The Story: Serving up piping hot cups of kopi, teh tarik, teh halia and more, this long-time drinks and snack stall on the first level of Amoy Street Food Centre is a familiar sight to the office crowd who stop by for a quick pick-me-up at breakfast, lunch and tea time.
The family-run stall, named after its founder, the late Syed Mohammed, started out as a stall near the former Criminal Investigation Department building near Cecil Street 45 years ago. It moved to its current location in 2003 after the hawker centre was renovated. Over the past two decades, the stall has been run by the founder’s son, Furkhan Ali. He has roped in his son, Nizam, to take over the afternoon shift since 2016.
Owner Furkhan Ali shows the "pulling action" of making a teh tarik. (Credit: Kenneth Goh)
What’s So Special: Business has boomed and the drinks stall now occupies two units and serves more than 25 types of tea and coffee beverages. One of the best-sellers is teh halia, which is ginger tea with milk. The gentle warmth of this comforting drink comes from freshly grounded Indonesian ginger, which is a rarely used in other drinks stall.
Furkhan has also mastered the art of making teh tarik by pulling the tea to create a thick, puffy layer of froth that crowns the top of each cup of the milky brown concoction. Many diners order their beverages to go with the curry puffs, buns and snacks that are displayed enticingly at the front of the stall.
Order This: Teh halia and teh tarik.
Furkhan has also mastered the art of making teh tarik by pulling the tea to create a thick, puffy layer of froth that crowns the top of each cup of the milky brown concoction. Many diners order their beverages to go with the curry puffs, buns and snacks that are displayed enticingly at the front of the stall.
Order This: Teh halia and teh tarik.
