Singapore’s hawker food scene never sits still.
Enter Tian Tian You Yu 天天有鱼, a new hawker brand that has somehow opened four outlets in just a month or two.
Wait, not to be confused with the similar-sounding 天天友魚 which is a celebrity-endorsed Sichuan grilled fish eatery.
The outlets at Toa Payoh Lor 8, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, and ABC Food Centre have been attracting relatively long queues.
In a country where prices climb so fast, seeing a menu where many items of seafood cost $7.50 is a little victory for the wallet.
The menu lists Steamed Fish Head ($7), Steamed Fish Tail ($8), Steamed Fish Slice ($7.50), Steamed Pomfret Slice ($7.50), Steamed Red Grouper Fish ($12), Steamed Seafood ($7.50), Steamed Prawns ($7.50), Steamed Lala ($7.50), Steamed Sotong ($7.50), and Herbal Paper Wrapped Chicken ($6.50).
If you insist on your greens, you can add Oyster Sauce Vege ($3.00), plus rice (50 cents), braised pork rice ($2), or top up with extra prawns ($3), lala ($2), or fish maw ($2).
That’s not all. You can pick from sauces like Teochew, Black Bean, HK Caipo, Garlic, and Assam.
(Curiously, I was not asked for my sauce choice, so perhaps they gave a default or the kitchen was on autopilot that day.)
My order took about 10 to 15 minutes to arrive.
When I went to collect the food though, I noticed it was warm but not as steaming hot as I hoped for a steamed seafood stall.
First up was the Steamed Red Grouper Fish with garlic.
The portion was decent, with slices laid neatly in a shallow pool of light stock.
The flesh of the grouper was tender and naturally sweet, with none of that muddy taste you sometimes find in cheaper fish.
The garlic topping looked promising, but in the mouth, it was subtle. It gave aroma and just a gentle crunch. A safe choice, I guess.
I also tried the Steamed Seafood with Black Bean Sauce ($7.50).
The metal plate arrived with prawns, squid, clams, and lala all piled together. Not bad for the price.
The seafood was cooked just right, not rubbery or overdone. The black bean sauce, however, had a strong, salty flavour which dominated the lighter taste of the seafood.
If you are looking for a clean, delicate bite, this may not be the combo for you. But if you like zhong kou wei (rich) and salty, you’ll probably enjoy it.
The biggest strength of Tian Tian You Yu 天天有鱼 is its value and simplicity.
There is also room for improvement in the temperature of the food, and how orders are handled, especially when it comes to asking diners about their sauce preference.
Tian Tian You Yu 天天有鱼
ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre #01-142, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 150006
Toa Payoh Lor 8 Food Centre #01-01, Blk 211 Toa Payoh Lor 8, Singapore 310211
Old Airport Road Food Centre #01-08, 51 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390051
Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre #01-21, 202C Woodleigh Link, Singapore 363202
Other Related Entries
ABC Brickworks Food Centre Food Guide
Zhen De Hao 蒸得好 (ABC Brickworks Food Centre)
San Xiang Bak Chor Mee 叁香肉脞面 (ABC Food Centre)
Nan Zhen Seafood 南珍海鲜 (ABC Food Centre)
Tian Tian You Yu 天天有鱼 (ABC Food Centre)
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Is this the same Tian2 Yu Yi previously at Maxwell Food Centre thank you
Don’t think it’s the same. Maxwell’s stall was called Nian Nian You Yu 🙂