Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki: Ex-SQ Girl left flying to support her husband’s hawker dream of selling Taiwanese hotplates

Although Singapore always has had a stable of reliable options when it comes to matters of lu rou fan and mee sua, it’s possible that we’re in the midst of a Taiwanese food resurgence with multiple new openings.

Just last month, lu rou fan specialist Taishike opened at Boat Quay, while Taiwan Culture has sprung up at Changi Airport — even beloved brand The Salted Plum has announced plans for a return, three years after it ceased operations.

Still, there’s one new Taiwanese concept that might elicit more intrigue: We’re talking about Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, which is located in a rather nondescript coffee shop in Woodlands.

Unlike the rest, Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki is a hawker concept and its location can be considered to be off the beaten track.

Nonetheless, it has drawn in crowds who are willing to travel all the way to Woodlands. Why? Perhaps it stems from the young husband-and-wife duo who run the stall.

For one, the husband is an experienced hotel chef from Taiwan. That bodes plenty of promise for authentic Taiwanese flavours and, moreover, the focus is on night-market-style hotplate, which figures less prominently in our consciousness compared to other classics such as lu rou fan.

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On the other hand, the wife — a former Singapore Airlines cabin crew member — has also been putting out TikToks that have garnered a good bit of traction.

The whimsical clips give followers a genuine and intimate peek of her first foray into the gruelling world of hawker ownership with Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki.

Either way, everything came together as a perfect recipe for intrigue and we were keen to see for ourselves what makes the stall tick.

From SIA to a Woodlands hawker stall

One thing many would wonder is: Why would someone give up the glamorous life of being a cabin crew member for the hawker life? Naturally, we put the same question forward to the lady boss, 29-year-old Cherry Tan.

She says: “My husband always wanted something of his own, but it’s difficult to manage everything alone. It’s also hard to find a trustworthy partner, so I thought it would be better for me to come in and give him the support he needs.”

That unwavering support stems from their strong relationship, having known each other for around eleven years, at this point.

But how did the couple meet, considering the different nationalities? It was back in 2013 when, as part of an internship stint, Cherry was stationed in Taiwan for six months and she met Duncan Hsu, 36.

After she returned to Singapore, they persisted with a four-year long distance relationship. Duncan subsequently relocated to Singapore, before the couple got married in 2019.

Fast forward to last year: The couple decided to work together towards Duncan’s dream of running his own business. 

This started a year-long journey of setting up Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, which opened in late May.

“It took us around a year to plan everything, including finding a suitable spot that fit our budget and deciding on what Taiwanese dishes to sell. We experimented with a few different varieties before deciding on hotplate,” Cherry says.

While the kitchen is Duncan’s natural habitat, who has been cooking for almost two decades, Cherry was flying with Singapore Airlines for around six years prior to opening Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki.

Most would wonder if the former SQ Girl had difficulties adapting.

“Actually, there are a lot of similarities between the two environments, which I only realised after I started my own hawker business,” she notes.

“The hours are similarly long, you need to stand around a lot and interacting with customers makes up a large part of our job. So my cabin crew training has helped me a lot.”

But there are obviously also huge differences. For one, as a hawker-business owner, she has to juggle responsibilities such as linking up with suppliers, ensuring operations run smoothly and monitoring the numbers.

She had doubts in the early days of running Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki, when business was not as brisk. Was leaving a more comfortable cabin-crew environment the right choice?

Thankfully, things started to pick up as more people got to know of her and the brand, with many appreciating the charming content that gives followers a rare glimpse into the life of being a hawker.

A dream fulfilled

How is life now for the Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki couple, more than a month after opening? According to Cherry, Duncan is ecstatic.

“He’s extremely happy. This is his dream, after all!” Cherry says, beaming brightly.

There is also a contrast in how the couple acts during and outside of work, she says: “He’s usually very high energy at the stall, but dead at home. Meanwhile, I get exhausted during work and my energy returns when we’re home.”

How things work at Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki is that Duncan is the only one working the grill — so quality is assured, given the former hotel chef’s high standards, built up from tenures at luxury hotels such as Andaz Singapore and Grand Hyatt Taipei.

Cherry, on the other hand, oversees everything else, from marketing to cashiering and plating, though she’s helped out by a few part-timers. 

For her, she is still getting used to the new dynamic with her new husband-colleague — something that has proven challenging for many couples who enter into business together.

“Our work chemistry is something that we’ve worked on. He can be a bit stern when it comes to orders but I’ve gotten attuned to it!’

“But we’ve also learned to draw the line and while at work, he’s my ‘boss’ but he’s my husband when we’re at home,” she says.

Ultimately, it has been very rewarding, as Cherry affirms: “I think the hawker journey has been way more than I expected!”

“There was one customer, an elderly uncle, who came all the way down from Tiong Bahru to try our food. Unfortunately, we were only operating for half a day on that particular day and had nothing left,” she recalls.

“A few days later, we saw him again and after the meal, he came to talk to us and told us it brought back fond memories of when he used to stay in Taiwan and gave us an ang bao (red packet) with his blessings. I was so touched!”

Besides that, the general reception for Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki has been great too, with customers praising the flavour and the portion size — so we had to check it out for ourselves.

Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki’s hotplates

When asked why they decided on Taiwanese hotplate as the speciality, Cherry said: “We decided that, compared to lu rou fan or mee sua, it’s something that’s not too unfamiliar, since it has similarities with local western food.”

Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki’s menu is lean and focused, offering four different sets, each with different proteins: Ribeye steak set (S$13.50), chicken chop set (S$8.50), basil pork set (S$9.50) or halibut set (S$12.50)

To order, diners start with one protein to build around, then decide between short-grain rice and teppanyaki pasta (also available a la carte with egg and a choice of sides for S$5.50) for your carb and sweet corn or bean sprouts as the side.

The whole ensemble is then finished with a drizzle of either mushroom and black pepper sauce — or even a mixed concoction for anyone who can’t make up their mind.

All orders are prepared a la minute, with Duncan working his magic on the proteins and ensuring the perfect grill, before it’s very swiftly and smoothly assembled on a sizzling hotplate by Cherry.

Out of the four, the basil pork set is a pretty good option for those who prefer a bit more oomph and fragrance to their food.

Although pork chop is dangerously prone to being overcooked and tough, the one at Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki is nicely tender, unlike at the usual western stalls.

On top of that, the basil adds an endearing little touch of herbaceous aroma to complement the pork.

For something more familiar, the hearty chicken chop set is straightforward but well-done. Similar to the local chicken chops, the meat is succulent, while the skin comes with a gentle char.

As for the sauces, both the black pepper and mushroom sauces add a good splash of umami to the proteins, with the former adding a little prick of heat. Both are solid choices and pair especially well with the carbs.

All in all, Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki is simple, well-done, and heartfelt — it’s the ultimate comfort food.

There’s nothing too flashy but it definitely has plenty of charm, especially after getting to know the cute couple behind it and the story behind it.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on where you can find the best dim sum for yum cha in Singapore and the hottest new celebrity-chef-run har cheong gai concept at Bishan.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki.