Bendemeer Chee Cheong Fun Stall Surprisingly Reopens After 3-Month Closure
A few months ago, foodies were crushed to find out that Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun in Bendemeer had closed down for good.
This was after the elderly owner passed away and his wife retired.
Bendemeer Old-School Chee Cheong Fun Hawker Passes Away, Wife Closes Stall & Retires
However, in a surprising turn of events, the stall has been reopened by the owner’s relative after about three months away.
Happily, they’re still offering their famous S$1 chee cheong fun.
Netizen sees that Bendemeer chee cheong fun stall is open for business
The stall’s reopening was revealed by a post in the Food We Eat N Share in SG Facebook group.
A sharp-eyed netizen reported that he was at Bendemeer Market and Food Centre on Thursday (23 Mar) when he took in an exciting sight — the beloved stall with its lights on and open for business.
Source: Kenny on Facebook
In the photos he shared, two women were running the stall, one older and the other younger.
Source: Kenny on Facebook
They are likely to be the relatives of “uncle” — the late owner, the OP said, encouraging netizens to support them.
S$1 chee cheong fun still available
The main highlight of Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun was undoubtedly their signature dish laden with tasty sweet sauce and sesame.
Better still, the old-school dish was sold at a price that also harked back to the old days — a very affordable S$1 per roll.
The OP managed to catch a photo of the reopened stall’s menu, confirming that their chee cheong fun is still available for S$1.
Source: Kenny on Facebook
However, their yam cake, another popular item, wasn’t available and seemed to have gone up slightly to a still-cheap S$1.20.
The fried bee hoon is unfortunately not on the menu any more. Chestnut and nonya dumplings were sold for S$2.50 each.
The OP finally bought some chee cheong fun from them that looked good, though he lamented that he’d never tried the version made by uncle.
Source: Kenny on Facebook
Niece-in-law running stall has been hawker for 20 years
The two women behind the stall were the wife and niece-in-law of the deceased owner, reported Shin Min Daily News.
While the older woman was taking orders, niece-in-law Lin Yanfen (transliterated from Mandarin) was preparing the chee cheong fun.
The 46-year-old told Shin Min that she’s actually been a hawker for 20 years since she married into the family.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
She and her husband ran a dessert stall at Old Airport Road Hawker Centre, though this is the first time she’s running a chee cheong fun stall.
The family thought it was a waste to shut down the stall, so they asked her to help out since she has experience as a hawker.
Niece-in-law trained under uncle’s wife
However, patrons shouldn’t worry about the food standard — before Ms Lin took over she’d received personal tutelage from uncle’s wife.
The senior taught her according to uncle’s recipe book over many days of training.
They opened for business on 16 Mar only after she could get the food to taste exactly like uncle’s cooking, she said.
Source: Daniel Wong Sylvia Bau on Facebook
It’s evidently worked since they now sell about 200 to 300 portions of chee cheong fun from 6am till they close shop at about noon.
New lease of life for old-school favourite
Foodies feared that Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun had closed for good after the demise of 83-year-old owner Mr Tan.
Source: Facebook
His 81-year-old wife had decided to retire after the sad incident and another hawker legend was set to fade into oblivion like many others.
Happily, the stall now has a new lease of life thanks to the next generation.
Here are some details to note if you’re going to check out the revived stall:
Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun
Address: #01-11, Bendemeer Market & Food Centre, 29 Bendemeer Road, Singapore 330029
Opening hours: 6am to sold out (around 12 noon), daily
Nearest MRT station: Boon Keng
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Featured image adapted from Kenny on Facebook.
