Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow seller in Telok Blangah retiring
Veteran hawker Loh Kwee Leng who operates Hai Kee Teochew Cha Kuay Teow stall at Telok Blangah Crescent is retiring after 54 years behind the wok.
His retirement was announced on Facebook on Oct 29. Mr Low is no longer selling his char kway teow.
In the “Thank You And Goodbye” post, his son Mr Alvin Low, who administers page, said Mr Low is retiring and thanked all his supporters who have stood by him throughout “this incredible journey”.
To show their appreciation, they are having a “final meet-up” on Nov 22, from 7pm to 9pm, at his stall to “celebrate his legacy, share stories and enjoy one last gathering together”. The post added that Mr Low, 74, will not be selling char kway teow on that day.
It garnered over 200 likes and 57 shares within 12 hours of it being published. Fans of the stall wished Mr Low a happy retirement and shared anecdotes of eating at his stall since its days at Margaret Drive. He used to operate at Margaret Drive Hawker Centre in Queenstown for over 40 years, before moving to its current location at Telok Blangah Crescent Market & Food Centre in 2010.
Earlier this year, the stall closed when the market underwent repairs and redecoration work from May 2 to June 30. It reopened only in early September as a post explained Mr Low was recovering from a hand injury.
But on Oct 9, his Facebook page announced that the stall would be closed till “further notice”. This was followed by the recent announcement of Mr Low’s retirement.
While in operation, the stall stayed open for four hours daily, from 5pm to 9pm, Mondays to Saturdays and closed on Sundays. Its fans were prepared to queue from one to over two hours for the charred flat rice noodles, fried one plate at a time, instead of in batches.
Although the stall’s closing time was stated as 9pm, Mr Low often worked until 10pm to serve as many waiting customers as he could.
Two years ago, he was among 10 recipients for the Most Outstanding Hawker Award 2022 at the inaugural Hawker Awards at the World Gourmet Summit.
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