Tian Tian Lai Nasi Lemak at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre closed down on Nov. 28.
The owners of the stall, Chen Han Bin (transliterated from Chinese), 62, and his wife Fu Li Xin (transliterated from Chinese), 58, had been making Nasi Lemak for 22 years.
They explained that they decided to retire due to their old age and the increased costs of running the business.
The couple chose not to announce the closure as they were worried about the influx of customers who might come down to have one last taste of their food.
Instead, they only chose to inform a few regulars who lived far away from the store.
Studied engineering
During an interview with Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min), Chen revealed that he started working part-time after primary school.
He worked in an electronics factory, and slowly picked up knowledge and skills from the engineers in the factory. Eventually, he pursued a part-time engineering degree and became an engineer.
He decided to start his own business as he thought that it would be better working for himself than working for other people.
Chen and Fu then bought various Nasi Lemak recipes from others and experimented with them at home, trying to find out the differences between them.
"For me, cooking is like conducting a chemistry experiment," Chen told Shin Min.
Ran their stall at Marsiling Mall for 5 years
The couple first opened their Nasi Lemak stall on Alexandra Road.
Chen said hat during the first six months of operations, he had incurred a loss of more than S$70,000. Even though he had reached a roadblock, he continued on with the support of his wife.
The two later opened a stall at Woodlands Center Road Hawker Centre in 2001.
After many trials and tribulations, their business eventually took a turn for the better.
In 2012, Woodlands Center Road Hawker Centre closed down.
Chen closed down the shop, and intended to return to his old profession as an engineer. However, as his wife was idle at home by herself, the two decided to return to selling Nasi Lemak.
They reopened their store at Marsiling Mall in 2018, and have been running that business for the past 5 years.
"Due to rising costs in recent years and our age, we have decided to retire on the 28th", Chen said.
When asked if they had a secret recipe, Chen laughed. He said his Nasi Lemak tasted of the years of experience he poured into the recipe, and had no precise measurements.
Top photo via Google Maps and Shin Min
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