When people think about yong tau foo in Chinatown area, top of the mind are Yong Xiang Xing and Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis. Okay, maybe include one of the Bai Nian outlets.
Poy Kee is the underdog in this list.
Poy Kee has been around here for half a century and have their own loyal following, though their media profile isn't high like the others.
Work pace was pretty intense at the front end during lunch peak.
No time to talk - the orders were filled at frenetic speed.
This for S$5.50 (Jun 2025) which is pretty close to S$5.30 from my last visit in 2016. Actually, commendable in today's market.
The watery tea colour soup was loaded with flavour - umami savoury sweet with discernible anchovy and soy bean taste.
To me, their steamed tofu with fish paste were on point and one of the reasons I will keep coming back.
The soy bean curd was like tender firm custard, smooth, moist with taste of soy bean. The fish paste topping was fresh and soft.
Same tofu and fish paste, deep fried. Slight texture and flavour variation from the steamed tofu. Nice.
A couple of tasty savoury salty fried fish and tofu skin rolls for good measure.
Okay.... generic fishballs felt like bulk fillers but they were alright texture and flavour wise.
The obligatory carbs were pretty good too.
The slender mee kia noodles were soft tender with a slight crunch. Well greased and coated with a spicy aromatic savoury sauce complemented by umami from the crispy fried anchovies.
The old school sweet, savoury and spicy sauce with a nostalgic taste profile.
Yong tau foo lovers are spoilt for choice in Chinatown. Even the underdog is in the top band of Singapore YTF in my humble opinion.
Next time, when it's off day at Yong Xiang Xing or Xiu Ji, don't fret - Poy Kee is good enough to fill their shoes. For many people, Poy Kee is even their top pick any day. What about you?
Stall name: Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo
Address: 32 New Market Rd, stall #01-1066, Singapore 050032 (People's Park Food Centre)
Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Chinatown station
Hours: 11am - 7pm (Weds, Sat & Sun off)
Written by Tony Boey on 23 Jun 2025
About Johor Kaki
Exploring People's Park Food Centre, one of my old food haunts this morning, I spotted a long queue at Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo. I've eaten at the famous Yong Xiang Xing Dou Fu here before but it is closed on Monday, so I decided to give Poy Kee a try instead.
The queue clears fast as they have a good system at Poy Kee YTF.
One staff takes the orders and collects money while we are in the queue. One staff cooks the noodles and another cooks the yong tau fu. Another staff arranges the food on our tray and sets us on our way.
Poy Kee's system works like a Swiss clock - I got my food within 15 minutes.
I ordered the highest priced set which came to a princely SGD5.30. It comes with noodles and 10 yong tau foo pieces in a bowl of soup.
I ordered mee kia (angel hair noodles) because this seemed to be the most popular choice at Poy Kee.
The noodles were cooked too soft. The sauce tasted salty and flat even with chili paste added. The chewy (not crisp) anchovies provided some savoury highlights to the bowl of bland noodles.
The bowl of soup come choked full of different types of yong tau fu pieces. The choice of yong tau foo pieces are fixed, which is fine with me.
I like this clear soup because it is clean tasting with nice anchovy and soy bean flavour. The soup helped me wash down the flat tasting, over cooked noodles.
The "fish ball" doesn't have much texture or flavour of fish meat.
There is tofu stuffed with fish paste and fish roll made with fish paste wrapped with fried tofu skin. The fish paste doesn't have much texture or flavour of fish. The tofu was tender though not custard soft or silky smooth.
The chili sauce seemed a generic blend of salty, spicy and sour. But, that sweet sauce has that same flavour from my pre-teen childhood days. Poy Kee is one of the very rare places left in Singapore that still do their sauce the old school way. (Wait, Poy Kee is the only place I know.)
If I happen to be at People's Park Food Centre, I might pick Poy Kee yong tau foo again, especially on those days when I just want a light and light tasting meal. I will skip the noodles with my order.
Restaurant name: Poy Kee Yong Tau Foo 培记酿豆腐
Address: Blk 32 New Market Road, #01-1066 People’s Park Cooked Food Centre, Singapore
GPS: 1°17'06.5"N 103°50'32.6"E | 1.285139, 103.842390
Tel: 6535 7186
Hours: 11:30am to 2:30pm (no fixed rest day)
Non Halal
Date visited: 3 Oct 2016
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