Ex-Hotel Cook Who ‘Can’t Tahan’ Taking Orders Now Sells Granny’s Chicken Curry As Hawker At 1126 China Town

“My temper cannot tahan other people telling me what to do” 

When asked why he decided to become a hawker, Simon's answer is blunt: “I have a bad temper. I cannot tahan (stand in Malay) other people telling me what to do.”

At his first hotel job, Simon took issue with what he felt was unfair treatment. While his Malaysian colleagues could use a resort buggy to transport ingredients from the walk-in chiller in the basement to the kitchen on the second floor, he had to carry them up by foot daily.

“When I confronted my boss [for the biasedness], he asked, ‘You not happy ah?’” Simon recalls. “I replied, ‘Never mind, you don't need to fire me, I quit!’”

That was the end of his stint at the first hotel. But his next job wasn't much better.

“The Japanese boss would pick on me and comment on everything. Everything must be perfect. Never a compliment,” he says.

He left after just a few months.

Sold home-based protein meals to gym bros for over a year

After leaving the hotel industry, Simon tried his hand at running a home-based business selling protein meals to gym-goers for over a year. While the business was profitable without rental costs, the workload eventually caught up with him.

“It was worse than the hours at the hawker stall now,” he says. “It was so time-consuming I didn’t even have time to go to the gym myself!”

His mum, whom he lives with in a four-room HDB flat, also struggled with the amount of food stored at home. He eventually called it quits. Simon is attached, but declined to share more about his partner.

Worked as cook at 126 Dim Sum in Geylang 

Simon later worked as a head cook at 126 Dim Sum Restaurant for a few years, a popular no-frills standalone joint in Geylang. This time, he handled both cooking and management duties. Why the jump from hotel restaurants to humble Geylang eatery?

“I was given a higher pay there than at the hotel,” he says, declining to reveal exactly how much more he earned. He also speaks fondly of his former boss.

“That boss was very good. What knowledge he had, he would not keep to himself. He would share,” he adds. He cooked over a hundred dishes, including char siew and zi char fare such as fried rice, ee fu mee and Hokkien mee.

When his boss eventually decided to leave the business, Simon moved on as well. “I’m not sure why he left, but he didn’t sell off the business — he gave it away,” Simon says. 

“I didn’t want to sell dim sum for my own biz, because there are quite a number of dim sum stalls at this hawker centre already,” he explains. “I just wanted to offer something special, such as my home-cooked dishes.”

Runs the stall mostly solo

Simon invested about $30,000 into his business. Why People’s Park Food Centre? The stall's unit number, 1126, felt like a sign as he had previously worked at 126 Dim Sum Restaurant.

He runs the stall largely on his own, putting in at least 12 hours a day. His mum, 61, helps out with taking orders during lunch hours.

Being a hawker boss tougher than expected  

Despite no longer having a boss to answer to, Simon admits that hawker life is tougher than he expected.

“Maybe following instructions [as an employee] wasn't so bad after all,” he says with a laugh. “It’s not easy managing a stall alone, but I cannot turn back the clock. So no regrets.”

As for his temper, Simon says he has learnt to keep it in check when dealing with customers. “[My] customers mah, so I must smile and always look bright,” he quips.

$2,800 monthly rent for a stall half the size of others

Simon’s narrow stall is about half the size of neighbouring units, and he pays $2,800 in monthly rent. 

“I think it’s worth it, because a hawker stall is the best F&B option in Singapore. You get paid in cash and it’s more sustainable compared to running a restaurant,” he explains.

The business has since broken even after about eight months and is profitable, though Simon admits that running the stall mostly solo is a tiring affair.

Homely curry chicken, prawns and pork rib soup  

Simon’s menu features dishes like Curry Chicken ($6.50), whose recipe was passed down from his Teochew grandmother, who learnt it from a Peranakan lodger who stayed in her home. “Customers say that it tastes like Indian-Chinese fusion because the richer colour and spices are similar to Indian curry. But some say it's similar to nonya style,” he says. “I sell it because I grew up eating it and my friends always say it’s nice when I cook it for them.”

Wholesome soups

1126 China Town also serves Chicken Soup ($6.50), made with kampong chicken that he brines then boils for four hours. 

Our colleague who tried Simon’s Chicken Soup ($6.50) found it surprisingly hearty for the price. The broth is rich, golden and slightly cloudy, with a robust chicken flavour, lifted by aromatic Shaoxing wine and briny whole baby scallops. It also comes with a generous half a tender kampong chicken, including two drumsticks, a wing and chunks of breast meat, all with glossy yellow skin.

Other menu items include Nonya Assam Prawns ($6.90) , Garlic Prawns ($6.90) and Curry Pork Ribs ($6.90). 

Free-flow rice

“I charge rice for $0.80, more expensive than other stalls that charge $0.60,” he says. “But customers can top-up their rice for free.”

Plans to expand biz beyond current stall

Simon hopes to grow his business in future, either by taking on a second hawker stall, or moving to a food court, where he would be able to hire more workers.

“This stall is small, so I can’t do much,” he explains. “Plus, it’s tiring to handle everything on my own.”

Despite the challenges that come with hawker life, Simon concludes: “I foresee myself doing this for many years to come because customers like my food, so I’d like to continue cooking for them.”

1126 China Town is located at #01-1126, People’s Park Food Centre, 32 New Market Rd, S050032. Tel: 8192 3877.