Tai Seng Turtle Soup 大成山瑞 @ Tai Seng

Continuing the Teochew nostalgia that was brought along by the blockbuster movie “Dear You”, we went to Tai Seng for turtle soup, which used to be a Teochew enclave and ground zero of turtle soup in Singapore.

For some reason Lorong Tai Seng 大成巷 in central Singapore (near Paya Lebar for those younger audience) had the highest concentration of turtle soup restaurants. Lorong Tai Seng was a conclave of Teochew immigrants, and the turtle soup paddlers were mainly Teochew. In the beginning there was Ser Seng 生成 whose stall was located near the entrance to Lorong Tai Seng, opposite the laundry/Chinese bookshop, and then many others started selling turtle soup. Since the redevelopment of the Upper Paya Lebar area, they were relocated but Tai Seng remained synonymous with turtle soup. Many turtle soup restaurants claiming to be from Tai Seng sprung up at all corners of Singapore. It is very difficult to verify who’s really from Tai Seng except from those faithful customers that have followed them to the new stores.

In 1976, Mr Ang Mia Chaw started Tai Seng Turtle Soup after he picked up the trade from his wife’s family who was selling herbal turtle soup and yam rice in China Street. In 1990 Mr Ang moved the business to a newly-acquired shophouse at 331 Upper Paya Lebar Road. His son Gary expanded the business to Hougang while another son, Andy looked after the main shop at Upper Paya Lebar. When the limited car parking space in front of the main shop was affected by road widening works in 2013, they moved the business across the road to 2 Jalan Lokam. Andy’s journey began when he was just a teenager, helping out at the family store. Over the years, his dedication and love for the craft grew, transforming him into the “turtle king” he is today.

Their signature turtle soup is a flavourful and nourishing dish, slow-cooked with premium turtle meat and a blend of traditional medicinal herbs. Their soup is definitely the draw for the hordes of regulars that swear by the health enhancing properties as you can taste the herbs in every mouthful. Pro tip: add a dash of cognac while the soup is boiling hot and the experience is lifted to another level.

There’s no gimmick or variations, no claypot vs normal or more collagen option, just the size based on your appetite. Every serving is a mixture of all the parts of the turtle – skirting, paws, fats, offals. Not much offals and fats in our serving today even though we were the first guests, I guessed they are reserved for the connoisseurs.

And then there’s the ass-kicking chilli sauce, slightly tangy and very spicy. It is absolutely necessary part of the experience to try this chilli sauce.

Besides turtle, they started selling the other popular reptile, crocodile meat. Crocodile meat is a legally available exotic delicacy in Singapore, valued for being high in protein, low in cholesterol, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to soothe respiratory issues like asthma and chronic coughs. But these days, they are treasured for replenishing collagen, which ladies believe to be essential for good complexion.

I had an uncle that used to work in the crocodile farm in Jurong. The meat was a by-product from the leather and bag factory that was supplied to the zoo to feed the animals. I guess when someone realised it was good for beauty, the target audience changes. Claypot crocodile soup has a similar soup base as the turtle soup. It was the claypot crocodile tail that came with all the collagen shots we needed.

Overall it was a good eat, the flavour was delicious but I wish the soup has more of the sticky mouthfeel that I get from Tan Ser Seng. However I like that they are not laden with MSG like Tan Ser Seng, which left me thirsty the whole time after eating there. One of the last bastions of turtle soup in Singapore, come before Andy retires.

Tai Seng Turtle Soup 大成山瑞
2 Jln Lokam, #01-56 Kensington Square S, Singapore 537846

Visited Jun 2026