Greenview Cafe, Famous For Mee Hoon Kueh, Leaving Far East Plaza After 43 Years

Relocating due to rising costs and manpower issues

Why downgrade to a tiny hawker stall? The eatery’s Malaysian-born owners Eve Bong, 45, and Lyn Bong, 40, tell 8days.sg: “It’s mainly due to high operational costs as well as issues with hiring workers”. The sisters, who are now Singaporean citizens, took over the business in October 2019 from the previous owner, known affectionately as Aunty Betty. Aunty Betty had run the cafe since its early days in 1983 before stepping down due to health issues.

According to Lyn, business at the cafe has slowed in recent years, particularly during dinner hours, though lunch crowds remain steady.

Rent is a key consideration. The Far East Plaza spot, which comprises two shop units, costs just under $10,000 a month, while the stall at Ang Mo Kio is about 30 percent lower.

Eve and Lyn own a small chain of hair salons called Empire Charme, and first ran a now-defunct hair salon at Far East Plaza. No surprise they were regular customers at Greenview Cafe before they bought it for $60,000.

The siblings retained part of Greenview’s original kitchen staff. “The same cook helped train our new staff and works part-time as she’s getting old. She’s staying at Ang Mo Kio too,” Lyn says with a laugh, so you might still spot the cook at the new stall.

From regular customers to owners

Long before they became owners, Greenview Cafe was a constant hangout for the sisters.

They developed a strong friendship with Aunty Betty. When she decided to step down in 2019, she approached the sisters about taking over the business. “She felt it was a waste to shut her business after 30 years and asked if we were keen to take over and help sustain it,” Lyn recalls.

Despite having no F&B background, the duo decided to take the plunge. “We agreed with aunty that it would be a waste to let it go. So we took a leap of faith to try to sustain the business, which managed to survive even during Covid.”

Aunty Betty still drops by the eatery every now and then for a bite and a chat, and the three meet up occasionally for a meal to exchange recipes.

They say they have no regrets, even though the F&B industry comes with its own set of challenges. “Every day is a learning journey,” Lyn shares.

Rather than shutting down the struggling biz, the sisters chose to move to a coffeeshop stall as a way to keep it going.

The new setup — with lower rent, fewer staff required and shared maintenance handled by the coffeeshop operator — allows them to continue operating with less pressure, they tell 8days.sg.

They do not run the shop full-time as they are still managing their salon business. Eve oversees admin and finance, while Lyn handles marketing.

Pared down menu at Ang Mo Kio stall

The shift to a coffeeshop setting means a tighter, more focused menu.

While the Far East Plaza outlet offered a broader spread — including toast sets, fried rice and noodles — the AMK stall will zoom in on what Greenview is best known for.

With lower rent in Ang Mo Kio, the sisters intend to pass on some savings to their customers. Lyn says main dishes at the new stall are expected to be more affordable, around $5 to $9 as opposed to $6 to $10 at Far East.

“At the new stall, we will focus on our signatures; mee hoon kueh in many variations and favourites like fried sticky cake, prawn fritters and spam fries,” Lyn explains

The fried sticky cake ($3) is an indulgent snack made from yam, sweet potato and nian gao.

Various styles of mee hoon kueh still available

Aside from their usual dry minced pork mee hoon kueh ($8.90), as well as the herbal soup variation ($8.90), there is also mala stir-fry mee hoon kueh ($8.90), which was created during the pandemic.

“During Covid, we faced challenges. I was cooking a lot at home… no one has ever done stir-fry mala mee hoon kueh. So I tried to source and create our own mala version,” Lyn recalls.

The eatery is also known for its comforting soups, including its minced pork with seaweed soup ($6.90), though Lyn says it will no longer be available at the new Ang Mo Kio stall.

Our colleague has been a regular at Greenview for more than a decade. He shares: “I used to like their mee hoon kueh, but the standard dropped in recent years. Now I prefer their seaweed and tofu minced meat soup.”

He adds that the eatery is special to him for its food and convenient location, since he frequents a hair salon nearby — something he’d miss with the eatery’s relocation. “I don’t live anywhere near Ang Mo Kio, so I’d for sure not be going there,” he laments.

Hopes customers follow them to new AMK stall

Still, Lyn remains hopeful that some customers will drop by their AMK branch. “I hope they do. I believe Singaporeans hunt for good food,” she says.

They chose this coffeeshop stall for its cleanliness, as well as its accessibility to a nearby carpark, supermarket and housing estates.

“This place [at Far East Plaza] will always hold good memories for us,” Lyn says wistfully.

Greenview Cafe’s new stall opens on May 1 at Blk 122 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, #01-1771 (Stall 3), S560122. Its Far East Plaza outlet at 14 Scotts Road, #04-96 remains open till June 30. More info via Instagram.