Popular CKT stall, Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow, selling one-of-a-kind version closes

The day has come to bid our goodbyes to the well-loved Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow— the one and only store that sells its one-of-a-kind type of char kway teow. Claimed as “the best char kway teow of the East”, uncle will definitely be missed as he turns to retirement.

Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow has bombarded Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre with the spicy smoky essence that exudes so overpoweringly near its store. After 40 years or more of cooking culinary perfection on a plate, they officially closed on 30 Jan 2023. The absence of its distinct garlic smell will surely be noticed.

Their closure was announced via a Facebook post uploaded by a patron on 29 Jan 2023, with no preempt on the owner’s retirement plans.

It shocked many netizens online as they never expected their favourite stall to close so suddenly. Regrettably, many of them were upset that they could not taste it for one last time. One of the netizens even commented that this was “sad for the SG hawker scene”, as the taste of his mouth-watering masterpiece will be gone.

Known for their wet garlicky versions of Char Kway Teow (S$4/S$5/S$6), you can bet that it cannot be found anywhere else. A spoonful of this in your mouth and you’ll immediately be surprised by its intense wok hei and peppery taste! It is packed with generous servings of lap cheong and cockles, as well as an abundance of garlicky eggs. Unlike the typical versions of this dish, Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow achieves a level of flavour that requires long years of skills.

Unfortunately for us all, no one will be taking over his stall. If anyone finds a char kway teow stall that serves similar versions to them, please feel free to let us know.

A sight I’ll remember is uncle persistently attending to back-to-back orders without ever taking a break. This could possibly be why uncle is retiring, because working in a hot kitchen is never easy.

Thank you for all your years of hard work, uncle, we and the rest of Singapore wish you a happy retirement.

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