The iconic Peace Centre kacang puteh seller has found his new forever home, the bustling Toa Payoh Bus Interchange.
This follows the end of a six-month rent-free period that the management offered the hawker before it closed for redevelopment works started.
Now, not only can the stall continue operating, it is ushering in a fresh start with a new look.
Photos of Amirthaalangaram Moorthy’s new kacang puteh stall at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange have surfaced on Facebook.
They show that Mr Moorthy has switched out his roadside pushcart for a permanent kiosk at the transport hub.
The kiosk is a welcome new upgrade, which boasts a lively caricature of the hawker selling his kacang puteh.
Source: Facebook
However, he still peddles his traditional snacks from a series of red-capped plastic containers. Each of them contains a selection of nuts, crackers, and murukku.
Source: Facebook
And what is kacang puteh without its signature chickpeas? Mr Moorthy displays his freshly steamed chickpeas directly from the steamer itself, just like he did while he was outside Peace Centre.
Kacang puteh is, in essence, an on-the-go snack. So, Mr Moorthy has retained his classic paper cone packaging for customers to enjoy in transit.
Prior to this, Mr Moorthy’s kacang puteh, the last of its kind in Singapore, was at risk of becoming lost to the sands of time.
In February earlier this year, the hawker had to close due to not being able to afford the increasing rent.
It reopened a few weeks later, following an en bloc of Peace Centre.
Mr Moorthy previously told MS News that the mall’s new management offered him the space rent-free for six months leading up to its closure for redevelopment works.
At that point, he was still unsure where to go after the six months were up. Thankfully, he has found a fresh start at the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange.
If you wish to support Mr Moorthy at his new location, here are the details:
Address: Toa Payoh Bus Interchange (near Toast Box), 530 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310530
Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sundays.
Nearest MRT Station: Toa Payoh
In response to queries from MS News, SBS Transit spokesperson Mrs Grace Wu shared that they had approached Mr Moorthy in April 2023 “to offer him a rent-free space with a specially-designed pushcart at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange”.
They did so after finding out that the upcoming redevelopment of Peace Centre could leave his traditional business in the lurch.
Mr Moorthy thankfully accepted their offer and began running his business at the interchange on 1 Aug.
Mrs Wu noted that,
For the commuting public, Mr Moorthy, who is the last of the vanishing breed of kachang puteh man, adds colour, interest and vibrancy to our air-conditioned bus interchange and juxtaposes the past with the present.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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