If Geylang has always felt like a trek for a bowl of herbal soup, Tan Ser Seng Herbal Soup (陳生成) has made it easier: the heritage brand has opened its second outlet at Great World. For the first month, it’s adding complimentary pulse readings to help you pick your bowl, which is a pretty good reason to go sooner rather than later.
From Post-War Workers to Great World
According to the brand, Tan Ser Seng was founded in 1946 and started by selling herbal soups to workers in post-war Singapore. Over the decades it built a name on time-honoured recipes, comforting soups and homestyle dishes. Third-generation owner Allan Tan now runs the business with his sister Vivian Tan and her husband Derrick Lee.
Spending decades focused on one Geylang restaurant before opening a second shop takes patience. That makes an 80th birthday a fitting moment to carry the family recipes across town to its new outlet at Great World.
Tan Ser Seng says it’s the only restaurant in Singapore to have won Singapore Food Masters three years in a row, from 2018 to 2020, and that it picked up the Longest-Running Award in 2021. That second title is one a family kitchen running since 1946 has fairly earned.
The 3am Kitchen Routine
The brand’s description of the prep is worth reading before you order. It says the kitchen uses more than 20 types of Chinese herbs and starts work as early as 3am daily. From there, the broth slow-simmers for over 12 hours, and each soup is then double-boiled for at least two hours.
Taken together, those figures mean every bowl carries more than half a day of somebody’s attention, a routine that would make most of us rethink the snooze button. It’s the one part of the business a shiny new mall address can’t shortcut, and Tan Ser Seng says it keeps those traditional methods at the heart of every bowl.
What to Order First
The Ginseng Black Chicken Soup is a signature created by the second generation. Tan Ser Seng says it’s made with black silkie chicken and Chinese herbs, with a whole ginseng root in every serving. That last detail is the line on the menu worth reading twice.
The Double Boiled Turtle Soup is the one to order for the story. The brand says the recipe dates back to 1946, and that it uses freshwater softshell turtle, Chinese herbs and a touch of the family’s own herbal wine. If you only have room for one bowl, this is the dish that goes back to the very beginning.
For something off the soup track, the Persimmon Sweet & Sour Pork (S$14.90) pays tribute to the founder. It pairs crispy pork with dried persimmon and a sweet-and-sour yuzu sauce, so it’s the dish most likely to win over the friend who insists they don’t do herbal.
Rounding out the list are the Cordyceps Flower Sakura Chicken Soup, made with free-range Sakura Chicken, cordyceps flower and Chinese herbs, and the Jade Tofu.
Pulse Check, Then Soup
The opening perk is where things get fun. To mark the launch, Tan Ser Seng has partnered with Liang Yi TCM to offer complimentary pulse readings and personalised soup recommendations during its first month at Great World. The brand frames it as a way to bring herbal nourishment and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) together under one roof.
In practice, it means less staring at the menu wondering which bowl suits you, and more letting someone who reads pulses for a living point you in a direction. Since the readings cost nothing, it’s a low-stakes way to find out what the fuss is about.
The Details
📍 Location: Tan Ser Seng Herbal Soup, Great World
🍲 Ginseng Black Chicken Soup, Cordyceps Flower Sakura Chicken Soup, Double Boiled Turtle Soup, Jade Tofu, Persimmon Sweet & Sour Pork
🩺 Opening perk: Complimentary pulse readings and personalised soup recommendations with Liang Yi TCM during the outlet’s first month
🏠 Original outlet: Geylang
A recipe that goes back to 1946, a kitchen that wakes up at 3am, and a free pulse reading on the side add up to a solid excuse to finally try Tan Ser Seng. Head down to Great World while the launch-month readings are still running and order the turtle soup that started it all!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Tan Ser Seng Herbal Soup.
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