
It’s just before noon on a particularly balmy Thursday at Tang Tea House‘s flagship Bedok outlet, and almost all of the restaurant’s tables have already been filled – as they usually are – with the usual lunch crowd of office workers from nearby buildings and chattering families.
They’re waiting on orders of dim sum, chicken rice and zi char staples like chilli crab or crispy fried bee hoon, which wouldn’t be unusual apart from the fact that each and every dish served here is halal.
Now, Muslim-friendly Chinese food isn’t exactly hard to find today, but that wasn’t the case when Tang Tea House was founded back in 2005.
Sylvia Ler, one half of the duo behind the brand, cuts an imposing figure in the dining room despite her relatively smaller stature. You’ll usually find the 67-year-old playing conductor at the Bedok outlet, navigating the chaos of a busy kitchen and restaurant with practiced ease as she expedites orders, ushers bubbling claypots of Indonesian prawn curry from kitchen to table and welcomes customers old and new.
Her other half, Johnny Tan, prefers to work in the background, spearheading business strategy, procurement and the group’s overall management as a whole. It’s a partnership that’s vital to Tang Tea House’s greater whole, especially given its growth from a single restaurant to five separate outlets and central kitchen in the two decades since it opened.
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Beginning of Tang Tea House

Johnny and Sylvia’s partnership – and eventual relationship – both resulted from the same fateful singing class they attended back in 2002.
Supper after classes with their singing buddies was a regular occurrence, though it was one particular visit to a struggling halal coffeeshop owned by a friend of Johnny’s that would spark their idea for a halal restaurant serving Chinese food.
Back then, there weren't as many places specialising in halal Chinese food, and there was a gap in the F&B market.
Sylvia shares,
So, we decided to strike when the iron was hot and grabbed this opportunity.
Johnny adds,
The pair decided to create a family-friendly restaurant offering affordable halal dim sum and zi char, leveraging on Sylvia’s 30 years of experience in the F&B industry managing her family’s confectionery business.
Even so, finding success in a niche market wasn’t easy.
It was really tough and exhausting at the start of the business for the first nine years. We worked for 12 to 16 hours every day. We didn’t get much rest at all.
Sylvia says,
However, the restaurant eventually found its footing by tweaking its recipes to suit the taste preferences of its mostly-Malay customer base.
We had to adjust the menu according to what the customers like. So, it was really a lot of trial and error until we got the taste right. Many of our chefs are also Malaysian Chinese, so they prepare Chinese dishes authentically, while also adjusting the flavours to suit our Malay customers.
Sylvia reflects,

Tang Tea House’s 20-year kinship with customers and staff
This year marks a big moment for the Tang Tea House brand. It will soon be opening two more outlets in Marina Square shopping mall and Tampines within the first quarter of 2025.
For its silver founders, the 20-year anniversary is especially sweet as it signifies two decades feeding a loyal following of customers.
I'm really close to some of my regular Malay customers, and we have formed a friendship over the years. They often send me gifts and greetings on festive occasions, and I know their entire family as they come over to Tang Tea House for meals. When they come over, I sit down and chat with them. They are all very warm and friendly.
Sylvia shares,
I admire how my Malay customers are so closely knit, and how they embody the kampong spirit in their interactions. It's heartwarming to see them often dining together across generations – grandparents, parents, and grandchildren. At our restaurant, it's very common for us to see a family filling three tables.
She continues,
However, the same can be said for Tang Tea House’s team, which includes several of Johnny’s relatives and longtime employees that might as well be kin. The company counts three chefs who’ve been in its employ since the business first started, along with 19 employees that’ve clocked at least a decade with the brand across all outlets.
I treat my workers with fairness and I value their contributions.
Johnny says simply,
Meanwhile, his younger sister works as the chief operating officer at Tang Tea House. Previously, his eldest sister managed a rojak counter at the Jalan Kayu branch, while his second sister handled cashiering at the Bedok outlet. Both retired last year after eight and 11 years in service respectively.
Reflecting on legacy

Credit: Sylvia Ler
As for Tang Tea House’s founders themselves, neither have seriously considered retirement despite inching toward their 70s.
Sylvia sometimes plays with the idea of stepping back and devoting her time to volunteering. However, she hasn’t yet found the push to actually leave her baby behind.
Despite the long hours and hard work, it’s very fulfilling to come in and talk to customers that I've built a relationship with,
she says.
One of her most cherished achievements over the years was born out of the Covid-19 pandemic. When the disease shuttered stores worldwide, she signed up with Grabfood, saving her business and inadvertently making it onto the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square, New York City, as part of an advertisement for the delivery platform.
Seeing our restaurant on the billboard just made us so happy,
she says.

Credit: Johnny Tan
Although the feature did nothing for their business back here in Singapore, it was gratifying to the couple that even a family-run operation like theirs could find an international stage, even if for only a brief moment.
It was a symbolic achievement that underscored a long-felt sentiment for the silver entrepreneurs.
The most rewarding part of running this restaurant is being able to introduce Chinese food and culture to friends of other races, as well as to become close friends with them. I truly feel a sense of accomplishment from being able to do that.
Says Sylvia,