'I have no time to be nice', says hawker of popular charcoal grilled Western food stall
Nestled within Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre, western food stall Cowboy Charcoal Grill has been a neighbourhood gem for a decade, specialising in charcoal-grilled meats like chicken, pork and steak. The chicken chop, in particular, is a favourite among loyal customers, with the stall selling around 100 portions daily.
During peak hours, the stall often has a queue and you’ll mostly find owners Thomas Lee, 65, and his daughter Alle, 36, working in silence. “We don’t talk to each other when it’s busy. He knows what he’s doing and I know my part. We complement each other well,” says the second-gen hawker who joined the family biz six years ago.
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Unfazed by handful of negative reviews
This preference for efficiency extends to service as well. Speaking to 8days.sg, Alle says she is aware of the handful of negative comments on her brisk attitude. There are a few such reviews on Google (among more pleasant ones). A netizen named Rissy writes: “They always have a bit of an attitude, be it the younger lady at the cashier or the older man cooking. Food is good but with such attitude it really makes people leave the stall with a bit of unhappiness.”
But Alle isn’t too bothered by naysayers – in fact, we observed her greeting regulars warmly during her break. “I can relate to that [grumpy] nasi ayam goreng guy at Lucky Plaza. I have no time to be nice,” she quips. “When there are ten people in the queue, I need to remember all the orders correctly. I just want to make sure that you get your food and it tastes great. I don’t have time for small talk, but I can be nicer during off-peak hours.”
Chio bu hawker prefers to keep a low profile
While Alle was happy to speak to us for the interview, she declined to remove her mask for our photoshoot, stating that she wishes to keep a low profile. A pity, as the millennial is hiding a pretty smile behind her mask. We teased her about attracting more customers if she showed her face. “No lah, I don’t want. Can we focus on my dad? Because this is his baby (referring to the stall),” insists the spunky lass who declined to reveal her marital status.
Ex-restaurant chef dad star of the show
Cowboy Charcoal Grill was started by Thomas in 2013 – the stall was originally located elsewhere in the same Kovan hawker centre and relocated to its current unit in 2021. The inspiration for its name comes from Cowboy Grill, a popular restaurant-bar chain in the Philippines known for casual Western grub and live music. After enjoying his time at one of the outlets during a Manila trip, Thomas decided to name his stall after the chain.
He also used to own three other Cowboy kopitiam stalls at Bedok, Pasir Ris and Toa Payoh, but had to close all of them during the pandemic. The hawker declined to elaborate on his losses from these closures.
“No choice, during Covid there was nobody at the coffeeshops. Over here, business was still good [at the Kovan stall], so I told her to close the Bedok stall and come here to help me instead. I was short on staff too at that time so it worked out,” says the towkay.
In the ’90s, Thomas used to be a head chef at now-defunct Bali House, a casual grill restaurant and beer garden at Meridien Hotel and Shopping Centre (now Concorde Shopping Centre) on Orchard Road. He also opened his own joints such as bistro pub Beach Cabana at East Coast Park in the early 2000s, serving barbecued food in a breezy, al fresco setting.
“This is the smallest place I’ve ever run,” he jokes, referring to his humble stall. So, why did he become a hawker? “Because at all the big places [standalone eateries], there’s a lease. After about six years, you’ve got to find another place. So I thought of taking up a hawker stall as we can keep it going for a longer time. It’s also possible to expand it [into a chain],” he explains.
He’s passed on the mantle to his daughter – unofficially
After having “no interest in F&B at all” while growing up, Alle decided to join her father’s stall in 2018. Before that, she was working as a freelance speech and drama teacher at private preschools. “It was just a leap of faith. I don’t have a particular reason for becoming a hawker. My dad has always said to me, you can join me whenever you want, just treat this as a playground,” she shares.
Thomas chimes in: “Working for herself is better than working for other people. I’m not worried that it’s too tough for her. The most important thing is you must have an interest [in the trade]. If you have an interest, everything else can be figured out.”
After six years, Alle has found her footing and is happy to continue being a hawker: “I’m a very resilient person. I believe that if I go into something, I will be very good at it. Maybe I’m not as good as my dad in terms of barbecuing the food, but I'm good at the front end.” Thomas handles all the cooking at the stall daily, while Alle and her aunt, Thomas’s older sister, take orders.
Decked out in athletic attire, the chic hawker may look a little out of place at this traditional stall, but Alle runs the place like a pro. Her father rates her cooking as “good” and says he is confident of letting her helm the kitchen during his absence. “I can cook everything on the menu, but I’m a bit slower than my dad lah,” she states.
We asked the senior hawker if he’s ready to hand over the business. “Yah lah, something like that. I have to see how much interest she has [to take over],” says the towkay coyly. Alle, however, isn’t quite ready for things to be official: “Not yet!”
No expansion plans yet
Alle adds that they’re not thinking of expansion at the moment: “I’m not ready to take that step yet. Ultimately I’m still very comfortable here, I’m just taking it one step at a time and not going to stress over whether I'm going to open this or that. I want to get really, really good at running the place first.”
Both agreed that “it would be nice” if they could open a standalone barbecue eatery by the beach, like Beach Cabana, someday. “I had a lot of fun memories eating there after roller skating with my friends at the beach,” says Alle.
Cowboy Chicken Chop, $8.60 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Despite looking under-grilled and a little thin, the cooked-to-order boneless chicken thigh is satisfyingly crisp-skinned with meat so succulent, there’s no need for gravy (in fact, none of Cowboy’s items come with gravy). Marinated overnight in a secret sauce, the tender chook is saturated with aromatic herby notes and a tinge of smokiness from the charcoal grill that sets it apart from other similar hawker offerings. Complete with simple sides of fluffy butter rice and fresh greens, this is an excellent plate that we’d happily order again.
Air-Flown Rib-Eye Steak, $17.50
Though not as full-bodied as better quality cuts, our medium NZ rib-eye is well-seasoned, tender and juicy. Our only gripe is that it could do with a deeper char on its only lightly-browned surface. Still, the doneness was cooked perfectly and this is one of the more competent steaks we’ve had at a hawker stall. Served with a whole baked potato and veggies, this is a hearty meal with a lovely old-school steakhouse feel.
Fish & Chips, $7.80
Crispy breaded snapper fillet with flaky, firm flesh that’s not too greasy. The fries are passable, though the generous serving is a bonus. Comes with fresh greens, creamy tartare sauce and a tangy ketchup-mayo mix.
Bottom line
Delicious, straightforward Western food that hits the spot. Prices are slightly higher than the average hawker joint’s, but we think it's justified considering that most of the items are charcoal-grilled-to-order and boast a pleasant smokiness. The succulent chicken chop is our favourite, though we wish the portion was a little bigger. Worth a visit if you’re in the area. Just don’t expect top-notch service when the hawkers are busy, okay?
The details
Cowboy Charcoal Grill is at #01-62 Kovan 209 Market & Food Centre, 209 Hougang St 21, S530209. Open daily except Thu, 12pm - 9pm. More info via Facebook.
Photos: Dillon Tan
