Bendemeer Old-School Chee Cheong Fun Hawker Passes Away, Wife Closes Stall & Retires

Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun Stall In Bendemeer Permanently Closed After Hawker’s Passing

With hawker food being such a big part of our daily lives, it’s always sad to hear of a beloved hawker’s death.

Beyond the loss of their signature dishes, a hawker’s passing also signifies the loss of a part of Singapore’s cultural heritage.

Recently, the local hawker scene lost yet another heritage stall when it was revealed that the owner of Nan Rong Chee Cheong Fun had passed away.

Located at Bendemeer Market and Food Centre, the stall often enjoyed long queues for its signature old-school style chee cheong fun.

The hawker’s wife has since decided to retire, therefore closing down the stall for good.

Bendemeer chee cheong fun hawker was still alive in late December

News of the chee cheong fun hawker’s demise came via a Facebook post on the ‘Can Eat! Hawker Food’ Facebook group.

On Wednesday (4 Jan), a group member shared that the elderly uncle running the stall had passed and that his wife would retire.

His death saddened and shocked many netizens, one of whom asked the OP where he got the information from.

In response, the OP said that he heard it from his brother who happens to run a stall right across Nan Rong.

Additionally, a quick Google search of the stall shows it is now labelled “permanently closed”.

One of the group’s admins chimed in with a post of his own shortly after, in which he said the uncle was still around last week as he had queued up for his chee cheong fun then.

Along with the post, the admin also shared a photo of the stall’s signature dish, which was generously laden with the beloved sweet sauce and sesame.

Hawker may have passed during New Year

In a follow-up post on Thursday (5 Jan), the admin said that Nan Rong is one of two stalls selling chee cheong fun at Bendemeer Food Centre that he patronises, with the other being Xiang Ji Gao Dian.

He revealed that the hawker uncle was 83 years old, while his wife is 81 years old.

According to various sources he spoke to after the uncle’s death – including his neighbours – he may have passed away on 26 Dec.

Recounting that he had last visited the stall during the long Christmas weekend, OP surmised he might have been one of the last customers to be served by the uncle before his demise.

However, he said there were also others who claimed he passed this year, which meant it would have occurred during the long New Year weekend.

He added that the uncle’s funeral was done and dusted, and confirmed his widow would not be reopening the stall.

Ending the post, the OP hoped that someone can take over the stall as its food, which also included fried bee hoon, yam cakes, and dumplings, was unique.

He also expressed his sadness at the loss of another heritage hawker.

Netizens share memories of dining at chee cheong fun stall

Given the stall’s history spanning two decades, it’s unsurprising that many netizens had stories of their own to share upon the uncle’s passing.

Based on the comments, it was regarded by many as their favourite chee cheong fun stall.

 

One user said the chee cheong fun triggers memories of “happy mornings after breakfast”.

Another netizen reminisced not only on the chee cheong fun, but also on the couple’s fried bee hoon.

One follower shared that the stall reminded them of memories with their late mother in which they would enjoy the dumplings with the sweet sauce and chili.

Our condolences go out to the late hawker’s family. May he rest in peace.

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Featured image adapted from Facebook.