Some Singaporeans may have a few favourite hawker stalls they’re willing to queue up for.
Sadly, despite the popularity and accolades, award-winning stalls may still close down for good, especially when the stallholder retires and has nobody to take over the business.
That’s what allegedly happened to Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee in ABC Brickworks Food Centre.
Source: Google Maps
Their food was so good that they were awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, but the stall has recently shuttered.
The stall’s quiet demise was alleged in a post last Thursday (16 Feb) in the Hokkien Mee Hunting Facebook group.
The OP said her favourite stall was closed for good and wished the proprietor a happy retirement. She also shared a photo of the shuttered stall with trolleys and other items in front of it.
In a reply to a commenter’s question, the OP alleged that the stall has been returned to the Government.
Source: Facebook
While the elderly stallholder has retired, the auntie who was working there is now working at another stall, she claimed.
Source: Facebook
In operation for over 40 years, Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee was an institution, according to a 2022 profile of the stall by Eatbook.
Fans obviously couldn’t get enough of their tasty prawn-and-pork-bone broth and fragrant pork lard.
That’s evidenced by the long queues usually seen at the stall, with waiting times that could go up to 40 minutes or more.
The head chef, 74-year-old Mr Toh Seng Wang, also spent a lifetime behind the wok. He was usually seen deftly frying up a storm while listening to music.
So well-known was the ABC Brickworks stall that it received a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod.
They noted that their hokkien mee was stir-fried with homemade broth and was accompanied by “tempting” homemade chilli sauce.
However, the award seemed to make the queues at the stall even longer.
This allegedly prompted Mr Toh to take down the star in hopes that the demand wouldn’t be so great.
Source: Facebook
Unfortunately, as the owner grew older, the demands of running a popular stall may have gotten too great to bear.
Eatbook observed that he barely had time to take a sip of water while cooking.
His children were also allegedly unwilling to take over the business.
Thus, it was only a matter of time before he had to throw in the towel and retire.
While other hawkers try to sell their recipes to others, Mr Toh seems to have silently winded up his business.
It’s certainly sad that another legendary hawker hero has stepped away from the wok.
While Singaporeans won’t get to taste his fare any more, at least we had the privilege of enjoying it for more than 40 years.
We wish Mr Toh a happy retirement. May he have a good rest after slogging away for years and providing Singaporeans with delicious food.
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Featured image adapted from Huey Li Tan on Facebook and Eatbook.
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