Aussie ‘Ang Moh’ Butcher Sets Up Stall At Toa Payoh Wet Market, Sells Handmade Sausages & Meatballs

Moving from Australia to Singapore

In 2015, they decided to pack their bags and move to Ann’s native Singapore when three of their kids were nearing primary school age. “We came here with just two suitcases, but we think it’s for the best. The rent in Sydney was very expensive, like $1,000 a week. And we can live near our family here. In Australia, we would need to travel over six hours to see Adam’s family. I would want my boys to serve NS here too, [the military life] will be good for them,” Ann pointed out.

Being in multicultural Singapore also meant that Adam and Ann’s kids could pick up other languages, and they are currently learning Chinese in school. Adam added: “The kids can get a good education here. In Australia, the parents are easygoing, and the students are more interested in things like sports. Sometimes my kids tell me they don’t want to do their homework and I’d be like, ‘Okay’. But my wife would say, ‘You must finish your homework!’ And that is good. Singapore is also very safe. In Sydney you’d have to be careful walking around at night.”

When he first relocated to Singapore, Adam took up a job at a meat-processing company, where he trained staff on butchery techniques. Last year, he opened his own standalone butchery in Katong Shopping Centre called Outback Butchery.

“We had the shop for a year, but the landlord raised the rent, so we moved out,” said Adam. That was when he decided to try bidding for a wet market stall near his HDB flat in Toa Payoh Lor 8.

While he didn’t manage to snag a stall at Lor 8, he successfully bidded for a second-floor unit at the Lor 4 wet market, and started operating there one and a half months ago. “My in-laws live near this stall and it’s also near my kids’ school, so it’s very convenient,” he said. Ann, who works as a project lead in the corporate sector, helps her husband out whenever she has time.

On working as a butcher in Singapore

When he started working as a butcher in his youth in Sydney, the job was considered relatively high-paying by Australian standards. “The salary was good. It was $1,200 a week. But it didn’t increase over the years, so now it’s viewed as a low-paying job over there,” he shared. “In Singapore, butchers [tend to be perceived as] meat cutters, and they are not classified as proper butchers. But in Australia you can get certification for butchery.”

Setting up a wet market stall in Toa Payoh didn’t pose much of a culture shock to him. “I have been shuttling between Singapore and Australia for years. I think people were more shocked to see me here,” Adam laughed.

What’s for sale at Outback Butchery

Compared to traditional wet market stalls, Adam’s stall offers a more Western selection similar to upscale butcheries here, but at pasar price points.

He also has an online website (www.outbackbutchery.com) selling a vast variety of Australia-imported beef, pork and lamb as well as chicken, fish and sausages, with an islandwide same-day delivery option.

This includes Shabu Shabu Beef Sirloin (from $12 for 300g), Minced Pork (from $6.60 for 300g) and even Bak Kut Teh Ribs (from $13.15 for 300g) and ready-to-cook Pork Schnitzel (from $13.50). According to Outback Butchery's website, you can also book a "BBQ Catering Experience" for small gatherings and large events, where you can enjoy an "authentic Australian BBQ".