Yong Tau Foo Showdown: Yong Xiang vs Poy Kee

Chinatown. What’s the first thing that springs to mind? 

Aside from the iconic 珍珠坊 building and our essential Lunar New Year decor shopping, this vibrant district is deeply rooted in Chinese heritage and in my dad’s words: “home to the realest yong tau foo stalls”. 

People's Park Food Centre

Specifically, Yong Xiang and Poy Kee at People’s Park Food Centre.

How real is real? Get transported back to the good ol’ days here. Serving traditional yong tau foo for decades, both stalls operate with a stiff menu (only 4 types of ingredients) that does not allow customers to customise their orders. You heard that right.

The factors for this showdown are simple — Ingredients, Broth and Value for Money. Let’s pay a visit to my dad’s favourite.

Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu

Helmed by second-generation stall owners, this legendary spot is said to be “the best yong tau foo stall in Singapore”. Really meh

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - STOREFRONT
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - STOREFRONT

My dad who has been a customer of theirs for the past 40 years can vouch for that. I mean, this article was actually his idea LOL. But one thing is for sure, Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu boasts the longest queue and probably the shortest opening hours in the archaic food centre. 

Immediately seen with a fast-moving line once the stall opens at noon, all ingredients get sold out within 2.5 hours. We saw a staff member turn away disgruntled customers at 2.35pm. Yes, I noted that down. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - 2ND GEN STALLOWNER

There’s no need for second thoughts on “what to eat” here. 

They only have a singular item on the menu – Yong Tau Foo (S$6), fished out from a boiler pot in front of you. There are no complementary carbs either. “It’s okay, the yong tau foo is good enough,” my dad assured. After hearing his enthusiastic praises of the stall for days, I didn’t want to be disappointed. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - YONG TAU FOO
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - YONG TAU FOO

This piping bowl consisted of 2 Fishballs, 2 Fish Paste Tofu, 3 Fried Meat Paste Tofu and 3 Fish Beancurd Rolls. According to a staff member, these were all handmade! 

Aiyo, why the Fishballs are smaller than last time?!”, my dad exclaimed with a sigh. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISHBALLS
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISHBALLS

I hoped that we weren’t off to a wrong start. Okay. Although bite-sized, it was chewy and bursting with subtle fishiness lah. Fortunately, we were indifferent towards the remaining ingredients that were adequately sized. 

Topped with a delicate layer of briny paste, the Fish Paste Tofu had a silky mouthfeel that no factory could replicate. These inconsistently-squared sponges were accentuated with the sweetness of soybeans and could be easily prodded through with a chopstick. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISH PASTE TOFU
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISH PASTE TOFU

Its fried counterpart wasn’t a let-down either! The Fried Meat Paste Tofu included a savoury pork-based exterior and a porous interior. With a contrast of firm and soft textures, this was an absolute delight to chew into as it was oozing with broth as well. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - DEEP-FRIED TOFU
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - DEEP-FRIED TOFU

At this point in time, my dad was nearly finished with his share HAHA. 

Moving on to the last item, the Fish Beancurd Rolls were easily my favourite among the 4 ingredients. I can only describe it as a fishy bolster of sorts. Wrapped in wispy beancurd skin, the fishcake at Yong Xiang was more sizeable when compared to other yong tau foo stalls. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISH BEANCURD ROLL
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - FISH BEANCURD ROLL

Now for the predominant part of the dish – the broth. Garnished with piquant coriander and spring onions, the no-frills soup was the epitome of old-school. While I couldn’t discern any distinctive ingredients infused here, it was clean-tasting and light with a hint of sweetness. 

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - YONG TAU FOO BROTH
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - YONG TAU FOO BROTH

We particularly enjoyed pairing the clear liquid with a spoonful of ingredients! 

I didn’t expect Yong Xiang’s yong tau foo to be served without rice or noodles, but the portion was surprisingly sufficient. As evidenced by my dad’s empty bowl (he stomached those garnishes also…), its historic title is kinda justified. 

Will Poy Kee prove us wrong?

32 New Market Rd, People’s Park Food Centre, #01-1084
Tue to Sun: 12.30pm – 4pm
Closed on Mon

Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo

Having been around Chinatown for a good 53 years, this lesser-known spot is relatively newer than Yong Xiang as it is helmed by first-generation stall owners.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - STOREFRONT
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - STOREFRONT

Popular among old folks for their crazy affordable prices, I observed that even though Poy Kee’s queue was shorter than that famed stall, it was continuous. Not bad ah. There’s something that I need you to keep in mind…

Ask for noodles. Do note that all portions (S$4.50/ S$5.50/ S$6.50) include a choice of mee kia or mee pok.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - MEE KIA
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - MEE KIA

I made the terrible mistake of not opting for noodles because I assumed that there would be extra costs. While the portion of noodles is the same, what differs is the number of yong tau foo ingredients. “Small (S$4.50) with noodles is 7 pieces, without noodles is 10,” a staff member explained.

Wondering if there will be a huge difference in numbers, I opted for a Medium (S$5.50) without noodles which was a S$0.50 difference from Yong Xiang. 

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - 1ST GEN STALLOWNER
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - 1ST GEN STALLOWNER

I needed no confirmation as to whether their ingredients were handmade. Heck, I saw an auntie taking out a tray of freshly sliced Fish Paste Tofu! A foreword, I did NOT have much expectations for Poy Kee.

Nevertheless, whatever existing expectations were exceeded.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - YONG TAU FOO
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - YONG TAU FOO

Here, we have 4 Fishballs, 2 Fish Paste Tofu, 2 Fried Tofu and 3 Fish Beancurd Rolls. That’s 11 items for S$5.50?! Super worth it.

Starting off strong, their Fishballs were impressively bigger, in quantity and size. This resulted in a satisfying mouthful in every bite! Not to mention that it was extremely QQ too. Legit defines the “ball” in fishball sia.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISHBALLS
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISHBALLS

As for the Fish Paste Tofu, it was akin to a pillow. Featuring a mound of velvety-smooth fish paste, this had an arguably softer consistency. Taste-wise, I would say that their variation had a stronger fishy taste than Yong Xiang.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISH PASTE TOFU
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISH PASTE TOFU

What a close fight! Due to the ingredients’ striking similarities from both stalls, this was getting hard to choose.

The Fried Tofu interestingly didn’t include any type of paste. Deceptively plain-looking, it was loaded with savouriness and sported a dense golden-brown skin that perfectly retained its shape despite floating in moisture for all that time.

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - DEEP-FRIED TOFU
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - DEEP-FRIED TOFU

This was what I meant by “the other yong tau foo stalls” earlier on. Although skinnier in size, the equally delicate Fish Beancurd Rolls still packed flavourful waves of the ocean. It was then I realised that most of their ingredients lean towards the salty side.

Hmm. Is it because of the broth?

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISH BEANCURD ROLL
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - FISH BEANCURD ROLL

Yes. Richly infused in rock sugar, soybeans and anchovies (I could clearly point that out here), its broth had interlocking flavours of sweet and perhaps, a gentle umami. Additionally, I espied the auntie adding light soya sauce and pepper into the soup before serving.

This does add depth lah, however, my only gripe was that I felt thirsty afterwards and the otherwise clear broth turned oily after a while. 

POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - BROTH
POY KEE YONG TAU FOO - BROTH

In contrast to its competitor, my highlight at Poy Kee is undoubtedly the Fishballs.

Like many regulars, I was totally blown away by the amount of good-quality ingredients you can get at such a low price point. And honestly, the portion is more filling here.

32 New Market Rd, People’s Park Food Centre, #01-1066
Mon to Fri: 11am – 7pm
Closed on Sat & Sun

The Verdict

Wah, I’m struggling to decide.

Let’s begin with the Ingredients first. Prioritising quality, both stalls had an authentic yet delicious simplicity that cannot be reproduced. Prioritising quantity, this is a no-brainer, Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo takes the cake with their complimentary bowls of noodles.

YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - DAD'S EMPTY BOWL
YONG XIANG XING DOU FU - DAD'S EMPTY BOWL

Value for Money to the tee! Back to the Broth, I initially wanted to give it to the multi-layered Poy Kee. After much thinking, my baseline was that we all require something lighter on the palate to complement a soup-soaked yong tau foo.

Therefore, the winner of this showdown goes to Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu. I will highly recommend Poy Kee if you prefer a larger serving though. Once again, a gentle reminder to ask for noodles.

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