Oat milk is currently the trendiest plant-based alt milk in town, especially with health- and eco-conscious millennials. But with oat milk giants like Oatly!, Minor Figures and Singaporean brand Oatside vying for attention on supermarkets shelves and in cafes, Sam Tan, 37, decided to take his artisanal oat milk brand to a humble hawker centre instead.

The ex-factory manager of a food production firm opened his stall Oatla – a hilarious Singaporean-ised pun on Oatly! – in Golden Mile Food Centre a month ago. Here, he soaks, grinds and boils small batches of Australian oats fresh daily in a bid to establish his niche as a “pioneer in artisanal oat milk” that he sells from $2.20 a cup. But don’t expect the usual caffe latte made with oat milk — here, he serves them as you would beverages at a fruit juice or bubble tea stall. Sort of. His oat milk is blended with assorted fruits, veg and a special ‘Singaporean’ ingredient. 

All items served here are vegan-friendly and lactose-free.

“Ah boy, one tau huay zui please!”

But first, the millennial hawker has to overcome a hurdle: educating customers, particularly the older folk living nearby in the “mature neighbourhood” along Beach Road, about what he’s actually selling. “I get quite a lot of older customers. They’ll look at my menu, then they’ll say, ‘Ah boy, one tau huay zui (Hokkien for soy milk) please!’” Sam says with a laugh, before gesturing to the container of raw oats on the stall’s counter. “That’s why I keep that bottle on display so I can explain to customers [what I’m selling] easily.”

Not that he regrets securing a stall in the popular food centre, as it also gets “quite a good office crowd during lunch, and people who come from all over during the weekends”. He says he sells a daily average of around 100 cups of oat milk.

The numbers are encouraging, considering it is Sam’s first hawker gig after a career centered around F&B production and operations. The poly grad, who has an advanced diploma in food technology, shares: “Starting my own food brand has always been on my mind. Food has always been a passion for me – you can tell right?” says Sam with a laugh, gesturing at his stomach. “But I took all these years first to build up my capital and experience [before starting a hawker stall].”

Freshly-made vs retail oat milk

And that time came when an old friend, also working in the same industry, introduced Sam to the preparation process for oat milk. The self-professed “food nerd” explains why he decided to take the idea and run with it: “[The process is] super simple, but fascinating. It’s very similar to making soy milk. You soak the oats, then grind them and boil them.” He doesn’t use a cheesecloth to filter the oat pulp, since the electric grinder already has a mesh strainer.

“The oats’ complex carbohydrates are broken into simple sugars, so you don’t even have to add any extra sugar – it’s already sweet enough,” he continues, adding that the drink’s purported health benefits from “high soluble fibre and vitamin content” was another cherry on the cake.

Furthermore, “I think that it’s a taste that locals and probably the elderly can accept if I tweak it to add more of a ‘Singaporean twist’,” he continues. He’s tight-lipped about what that secret twist is, only deigning to share that it imparts a flavour “very common in Singaporean desserts”.

The mystery ingredient is the only other thing apart from raw oats in the hawker’s oat milk – he skips the additives like gum and vegetable oil, which some retail brands use to make it shelf-stable and bolster the drink’s creaminess.

Starting slow

But isn’t opening a niche, health-centric drink stall in a hawker centre a risky move? Sam declares that building brand awareness “slow and steady” is a better bet for his business. “I could have chosen to open straight away in a shopping mall, but that would need a lot more capital,” he tells us. “This way, I can slowly get my name out and build [my stall] up through word of mouth.”

He set aside $50K for equipment and “operating expenditure for at least the next few months” so that he wouldn’t be forced to close his business before it had time to take off. The bachelor admits: “Of course, I’m worried. But it was time for a career switch – this would be even tougher [of a decision] if I was married (laughs).”

His ultimate goal? Making fresh oat milk drinks as trendy and widespread as coconut shakes a la Mr Coconut. “I’m hoping that I can bring up Singapore’s oat milk [scene with my stall]. If I can be the next Mr Oatla, that will be really big.”

The menu

Oatla’s drinks are pricier than most soy milk hawker stalls we’ve patronised, but not unreasonable: a regular-sized portion of oat milk costs $2.20 (warm) or $2.50 (iced). The Signature version ($3) comes with a scoop of oat groats (husked oat kernels – think of it as the oat version of brown rice).

Sam also prepares oat milk shakes blended with a small selection of fruit and veggies like watermelon, cucumber and carrot (he picked these for their cooling and vitamin-rich properties). He’s also experimenting with seasonal flavours cooked into the oat milk, like a delightfully toasty sesame version that we sampled.

Signature Oat Milk, $3; $3.70 with Oat Foam (8 DAYS Pick!)

Most oat milks we’ve had are characteristically neutral in flavour – the better ones are slightly nutty and malty, but mellower than almond or soy milk – with a light creaminess. That’s why it’s a popular option for coffee. 

Oatla’s homespun chilled version packs a satisfying velvety mouthfeel, with a sweeter, nuttier edge compared to our last sip of Oatly! some time ago. We also detect a subtle floral perfume that tastes very much like pandan, though Sam would neither confirm nor deny its presence.

Top up $0.70 for some oat foam (oat powder and water, whipped until frothy) — it lends the drink more body. But what makes this rendition stand out is the chewy, almost-crunchy scoop of oat groats sitting at the bottom of our cup. Apart from great textural contrast, the kernels pack an assertive nuttiness to cap off the hearty drink – shiok.

Watermelon Oat Milk with Salted Lemon Jelly, $3.70

The smoothie-like watermelon shake version is decent, though the oat milk loses some creaminess due to the juicy fruit chunks blended into it. Sam’s housemade salted lemon jelly ($0.70; a simple concoction with lemon juice, zest and salt) has an unbridled sour kick – not bad alongside the sweeter-than-usual watermelon shake and slightly malty oat milk. 

Carrot Oat Milk, $3

The subtly sweet vegetal notes of carrot are pretty subdued in this drink, and are nicely balanced against the mild oat milk base. Not bad.

We sample the hawker’s lavender jelly (top up $0.70) separately with some plain oat milk as he forgot to add it to our carrot shake. The fragrance from the steeped lavender tea in it is strong too, though it’s not as overwhelming as the salted lemon jelly.

Cucumber Oat Milk, $3

This greenish cup is distinctly grassy and slightly bitter. Only get this if you’re a diehard fan of cukes – we’d rather spend our calories elsewhere.

Oat Pudding, $3

Bottom line

We appreciate this millennial’s entrepreneurial spirit and courage in being the first to offer fresh oat milk in a hawker setting. His decently-priced drinks are competently made, especially the signature plain version with its fragrant pandan-tinged notes. However, we wish there were more flavour options instead of just the somewhat polarising watermelon, carrot and cucumber shakes. And although the boxed version of this plant-based milk is growing in popularity in supermarkets and cafes, it remains to be seen if made-to-order artisanal oat milk will take off as a common replacement for a cup of soy milk, coconut shake, fruit juice or even bubble tea in a hawker centre. But an Oatla outlet in a CBD mall? We think that might work.

The details

Oatla is at #01-109, Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Rd, S199583. Tel: 8940-0417. Open daily 10am – 8pm. More info via Facebook.

Photos: Aik Chen

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