Bhai Sarbat is a 70-year-old teh tarik stall in Bugis
During his tour of Singapore, American YouTuber iShowSpeed meandered his way through Kampong Glam on a Tuesday afternoon, with a crowd of eager fans trailing behind him. As per a viewer’s recommendation, he stopped by a stall serving a local classic, teh tarik. This stall was none other than Bhai Sarbat.
The stall owner, Mohammad Asgar, seemed undeterred by the crowd or the fact that the whole spectacle was being recorded. Instead, he matched Speed’s exuberant energy, and the attention only seemed to invigorate him.
With immense confidence, he poured Speed a cup of steaming hot teh tarik, and the crowd—along with the millions of viewers worldwide—awaited the streamer’s verdict. Speed took a sip, and with his characteristic wide-eyed expression, declared to the camera: “Singaporean milk tea…this stuff is good!”
Image credit: iShowSpeed via YouTube
This moment brought Bhai Sarbat viral attention, and the stall certainly leveraged on this: framed in the stall is a picture of Speed and Asgar, along with a banner that says “iShowSpeed Approved”. But you’d be mistaken for thinking this was just the stall’s 15 minutes of fame—Bhai Sarbat has long been regarded as one of the best teh tarik stalls in Singapore, with its owner a bona fide celebrity in Kampong Glam.
In this article, we find out more from Asgar about the stall’s legacy, how he took over the reins, and what keeps him pulling teh with such flair after all these years.
70 years of Bhai Sarbat
But first, a little history lesson. Bhai Sarbat is said to be an early purveyor of masala tea in Singapore. Back in the early 1950s, Asgar’s uncle ran the stall on his own, selling teh tarik and teh masala from a dusty old rickshaw. In 1977, the uncle and a co-founder established a permanent stall in Kampong Glam.
This was the situation for many years, but as the uncle got on in years, he managed to recruit his nephew, Asgar, to help run the business. Thus began the young Asgar’s journey at Bhai Sarbat, where he learnt how to brew his very first cup of tea.
“I used to work in so many places, then my uncle said, ‘come here and help me, I give you good pay’,” Asgar recalls. “He paid me $130 cash every day, which was good money at the time.”
In 2016, Asgar’s uncle suffered a bad fall and had to be hospitalised. Asgar took over ownership of the stall, but not without showing gratitude to his uncle—a sizeable portion of earnings went to his uncle for his retirement.
Back then, the stall didn’t have a name. Regular customers would simply refer to it as ‘bhai sarbat’, with ‘bhai’ meaning brother and ‘sarbat’ meaning sweet drinks in Hindi. And so, when Asgar had to come up with a proper stall name upon taking over, ‘Bhai Sarbat’ was what he ended up going with. But how did Asgar take to being the stall’s new owner?
“In the beginning, there were definitely challenges,” Asgar said. “Some old people didn’t like it, and they complained. I told the people who don’t like my tea to go and buy from other people.” Asgar went on to explain that the older crowd were often picky and hard to please.
“I told the people who don’t like my tea to go and buy from other people.”
A menu of more than 100 drinks
As for how business is currently going, Bhai Sarbat continues to see a steady stream of customers to this day. They’ve even expanded their menu to include more than 100 different coffee and tea drinks, as well as juices and milkshakes. Among the dizzying selection, masala tea and teh tarik remain the most ordered drinks on the menu. FYI, teh tarik differs from masala tea; the former is a frothy combination of black tea and condensed milk, while the latter includes spices and other aromatics into the mix.
When asked what made Bhai Sarbat’s tea so special, Asgar had this to say: “People say that I’m traditional. I make everything here. Mine’s the original. It’s my history.” You might think he’s just tooting his own horn, but a plaque awarded by the National Heritage Board—and the line of customers at his stall every day—attests to his bold claim. “Now everyone wants my tea. Allah gave the gift of tea-making to me.”
“Now everyone wants my tea. Allah gave the gift of tea-making to me.”
I wanted to try Bhai Sarbat’s tea myself to see if I could discern right off the bat what made it so special. The masala tea came in two forms, Teh O Masala and Teh Masala Bru. The latter had the addition of milk, which was the way most people drank it.
Before we tasted the drinks, I got to witness Asgar in his tea-brewing element. He assembled the components: black tea, condensed milk, and a housemade blend of spices. Then, he poured the mixture from one cup to another, pulling it effortlessly through the air. In what almost seemed like lightning speed, he quickly caught the tea in the second cup.
As this is happening, Asgar gives us a masterclass on the art of teh tarik. “Temperature is down when you pull the tea, it mixes properly and gives it a good aroma, taste, and colour. Everything changes when you tarik,” he explained.
“You see my tea? This one must catch all the tea, cannot drop.” True enough, the beige milk tea flowed in a smooth stream from one cup to another without spilling a single drop. The pulling action resulted in a bubbly layer of foam crowning the mug, which is absolutely necessary for teh tarik. With his trademark confidence, Asgar assured us that nobody can match the speed and length of his pull.
Now it was time to try this highly esteemed cup of teh masala. The drink was not only warm in terms of temperature, but it also boasted additional heat from the liberal freshly-ground black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and green cardamom that went into Asgar’s blend. Ginger was another strong note I picked up, lending the tea a herbal undertone. Interestingly, Asgar also mentioned that rose petals, lychee, and longan were also used to flavour and sweeten the tea.
Onto the Teh Masala Bru, which was super delicious and fragrant, with an extra creaminess from the milk. Although my mother makes great masala tea at home, Bhai Sarbat’s easily beats it—sorry, Mom.
Brewing for the future
Beyond his quirky yet charismatic demeanour—which I hope came across in this article—it’s Asgar’s excellent drinks that keep customers coming back. And that is the product of his sheer passion and commitment for keeping teh tarik alive in modern-day Singapore.
I asked Asgar what the future holds for Bhai Sarbat. “My future is inside!” he exclaimed. He also motioned towards his three sons, who were busy attending to the stall. As we were leaving the stall, we caught a glimpse of several photos of him and his sons huddled together and smiling gleefully, pasted on the wall. If those are anything to go by, his sons have a key part to play in Bhai Sarbat’s future.
But for now, we still get to enjoy Asgar’s amazing teh tarik, his gravity-defying pulls, and of course, his larger-than-life personality that keeps winning fans from all walks of life.
Read our Big Bakery feature to get to know the story behind this famous 30-year-old bakery in Tai Seng that churns out delicious apple crumble from scratch. Alternatively, check out Ayah Dim Sum, a Muslim-owned dim sum stall in Ang Mo Kio.
Address: 21 Bussorah Street, Singapore 199439
Opening hours: Daily 6:30am to 1:30pm
Tel: 8263 4142
Website
Bhai Sarbat is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Get Affordable Dim Sum At This New Muslim-Owned Stall By Friends HK Kitchen
Photos taken by Nabila Malek.
This was an independent feature by Eatbook.sg.
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