27-Year-Old Hawkers Sell Budget-Friendly $3.50 ‘Kosong’ Hokkien Mee With ‘Powerful Wok Hei’
"A lot of customers don't want prawn, squid or pork [in their noodles]," they explain. This kosong option is “cooked with the same prawn broth, but just no ingredients. You can still request for pork lard." The childhood pals say their "creamy, almost carbonara-style" Hokkien mee is popular with younger folks.
At just 27, Mitchell Ong and Kendrick Tan aren't your typical Gen-Z hawkers. The childhood chums-turned-business partners have rapidly expanded their Shiok Hokkien Mee brand to five outlets across Singapore, with ambitious plans to double that number by year's end.
"Our goal is to open as many stalls as we can to let as many Singaporeans try our food as possible," Mitchell tells 8days.sg.
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Mitchell Ong (left) and Kendrick Tan fry carbonara-style, Gen-Z-friendly Hokkien mee
School friends and army mates
The duo's friendship dates back to primary school days, continuing through secondary school and into their National Service days, where both served as sergeants in the Singapore Police Force. While Mitchell ventured into the hawker scene earlier – joining his father's Youfu Hokkien Mee stall at Golden Mile in 2019, Kendrick remained in the police force.
"Kendrick was always a role model for my classmates. Everybody looked up to him, and he was one of the popular guys in school," says Mitchell. "Hence, I thought he would be a very good fit to be my business partner if we were to scale this business together."
After five years with the police force, Kendrick hung up his uniform to don an apron instead. Why? "I envision [good things] for this business," he explains simply about his career switch.
Mitchell's bro and dad run separate Hokkien mee stalls
Hokkien mee runs in the family's blood. In 2020, Mitchell's younger brother Andre opened You Fu Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle at Golden Mile Food Centre, bringing both his father and Mitchell onboard.
What began as a family operation evolved when Andre opened a second outlet in Woodlands in 2022, handing over the Golden Mile stall to Mitchell, who rebranded it Shiok Hokkien Mee. Today, the family runs separate but connected businesses: Andre focuses on his Woodlands outlet, their father operates a You Fu stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, and Mitchell runs Shiok Hokkien Mee with Kendrick.
When asked if family tensions led to their separate business ventures, Mitchell chuckles, "No, it's not conflict, 100%." According to him, the family simply decided that each member should run their own business.
How they’ve grown to six stalls
Both Mitchell and Kendrick are hands-on operators who can cook. Mitchell with over three years of experience and Kendrick with about a year under his belt. "We are both focusing on our new Whampoa outlet, and also on the Ang Mo Kio one which is opening very soon," Mitchell shares.
While Golden Mile and Beauty World serve as their flagship locations, all five of their current outlets enjoy similar popularity. "All are about the same, to be very honest," Mitchell says when asked which location draws the biggest crowds.
They say they've built their mini empire without external investors. "No investment [from others], we reinvested our profit [to expand the biz]," Mitchell shares proudly. Their total investment across five outlets and an upcoming sixth one? A remarkably efficient $60 to 80K. "Yes, all our stalls are profitable! Thank you to our lovely customers," they add gratefully.
A Zoomer’s ‘creamier’ take on Hokkien mee
Shiok Hokkien Mee's popularity stems from its distinctive style that caters to younger palates. "We noticed that the younger generation likes the wetter and creamier kind," explains Mitchell. "Our noodles are almost carbonara style, a little bit more 'zong kou wei' (heavier on the palate in mandarin), 100% suited for young people's palates."
According to the duo, their signature offering boasts a stronger wok hei flavour and enhanced umami kick compared to traditional versions. Mitchel shares that they allow their noodles to “sit longer” to release its starches for a creamier mouthfeel.
"There's this FB group online called Hokkien Mee Hunting, made up of people who are super passionate about Hokkien mee, with about 70,000 members," Mitchell shares. "They have a polling system to vote who's the best Hokkien mee, and we have always been voted as one of the top few stalls in Singapore,” he adds proudly.
The kosong option from $3.50; regular from $5
Their "kosong" (plain) Hokkien mee offering, priced at a wallet-friendly $3.50, is a thoughtful option for customers with dietary restrictions.
"We came up with kosong Hokkien mee as we have a lot of customers who don't want prawns, squid or pork," Mitchell explains. Rather than charging these customers the full price, they created an affordable alternative. “We decided to come up with kosong, cooked with the same prawn broth but just no ingredients."
Kendrick is quick to add, "You can still request for chilli and pork lard," ensuring that even the basic version delivers on flavour. "The wok hei (smoky wok’s breath) is still powerful."
He says they sell between 50 to 100 plates of the kosong version and about 300 plates of the regular noodles per stall daily.
For those craving the full experience, Shiok Hokkien Mee’s standard noodles typically come laden with squid, prawn and pork. There are three portion sizes: Small ($5), Medium ($8), and Large ($10) at the Golden Mile and Whampoa outlets, while Beauty World, Bedok, and Tiong Bahru branches charge slightly more at $6, $8, and $10 respectively.
Shiok Hokkien Mee has five outlets, including 11B Boon Tiong Rd, S163011. Open daily, 10:30 am-8:30 pm. More info via Instagram & Facebook.
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