Know of any hawkers who make viral TikToks?

One hawker who's trying to reach Gen-Z audiences via social media is 25-year-old nasi lemak stall owner Shanice Lim.

She worked at three-Michelin-starred restaurant Zen before opening her own stall, So Lemak, in Bedok on May 28, 2023.

Despite considering herself a novice content creator, Lim struck gold in September with a viral TikTok video about a day in her life as a hawker, which also gained her numerous new fans-turned-customers.

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Speaking to Mothership, Lim shared about her journey as a young hawker so far, and how she accidentally became viral on TikTok.

A young hawker chasing a dream

At first glance, Lim seems pretty young to be running a hawker stall on her own.

Her career choice was largely inspired by her late grandmother and the home-cooked meals that she cooked for Lim.

"I grew up eating her food and that made me curious," Lim said.

When the pandemic hit, Lim ran a home-based ngoh hiang food business, Two Hands Two Woks.

Her business was well-received by the public and the experience made her realise how much she enjoys running her own business.

However, Lim felt that it was important to hone her skills in a professional kitchen, which is why she subsequently joined the opening team at Low Tide in March 2021, before moving to Zen in September 2021.

By the beginning of 2023, Lim felt the urge to run her own business once more.

"I wanted to open my shop because I felt (being a) hawker is also a dying culture in Singapore," she explained.

And it is a job that she foresees herself doing for the next three to five years at least.

Why nasi lemak?

One dish Lim takes great pride in is her har cheong kai (prawn paste chicken), based on her late grandmother's recipe, and a bestseller during her home-based catering days.

It now serves as the centrepiece for the nasi lemak Lim serves up daily.

As for why she decided to pair it with nasi lemak, Lim explained that its coconut rice is "very versatile".

"Basically, you can include many other components, flavours with coconut rice, and it is something very local to Singapore. Everyone knows it."

From a Michelin-star kitchen to a hawker stall

Running her own business has also been a challenge for Lim.

When Lim first opened So Lemak in May, in Bedok Central, she operated it largely as a one-woman show.

Her parents would lend a hand at the cash register, but Lim handled the cooking by herself.

Operating a hawker kitchen meant she had to get used to cooking in a smaller space, and of course, the unavoidable Singapore heat.

Initially, Lim found it intimidating to prepare such large batches of food, versus the smaller fine-dining portions she was used to serving up.

"There was one time I had to fry, something like 60 kilograms of chicken wings. That was very scary," Lim recalled.

If she got something wrong, the whole batch would have been off, but thankfully, it turned out fine.

One area where Lim's fine-dining experience comes into play is tweaking her recipes to ensure a precise and consistent taste.

For instance, in a bid to improve the quality of her har cheong kai, she adjusted her recipe at least 10 times in the past six months.

Lim has also since hired two assistants who were recommended by her friends. They help her with the day-to-day running of the stall.

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"I realised that I can't do everything by myself," the 25-year-old admitted.

Having assistants to shoulder the work load gives her more time to focus on other aspects of the business like the planning, networking and social media duties -- areas where Lim feels she still has "a long way to go".

Never expected TikTok videos to blow up

Despite being part of Generation Z, Lim admitted that she only got on TikTok a few months ago, and it was only because she was looking for ways to connect with other Gen-Z folks .

While experimenting with the platform, she found herself "addicted" to "tube-girl" videos — a social media trend where commuters would film themselves dancing in the train or other public places to catchy music.

"I wanted to do it ("tube-girl"-style video) for my stall, but I was a bit shy," Lim admitted.

Eventually, in mid-September, she plucked up the courage to film her own rendition of the TikTok trend -- showcasing herself preparing food at her stall.

Lim figured that her TikTok video would reach 100 people at the very most.

She could not have been more wrong.

The nine-second clip has garnered more than 240,000 views in four months.

Lim was also pleasantly surprised to see an influx of new customers who had heard of her viral TikTok video from social media.

"They came after looking at my TikTok video, so I thought that was really nice," she said.

It has also given her the motivation to make more content for TikTok and social media.

Pet peeves and what keeps her going

Lim does have a few pet peeves about being a hawker however.

One thing that she remains unaccustomed to is the "traditional mindset" with which people advise her to reconsider her decision to work as a hawker because she is a girl.

Another would be customers who "tend to take things for granted" by asking for more generous portions without paying more.

Such mindsets should change, Lim said.

On the other hand, what keeps her going is the warm support shown by her regular customers.

Many of them live or work in the nearby HDB estate, and some eat at her stall everyday.

"I like your luncheon meat. I'll eat four of them for lunch," one told her.

"They (even) recognise me when I'm on the streets and I think that's something very heartwarming," Lim shared.

Many of the neighbouring shop and stall owners have also shown support for her stall, engaged her in small talk and befriended her.

Trying the food

I tried the stall's deluxe So Lemak set (S$7.50) and the standouts were the smoky sambal, fragrant coconut rice, and har cheong kai.

The har cheong kai was definitely more savoury than the chicken wings you'd expect in the dish, and it got my approval.

Another welcome addition was the achar served on the side, which provided a refreshing sharpness that complemented the rich flavours of the nasi lemak.

So Lemak

Address: 217 Bedok North Street 1, #01-77, Singapore 460217

Operating hours: 10am to 8pm, closed on Mondays

Top image from solemak.sg/ TikTok & Daniel Seow. Quotes edited for clarity.