Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
In my 4 years at Sethlui.com, I’ve had the honour of featuring countless hawker stalls, restaurant establishments, and their owners. Yet, never has my heart felt as heavy as it did when I met 90-year-old Uncle Lee, the man behind 2-month-old Pork Rib Prawn Noodle at 183 Food Court in Toa Payoh Central.
The reason? His gentle and friendly demeanour reminded me of my late ah gong.
Some may feel sorry for Uncle Lee, who, at an age when most have long retired, continues to stand for long hours toiling at a kopitiam selling food. However, I didn’t pity him because of his age, but instead, had a lot of respect for this uncle. Several younger folks whom I have met on the job have told me that F&B is tiring and isn’t easy. Indeed, I was a chef once and I can relate.
I must say, even though he’s old and slightly hunched, he’s still in the pink of health and is able to run this stall all by himself.
While chatting with Uncle Lee, I learnt that he’s a grandfather with 6 grandchildren. He used to run his own eatery, and even sold cai fan and many other local items during his younger days. Netizens online are also saying that he’s a hawker legend who used to operate at Whampoa.
When I casually asked him the reason why he opened a stall again at 90 years of age, he replied, “If I don’t work, its very difficult for me. My wife has passed on and I’m very bored at home.” He also advised me not to dabble in gambling. “Buying 4D and toto is fine, but please don’t gamble like me,” he added. Yes, Uncle Lee, we’ll heed your advice, thank you.
Besides prawn and pork rib noodles in all possible combinations, Uncle Lee also offers Laksa (S$4), Pork Ribs Rice (S$6), and Pig’s Tail Mee (S$6).
As a one-man operation, he handles everything. I urge everyone to be patient and treat him with kindness . That being said, I was pleasantly surprised at how speedy he was at preparing our orders — this gentleman certainly has skills!
For our Friday breakfast, we decided to get the dry Pork Ribs Prawn Mee (S$6) and the Laksa. We were told to help ourselves to the sambal for the latter.
Uncle Lee’s laksa was teeming with fishcake slices, a halved boiled egg, tau pok, and a large prawn cut in half. For S$4, the portion here is substantial. Those who dislike cockles needn’t worry as none are served here.
After taking the first sip of the gravy, my senses were jolted and I instantly became more alert (no caffeine needed). For those who can’t handle spice, you might struggle with the fiery heat of the broth. Even though it’s not the most lemak gravy I’ve savoured, it was still shiok enough.
The prawn was great and I loved how the big pieces of tau pok acted like vessels for the laksa broth, releasing the fiery, savoury broth as I chewed on its pillowy texture. The thick bee hoon was decent and even though there wasn’t any chopped daun kesum (laksa leaves) added, the entire bowl was still enjoyable.
We moved on to the Pork Ribs Prawn Mee that had 2 large pieces of pork ribs and 2 prawns sitting atop a mound of yellow mee, mixed with kang kong and bean sprouts.
We gave the noodles a good mix and even though the noodles were cooked just right, I wished that the overall flavour was a little more impactful.
The pieces of pork rib were tasty but weren’t the softest I’ve had. My dining partner likes it this way but I wasn’t the biggest fan. To each his own.
Uncle Lee also sells bak kut teh, so I wasn’t all that surprised when the accompanying bowl of soup was peppery instead of being prawny and umami. To me, it tasted like a combination of prawn broth with the addition of the peppery pork ribs soup.
If you’re at Toa Payoh Central, why not show the friendly Uncle Lee some support by visiting his stall at 183 Food Court coffeeshop? He operates from 9am to about 7.30pm daily, and doesn’t have a fixed off day. Let me know if you enjoyed his food.
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