# Zi Char in Bukit Timah

Zi char stalls cook Chinese dishes to order for sharing, mostly in coffeeshops and hawker centres where prices are nett. Seafood such as chilli crab is often priced by weight at 'market price' – ask for the per-kg rate and the weight before it is cooked. Each stall holds its own SFA licence and SAFE grade.

## Key facts
- Listings: 41
- Matched to a government licence/register: 6
- Median years in business: 19

## Licences
- **Food Shop Licence (SFA)** (Singapore Food Agency (SFA), required): Every restaurant, cafe, bakery, stall and food court outlet selling food to the public must be licensed by SFA. Since 19 Jan 2026 the licence carries a SAFE grade (A, B, C or NEW) based on the outlet's food-safety track record; scan the QR code on the displayed licence to see it. Check: https://go.gov.sg/sfa-track-records

## How to choose
- Ask for the per-kg price and the actual weight of crabs, lobster or fish before cooking; 'seasonal price' disputes are a common complaint.
- Order dish sizes (small/medium/large) to match the group – a small usually serves two to three.
- Check the stall's own SFA licence and SAFE grade; the coffeeshop and each stall are licensed separately.
- Coffeeshop zi char is usually nett; seafood restaurants in air-conditioned premises often charge "++".
- Return trays and crockery or leave them at the stall as instructed – table-littering rules apply in coffeeshops too.

## Red flags
- Seafood priced as 'market price' without a stated per-kg rate.
- Refusal to show the live weight of crab or fish before cooking.

## Listings (top 30)
- [Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/ah-yat-seafood-restaurant-bukit-timah), Bukit Timah · 200 Turf Club Rd · 10 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2002
- [Lee Do Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/lee-do-restaurant), Bukit Timah · 9 King Albert Prk, #01-22 KAP Mall · 6 min walk from King Albert Park MRT · registered 1975
- [Westlake](https://lookup.sg/biz/westlake-bukit-timah), Bukit Timah · Blk 4 Queen's Rd, MRT, Farrer Rd, #02-139 Exit B · 2 min walk from Farrer Road MRT · SFA licensed
- [Top Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/top-seafood), Bukit Timah · 12 Sixth Ave · 2 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT · registered 2017
- [Tian Tang Hotpot](https://lookup.sg/biz/tian-tang-hotpot), Bukit Timah · Tian Tang Hotpot, 9 King Albert Prk, #01-11/12/13 KAP Mall · 6 min walk from King Albert Park MRT
- [小馥苑 Fu Yuan Teochew Dining Greenwood](https://lookup.sg/biz/fu-yuan-teochew-dining-greenwood), Bukit Timah · 24 Greenwood Ave · 8 min walk from Tan Kah Kee MRT
- [Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice](https://lookup.sg/biz/jew-kit-hainanese-chicken-rice-bukit-timah), Bukit Timah · 170 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, B1-/17/18 Shopping Centre · 2 min walk from Beauty World MRT · SFA licensed · registered 1992
- [Food R Us](https://lookup.sg/biz/food-r-us), Bukit Timah · #02-171 Queen's Rd, Blk 3 · 1 min walk from Farrer Road MRT · SFA licensed · registered 2007
- [Sin Chew Satay Bee Hoon](https://lookup.sg/biz/sin-chew-satay-bee-hoon), Bukit Timah · 2A Jln Seh Chuan, #01-037 · 1 min walk from Beauty World MRT · registered 2005
- [Owen Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/owen-seafood-restaurant-bukit-timah), Bukit Timah · 200 Turf Club Rd · 9 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT · registered 2002
- [Liu San](https://lookup.sg/biz/liu-san), Bukit Timah · 1 Jln Anak Bukit · 5 min walk from Beauty World MRT · SFA licensed
- [Pin Wei Seafood](https://lookup.sg/biz/pin-wei-seafood), Bukit Timah · 19 Toh Yi Dr. · 4 min walk from Beauty World MRT · SFA licensed
- [Fu Lu Shou 富炉首](https://lookup.sg/biz/fu-lu-shou), Bukit Timah · Toh Yi Gardens, 19 Toh Yi Dr · 3 min walk from Beauty World MRT · registered 2019
- [Joyful Seafood 百家乐海鲜](https://lookup.sg/biz/joyful-seafood-bukit-timah), Bukit Timah · 18 Toh Yi Dr, #01-97 · 4 min walk from Beauty World MRT · registered 2022
- [Shun Jiale Fish Head Hotpot](https://lookup.sg/biz/shun-jiale-fish-head-hotpot), Bukit Timah · 18 Toh Yi Dr, Block 18 · 4 min walk from Beauty World MRT · registered 2026
- [Forture Seafood Steam Boat](https://lookup.sg/biz/forture-seafood-steam-boat), Bukit Timah · 885 Bukit Timah Rd · 8 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT
- [Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro](https://lookup.sg/biz/greenwood-fish-market-and-bistro), Bukit Timah · 34 Greenwood Ave · 8 min walk from Tan Kah Kee MRT
- [Little Gobbles](https://lookup.sg/biz/little-gobbles), Bukit Timah · 170 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, B1-11 Shopping Centre · 2 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Huats Kee Fish Head Steamboat](https://lookup.sg/biz/huats-kee-fish-head-steamboat), Bukit Timah · 200 Turf Club Road, #01-05 The Grandstand · 10 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT
- [Joo Seng Teochew Porridge](https://lookup.sg/biz/joo-seng-teochew-porridge), Bukit Timah · 14 Cheong Chin Nam Rd · 3 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Kah Heng Seafood Restaurant](https://lookup.sg/biz/kah-heng-seafood-restaurant), Bukit Timah · 17 Lor Kilat · 2 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Chuan Xiang Le](https://lookup.sg/biz/chuan-xiang-le), Bukit Timah · Bukit Timah Plaza, 1 Jalan Anak Bukit · 5 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [KOON Bak Kut Teh](https://lookup.sg/biz/koon-bak-kut-teh), Bukit Timah · 10 Cheong Chin Nam Rd · 2 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Soon Heng Seafood Zichar](https://lookup.sg/biz/soon-heng-seafood-zichar), Bukit Timah · 1 Binjai Park · 3 min walk from King Albert Park MRT
- [Fishop Pte. Ltd.](https://lookup.sg/biz/fishop-pte-ltd), Bukit Timah · 896 Dunearn Rd, #01-04/05 · 2 min walk from King Albert Park MRT
- [He Zhong Carrot Cake](https://lookup.sg/biz/he-zhong-carrot-cake), Bukit Timah · 116 Upper Bukit Timah Rd · 1 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Tunglok Xihe Peking Duck](https://lookup.sg/biz/tunglok-xihe-peking-duck), Bukit Timah · The Grandstand, 200 Turf Club Rd · 10 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT
- [New Food Town Fish Soup](https://lookup.sg/biz/new-food-town-fish-soup), Bukit Timah · 10E Sixth Ave · 2 min walk from Sixth Avenue MRT
- [Wei Ji Cooked Food](https://lookup.sg/biz/wei-ji-cooked-food), Bukit Timah · 144 Upper Bukit Timah Rd · 1 min walk from Beauty World MRT
- [Yong Seng Satay and Western Food](https://lookup.sg/biz/yong-seng-satay-and-western-food), Bukit Timah · Bukit Timah Market, 51 Upper Bukit Timah Rd #123 · 1 min walk from Beauty World MRT

## FAQs
### Why is chilli crab priced by market price?
Crab, lobster and live fish prices change with supply, so restaurants quote a per-kg 'seasonal' or 'market' price. Always ask for the current per-kg rate and the weight of the actual crab before it is cooked, and get the total confirmed – this avoids disputes when the bill arrives.

### What happened to the A, B, C, D hygiene grades in Singapore?
From 19 January 2026 SFA replaced the annual A–D hygiene grade with the SAFE framework. Outlets now get A (more than three years with no major lapse), B (one to three years), NEW (operating under a year) or C (a court conviction for a food-safety offence or a licence suspension under the demerit-points system). Scan the QR code on the SFA licence at the counter to see the current grade.

## Sources
- SFA – New Safety Assurance for Food Establishment (SAFE) framework: https://www.sfa.gov.sg/news-publications/newsroom/new-safety-assurance-for-food-establishment--safe--framework--to-strengthen-food-safety
- NEA – Stepped-up enforcement against table littering from 1 June 2023: https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/advisories/index/stepped-up-enforcement-against-table-littering-from-1-june-2023

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Source: Lookup (https://lookup.sg) · Data as of October 2026 · Listings compiled from Singapore government open data (data.gov.sg), OneMap and Overture Maps places. Free listings never show contact details; featured listings are labelled.