33-year-old Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge will shift & reopen at new Bukit Merah location in Oct. 2022

Its last day at Tiong Bahru was Sep. 19.

Fiona Tan | September 20, 2022, 12:37 PM

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While Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge may have marked its last day and ceased operations at Eng Hoon Street on Sep. 19, ardent fans of the congee stall need not despair as it will reopening at a new location.

Opening on Oct. 1, 2022

Established since 1989, the hawker stall's 33-year legacy will not be ending anytime soon.

Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge's announced on Facebook recently that it will continue slinging out bowls of its famous Cantonese-style congee, but this time, from its new location in a coffeeshop at Blk 107 Jalan Bukit Merah.

New stall will open at this coffeeshop. Image by CK C from Google Maps.

The stall will start operating from Oct. 1 onwards.

Its opening hours will remain unchanged -- it will continue dishing out hot bowls of congee from 7am to 9:30am daily.

Planned to sell recipe initially

Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge's announcement comes nearly a month after it said it might be folding its operations.

The hawker stall had been operating rent-free from a stall at Little Elephant Thai bistro at Eng Hoon Street for the past three or so years.

Stall at Eng Hoon. Image from Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge 中峇鲁鱻记粥品 - since 1989/Facebook.

However, their agreement came to an end when the Thai bistro said it needed the space back in order to continue operating, as part of its freshly renewed lease agreement.

Loyal customers urged them to continue

After Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge announced that it might be closing shop, its ardent fans flocked to the stall, forming long lines on a daily basis, just so they could savour their last bites of the congee.

Over the past 33 years, many loyal customers have become familiar with the stall's owners, an elderly married couple in their seventies and eighties, both of whom are surnamed Soon.

The pair told Chinese media Shin Min Daily News that these loyal customers turned friends have encouraged them to continue operating.

Aim to keep prices at S$6 a bowl

They were initially contemplating to start a home-based business.

Another alternative was to relocate and reopen at a location nearer to their home in Yew Tee, according to 8 Days.

However, loyal customers expressed their hopes that the stall would remain in the Tiong Bahru vicinity, Shin Min reported.

They experienced some difficulty before they managed to find a suitable stall at Blk 107 Jalan Bukit Merah.

While the couple will now have to pay rent for their new stall, they said the expense is within their budget.

They added that they will aim to keep the base price of their porridge to S$6 a bowl at the new location as much as possible, and that additional ingredients will come at an extra cost.

Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge

Address: Blk 107 Jalan Bukit Merah #01-1820/1826, Singapore 160107

Operating hours: 7am to 9:30am, daily

You can read Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge's Facebook post below:

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Top image from Shin Min Daily News/Facebook and Xian Ji Tiong Bahru Porridge 中峇鲁鱻记粥品 - since 1989/Facebook