A former dim sum chef who worked at Crystal Jade and Tung Lok restaurants has opened his own stall in a coffee shop.

Own boss

The six-month-old business sells Shanghai-style la mian and xiao long bao.

It is located at a Holland Drive kopitiam. Prices are cheap -- S$4 on average per dish.

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After our coverage of @supremexiaolongbao, the beaming towkay tells us biz has been superb. He was sold out of dumplings when we visited his stall at 2pm today. He reopens for biz at 4.30pm. @flofongsg is happy to report that the last basket of xiao long bao she snagged was as yummy as ever - with expertly made skin that’s thin and silky, yet resilient.

A post shared by 8 DAYS Eat (@8days_eat) on May 5, 2018 at 1:28am PDT

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Xiao Long Bao Hidden in a coffeeshop at Blk 46 Holland Drive — this stall seems to be run by a former chef from Paradise/Crystal Jade according to their bio on Instagram. Really liked how the skin was so delicate; not too thick nor too thin, while every XLB carries a good amount of savoury broth that explodes out of the bun with a single bite. Meat within was actually pretty tender, yet provided enough bite. Quite a steal at $4.50 for six given the quality.

A post shared by XW. (@the_xw) on Dec 5, 2017 at 2:42pm PST

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Back for more of the dumpling. Smooth and delicious. So much ingredients in the dumpling, yet tasty. The owner has high QC in his ingredients. Simply love this stall.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

A post shared by Food Venture, Foodie 🇸🇬 (@dekyimail) on Jan 16, 2018 at 7:47pm PST

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Pork Ribs Ramen 🍜 Soup 排骨拉面汤 (S$4) Shanghai Xiao Long Bao 上海小笼包 (S$4.50/ 6 pieces) Available at @SupremeXiaoLongBao The XLB burst out of savoury soup easily with a bite. The milky soup from the ramen was rich which reminded one of pig’s stomach soup. . Supreme Ramen Xiao Long Bao 至尊拉面小龙包 Address 🏠 : 46 CTK Eating House, 46 Holland Drive, # 01-359, Singapore 🇸🇬 270 046 Tel ☎️ : 9798 2211 Open 🕔 : 8am - 8.30pm MRT 🚇 : Buona Vista (EW21/ CC22) . Picture taken with : iPhone 📱 6 #GoCoconuts #MadAboutSingapore2018 #YourDailyGoodStuff #ShotoniPhone #AlamakGirlXBuonaVista

A post shared by Alamakgirl (@alamakgirl) on Dec 21, 2017 at 7:48pm PST

The Chinese chef, Li Huaizhi, 49, who hails from Liao Ning, has been in Singapore for more than a decade.

Even though business has been ongoing for several months now, the stall does not market itself on social media, relying more on word of mouth and organic recommendations from those who have tried the food.

Brisk business

Li told 8 Days:

“It’s also not easy to get people to know about my stall as I’m not great at marketing. For me, what matters most is when customers tell me that they enjoy my food. We chose to set up shop at this coffee shop as there aren’t any stalls here offering what we are selling. The crowd is quite good too, and rental is affordable at S$3,000 a month. I’m glad to say that business has been brisk so far!”

In total, Li has more than 20 years of experience making xiao long bao and noodles.

He revealed he invested less than S$20,000 in his stall.

His wife helps out over the weekends and he has hired a former colleague to assist as well.

He also said he wanted to have a go at being his own boss, even though he knows it would be tough.

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Supreme Ramen Xiao Long Bao is at #01-359, Blk 46, Holland Drive, S270046.

Mobile: 9798-2211

Opens daily: 8am to 8.30pm