13th, 2016, Tea Valley will participate in a Taiwan fair at Isetan Westgate, introducing their new fruit vinegars and selected menu items.

Tea Valley Locations:

• Downtown East: The Alley, #01-05A. Open daily from 11 am to 10 pm.
• Chevron House: #B1-04. Open weekdays from 10 am to 8 pm, excluding public holidays.
• Clarke Quay Central: #B1-47. Open daily from 11 am to 10 pm.
• POMO: #01-26. Open daily from 10 am to 9 pm, excluding public holidays.

An additional outlet is planned for Tiong Bahru Plaza.

Please note that menus vary slightly between locations. The Downtown East branch offers 19 main dishes, 21 snack options, eight beverage categories, and is the only location serving steamboat. Tea Valley at Chevron House and The Central offer all-day set meals consisting of a main course, appetizer, and drink.

[Photo of a popular food stall at Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei]

This photo, showcasing a bustling food stall at the renowned Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei, Taiwan, is part of a larger Flickr album dedicated to Taiwanese night markets.