January 18, 2024, 05:21 PM
Nanyang Lor Mee, located in the basement food court of People's Park Centre, has a unique paying system.
Selling fish and chicken lor mee, the stall owner, who wanted to be known simply as Chen, runs a one-man show.
While he focuses on cooking, he leaves his customers to pay and take the required change all by themselves.
Photo by Lebelle Chua.
The history
There's much history behind Chen's stall.
Chen's father has been selling lor mee for around 50 years.
Now, both Chen and his sister are operating lor mee stalls.
Chen's stall has been situated at a few locations, such as North Bridge Road, before its current place in Chinatown.
The payment system
What sets Chen's stall apart is its payment system, which is completely built on trust and integrity.
On the counter is a compartmentalised metal box, with notes and coins of different denominations neatly organised.
The sign reads, "Please help yourself to the change. Takeaway containers cost an additional S$0.30. Thank you for your cooperation." Photo by Wong Li Jie.
Once a customer has placed their order, Chen will inform them to deposit their money into the box and take their own change, while he starts making the lor mee.
Speaking with Mothership, he also revealed that he hadn't expected to gain media attention for this payment system.
The primary reason he implements this system is, quite simply because he's simply too busy to take care of payment.
"I did this [out of necessity], but ended up going viral," he mused optimistically.
When asked how he deals with potential abuse of the system, Chen's response was simply not to mind.
"It's not a big deal," he quipped. "I've always said that you should take things as they are, and that's what I'm doing."
He believes in the conscience of his customers, believing that they will act in good faith.
Nonetheless, this honour system isn't necessarily something he's intending to keep, especially if he hires assistants in the future.
The lor mee
Red snapper lor mee. Photo by Wong Li Jie.
As for the lor mee itself, you can choose from:
- Chicken karaage (S$4)
- Red snapper (from S$5)
- Cod fish (S$6.50)
Customers have their pick between yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, or having both.
Each bowl comes with toppings such as pork belly and half a hard-boiled egg.
For first-time visitors, Chen recommends red snapper lor mee for the most traditional taste.
Nanyang Lor Mee
Address: People’s Park Centre, 101 Upper Cross St, #B1-80A, Singapore 058357
Opening hours: 9:30am - 3pm, daily
Top photos by Wong Li Jie and Lebelle Chua.
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