Founded in 1986 by Teh Chor Joo, Ban Leong Wah Hoe Seafood Restaurant started as a economic rice stall for several years before taking the form of a zi char stall. Through good food and word of mouth, the stall expanded into the whole coffeeshop, and eventually a second.

Celebrities would become first-name basis friends with the family, and soon customers as far as Germany and Japan would come, highly recommended by friends and family. Its famous savory dishes of chilli crab, black pepper crab, har cheong gai and birthday noodles have delighted families for more than 30 years, and spread the word of it being a hidden gem in Upper Thomson.