Mr & Mrs Tan - Fish Stall

Meet the couple that runs the fish stall, Mrs. and Mr. Tan Jian Hock, who have been in the fish selling business for almost 20 years now. Their stall is brimming with a wide variety of seafood, from fresh fish and scallops to threadfin, crocodile, and frog.

Before the stall came into being,  Mr Tan used to rear fish on his own and sold them to the fishmonger as a form of B2B business but after doing that for a couple of years, he decide to start up a stall of his own and has been very successful In doing so.

When asked about the advantages and disadvantages of having a stall in the market, he said that the cons would include waking up very early in the morning, almost as early as 2am, to set up the stall and having to work long hours throughout the day. He said the pros of having this stall was the interaction with customers and the exchanging of recommendations and suggestions for dishes that would best suit the catch of the day.

Although he had anticipated the pandemic to cause a disruption in the functioning of the business, he was pleasantly surprised and delighted by the assistance provided by the government in continuing the smooth functioning of the stall. As many of the other vendors had mentioned, business got much better during the Circuit Breaker period as more people were cooking their meals at home due to the whole Work-From-Home setup.

Mr Tan feels that when it comes to buying seafood, more people should opt to purchase from the wet market as the produce is a lot fresher than what is available at supermarket. He even joked that the fish at his stall is so fresh that you could probably still feel its pulse! When asked what he considers the speciality or the ‘must buy’ item of his stall, he recommended the Snakehead fish as there are many delicious dishes it can be used in.  So, if you’re ever in the area, don’t forget to buy seafood from the freshest stall in the west as it is a great ‘’oppor-tuna-ty’’ to try some very unique dishes at home.

Happy shopping!