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Lim Bo Rojak, the well-loved Malaysian mixed salad stall in One Punggol Hawker Centre closed its only outlet on 31 Mar.
The devastating news was announced out of the blue on Facebook by the eatery on 29 Mar, only 2 days before the closure. In the caption, it thanked its regulars for their support over its many years of operation.
Lim Bo Rojak also encouraged customers to head to the stall for a final goodbye before it closed for good. “Lim Bo will be at the stall on Monday, do come by to say hi!”
Despite opening in Singapore in 2021, Lim Bo Rojak’s history actually dates back to as early as the 1980s. It first began as a roadside stall in Kuala Lumpur run by Lim Bo, a mobile hawker of 40 years. Singaporean Mr Leong chanced upon him and learned the recipe for his Penang-style rojak, making three trips back and forth the cities just to perfect the technique before opening his hawker stall.
Mr Leong’s rojak recipe uses prawn paste brought in from Penang and chilli sauce, which is then mixed with chilled tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and guava. Other than turnip, cucumber and peanuts, fish skin is included as a unique ingredient. The skin and youtiao are deep-fried till crispy before being tossed together with the other components.
While Lim Bo’s rojak was popular before it closed and received a lot of praise, not everyone agreed. Some customers did not like that no sambal, ginger flower or bean sprouts were used in the recipe and even accused it of not being an authentic Malaysian one.
Mr Leong responded to the reviews, acknowledging that not everyone shares the same preferences. He also said that though Lim Bo’s original recipe did not include ginger flower, he had chosen to stick to it as it was the taste he had fallen in love with.
Though Lim Bo Rojak’s final outlet has closed, we hope that the recipe and tradition can be passed down and kept alive for future generations to enjoy once more.
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