Heritage Stall Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo Closes, Customers Ask If It Will Reopen Elsewhere
Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo, a well-loved hawker stall with a 68-year history, has quietly ceased operations at Golden Mile Food Centre.
News of its closure surfaced on Jul 31, when neighbouring stall Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck shared on Facebook: “My neighbouring stall, Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo, has officially ceased operation.”
According to the post, a new “authentic Chinese dessert stall” will take over the vacated unit.
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Customers saddened by closure
With no known social media presence of its own, Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo’s sudden closure caught customers by surprise.
Several netizens expressed their disappointment in the comments section of Ah Xiao’s Facebook post. One called it “one of the best” yong tau foo stalls, while another wrote: “So sad, wondering if they are operating elsewhere!”
8days.sg contacted Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck to ask when it first noticed that the neighbouring stall had closed, but our calls went unanswered.
Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo’s final day of business and reason for closing remain unclear. It is also unknown whether the hawkers have retired permanently or plan to reopen elsewhere.
Started as a pushcart in 1958
Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo was founded in 1958 by Chng Siew Hern, who initially sold his stuffed delicacies from a humble pushcart along Jalan Sultan.
The business moved to Golden Mile Food Centre when the hawker centre opened in 1975, remaining there for over five decades.
His children, second-generation hawker Chng Fang Khiang, 63, and his sister, later took over the business.
Teochew-style yong tau foo made from scratch
So, what made Golden Mile Special Yong Tau Foo special? Unlike the more commonly found Hakka-style yong tau foo, the family specialised in an old-school Teochew version made predominantly with fresh yellowtail fish.
Mr Chng reportedly visited the market every morning to select the fish before mincing and beating it into a springy paste. The handmade paste was then used for the stall’s fishballs and stuffed ingredients.
Its traditional selection included stuffed tofu and bitter gourd, pig’s skin, vegetables and fried wontons filled with minced meat. Customers would select their ingredients from trays before they were simmered in a large pot of clear fish broth.
The light soup derived much of its flavour from the water used to soak the fishballs, allowing the natural sweetness of the yellowtail to shine.
Still drawing queues earlier this year
As recently as February this year the stall drew queues and the food was often sold out by lunchtime. Each yong tau foo ingredient cost 60 cents, with a minimum order of eight pieces for $4.80.
With no farewell announcement from the hawkers, longtime customers are now left hoping that the closure is not the final chapter for the family business.
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