EDIT: Wong reached out to Mothership after the article was published to provide updated pricing and opening hours. The changes have been reflected in this article.
There's a new hawker in town, and he's a familiar face to any Masterchef Singapore fan.
Masterchef Singapore alumni Aaron Wong has opened a mee hoon kway (handmade noodles) stall at the Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11 Market and Food Centre.
The name of his stall is the Jiak Song or 吃爽 which translates into Eat Until Shiok.
Photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.
Good old school hawker stall
Wong said in his post that he is a "hawker food kinda guy" and a "lover of all things local":
"No matter how hard I try, I’m just not a fan of fancy pants stuff and in my humble opinion, a good old school hawker stall beats any atas joint anytime."
Wong's hawker stall, Jiak Song Mee Hoon Kway, opened on Aug. 29 which is his birthday.
A bowl of his signature mee hoon kway sells for as little as S$3.50.
Photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.
Photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.
The stall opens at 9am on weekdays and weekends until sold out, which Wong estimated to be around 1pm or even earlier on weekends.
The opening days of the stall depend on Wong's schedule, as he is also a professional underwater photographer:
"We are close[d] on Mondays or whenever I have to shoot / go diving. You get the drift."
Wanted to support hawker culture
He said that because of this love, he decided to open his very own hawker stall amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to put his money where his mouth is and to support Singapore's hawker culture.
He acknowledged that many young Singaporeans may not consider the hawker trade, because of perceptions of it being a "hot, wet, and greasy environment".
Thus, Wong wanted to change the way that hawkers operate. He wrote: "Who says a hawker stall can’t have an organized and updated kitchen?"
Here are some photos of his organised kitchen:
Photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.
Photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.
Wong also recognised that he doesn't know if his venture will work out, as he is not an expert at actually running a hawker business, but that "there is only one way to [find] out."
He added that, despite starting his own food stall, he is still working as a photographer:
"Don’t worry guys, I’m still every bit a photographer and I’m still shooting. I’m just feeding people when I’m not in the studio, that’s all! What else is there to do anyway?!"
Wong also mentioned that he is looking to hire someone to join his venture, and asked interested candidates to drop him a message.
Jia Song Mee Hoon Kway is located at Telok Blangah Crescent Block 11 Market and Food Centre, #01-108.
You can see Wong's post here:
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Top photo via Facebook / Aaron Wong.