Get unique, TCM-inspired “bubble tea” at The Flower Mulan at Bedok, freshly made daily by an ex-fine-dining chef
- This new Bedok hawker stall serves BBT with TCM ingredients!
- It’s run by Kenneth, a 29-year-old former chef with a passion for hawker culture.
- The drinks contain freshly made ingredients such as snow fungus and peach gum.
Bubble tea shops may be a ubiquitous sight in comfy, air-conditioned shopping malls these days, but when was the last time you saw one in a hawker centre?
If you’re thinking of going on a BBT run, it’s unlikely that a trip to the hawker centre is the first thing that comes to mind, these days.
Unless you’re staying in Bedok — then you can head over to Block 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, where The Flower Mulan is selling bubble tea inspired by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Newly opened in October, the Flower Mulan is an interesting new addition to the hawker centre — it specialises in a style of drink that’s something of a hybrid between bubble tea and cheng tng.
Behind this interesting concept: 29-year-old Kenneth Teo, a young hawker who was a fine-dining chef prior to this.
So, what exactly drove Kenneth to open his BBT concept and why in a hawker centre?
Always loved hawker centres
Even though he had spent five years in fine-dining as a chef — including two Michelin-starred restaurants — Kenneth has always had great affinity with hawker culture.
His grandfather and family members are all involved in the scene and it was through his grandfather that he heard of the vacant stall at Bedok — what we know today as The Flower Mulan.
Says the former fine-dining chef: “I’m used to helping out at stalls run by relatives and family friends.”
“I wanted to contribute to the hawker scene, since I love hawker culture,” he adds. “Many hawkers are getting older and we still have a slim chance that the hawker scene can still be as vibrant as it used to be in the future.”
For Kenneth though, he knows the hawker journey is not an easy one.
He understands that running a hawker concept is not just all about passion, but also requires business acumen to succeed. He had some other ideas for his venture, but The Flower Mulan was a calculated punt.
“You can see that in this entire hawker centre, there are no dessert stalls. The closest you can get to it are the gelato stores nearby,” he points out.
He has stayed in the area since his youth and that has helped him make more informed decisions, since he is familiar with the clientele and their preferences.
The Bedok boy muses: “A lot of business in hawker centres depends on what the residents like. For example, we have more fish soup stalls than any other type — residents seem to like soup and noodles, more than anything else. It’s a very Bedok thing.”
It hasn’t been very long since The Flower Mulan first started, but Kenneth enjoys the journey and is heartened by the support he gets from customers — and also fellow hawkers!
“Many of the hawkers here gave me a lot of support when I first opened. On the first day, a lot of them also bought my drinks in bulk to give to other hawkers and everyone had a lot to drink,” he recalls, laughing.
Like a healthy bubble tea
If you’re wondering why he landed on the name, Kenneth says: “I really like the character of Mulan. She’s a strong woman who volunteered to go to war and that’s what I want for our brand.”
Just as The Flower Mulan appears very dainty, with collagen-heavy items and flower-accented branding, it involves a pretty gruelling and extremely time-consuming process to pull it all together. It’s a daily battle to prepare key ingredients such as peach gum and snow fungus.
That’s The Flower Mulan’s main draw – its TCM-inspired items that are made from scratch each day.
(By contrast, many Chinese dessert stalls use mass-produced ingredients in bulk.)
For example, snow fungus needs to be soaked for the whole day, while snow pear needs to be poached for a long time before it’s ready. A lot of effort is also put into cleaning peach gum.
But Kenneth thinks it’s worth it.
“I’m not a bubble tea person, but my girlfriend is, so I wanted to make a healthier version of it. I also realise many of the older generation’s kids allow them a bit more slack when it comes to healthier desserts,” he says.
While travelling in China during a short sabbatical, he chanced upon a few stalls with TCM-focused desserts and drinks. These used quality ingredients such as wolf berries, red dates and snow fungus.
With The Flower Mulan, he hopes to introduce more of these wholesome traditional ingredients into his customers’ daily life, instead of the usual bubble tea, soy milk or teh.
According to TCM principles, snow fungus can reduce inflammation and boost the immune system while peach gum is said to reduce blood pressure.
That’s something that seems to have worked well for Kenneth — customers have remarked that it’s just like cheng tng in a cup. It’s not too sweet, with plenty of collagen, which makes it feel healthy and guilt-free.
Artisan quality
Even with all that explained, The Flower Mulan might still intrigue many people because there are very few bubble tea hawker concepts in Singapore today.
But why aren’t there more? Kenneth thinks it’s because people feel more wary about paying S$5 for a beverage in a hawker setting.
However, he referred to his neighbours, Generation Coffee Roasters, as an example of artisan beverages gaining more traction.
“Artisanal coffee is becoming more accepted in a hawker setting and people realise its quality. I myself drink their coffee almost everyday,” he adds.
He hopes that customers will have the same appreciation for his meticulously made TCM ingredients and artisanal tea.
And it has worked, since many customers return — though that’s also partly due to the thought and sincerity that goes into each cup sold by The Flower Mulan.
With years of restaurant experience, Kenneth pays a lot of attention to the finer details. For example, he maintains a good ratio of ingredients to make sure it’s generous, while ensuring the flavours and textures are right.
On the other hand, he also makes sure the quantity of ice is just right, so it doesn’t dilute too much, while still keeping the temperature right. He even gives out thermal bags to make sure everything is kept perfect!
But this is just the start. Kenneth has plans for The Flower Mulan to expand into pastries. He says: “I want to do desserts, such as swiss rolls, where I incorporate TCM products into the cream.”
Red dates or jujube in cakes for a healthier alternative? Sounds perfect for health-conscious customers.
The Flower Mulan’s “TCM bubble tea”
The Flower Mulan’s BBT offerings include four different categories: Iced tea (S$3), snow fungus (from S$3.80), peach gum (from S$4.20) and pear (from S$4.30).
If you’re a fan of snow fungus, this series gives you a choice of four base teas: Ice clear jasmine, osmanthus oolong, Dancong oolong and royal classic ceylon.
On the other hand, the peach gum series comes only with white peach oolong as the base tea.
You can also choose to have any of these five drinks plainly, as iced tea at S$3.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for something more substantial, get the pear series, which are served as desserts.
Each portion is made with one whole pear poached in lemon and ginger, and is available with different toppings of snow fungus (S$4.30), peach gum (S$5.30) and red dates (S$4.80).
Of these, we especially loved the snow fungus with goji berries and peach gum (S$4.80), where the collagen in the snow fungus made the tea extra silky and creamy.
The goji and peach gum also layered nicely over the osmanthus oolong’s floral aroma with a vibrant touch of fruity sweetness.
But we also really enjoyed the peach gum with red dates (S$4.20) which tasted not too sweet, very hearty, and was loaded with the addictively chewy peach gum.
If you’re looking for something to munch on, The Flower Mulan might have made a perfect alternative to the usual BBT toppings.
It’s not quite the same as bubble tea, but if you’re looking for some really wholesome and full of textures, this might even be better.
Check it out for yourself!
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on all the coolest new openings to visit this November and places that you can get the best Italian food in Singapore.
Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.
You can also book a ride to The Flower Mulan at Bedok for the TCM-inspired BBT.
The Flower Mulan
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, 01-81, Blk 216 Bedok North Street 1
Nearest MRT: Bedok
Open: Monday (7am to 1pm), Wednesday and Thursday (7am to 1pm, 5pm to 7pm), Friday to Sunday (7am to 1pm, 5pm to 8pm) (Do note they are temporarily closed for evenings until Nov 30)
Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, 01-81, Blk 216 Bedok North Street 1
Nearest MRT: Bedok
Open: Monday (7am to 1pm), Wednesday and Thursday (7am to 1pm, 5pm to 7pm), Friday to Sunday (7am to 1pm, 5pm to 8pm) (Do note they are temporarily closed for evenings until Nov 30)
Evan Mua
Author
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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