Maxwell’s famous China Street Fritters to continue operating at Telok Blangah

The business trajectory of Maxwell ngoh hiang (fried meat roll) specialist China Street Fritters has more twists and turns than a long-form Taiwanese drama.

The famed 81-year-old stall has been making headlines since last year, first for asking S$1 million for their recipes.

As there were no takers for the offer, the Ng family decided to close their stall in March 2022 and retire, only to reverse their decision a month later to continue operating with shorter hours.

According to Kok Hua, it was because of his diehard customers, some of whom had been patronising his stall for four generations.

But a year later, the siblings announced their closure again in July 2023, as they were all suffering from various age-related ailments and needed time off to recuperate.

GUESS WHO'S BACK

For those mourning the loss of a good ngoh hiang stall, here is some good news: Kok Hua and his wife are returning with a new stall in a coffeeshop at Telok Blangah Heights. It will open for business on Sunday (Sep 3).

Speaking to 8days.sg, Kok Hua says the new location was chosen as it was nearer to his home than Maxwell Food Centre. His three siblings will no longer work at the stall as they have decided to retire for good.

“Since it’s just me and my wife, we are scaling down our operations. Our ngoh hiang selection will still be the same but in smaller quantities,” he said.

By moving his stall to Telok Blangah, Kok Hua is also reducing his operational costs. While his current rent is higher (he was paying a pioneer hawker rate at his old stall), his overall financial burden is lessened.

He reasoned: “Our Maxwell stall was smaller, so we had to rent a central kitchen to make our ngoh hiang and transport them to our shop using vans. The Telok Blangah stall has its own attached kitchen space, so we save costs on transport and renting a central kitchen.”

REASON FOR THE COMEBACK

The reason why China Street Fritters is making a comeback, says Kok Hua, is similar to his earlier one for reopening.

“It’s just to entertain my longtime customers and for my wife and I to pass the time. Some of my friends told me not to retire, ’cause I might go senile from inactivity. Some of my customers also said it’s hard to find a good ngoh hiang stall these days, so I want to continue my trade,” he explained.

Kok Hua expects to have lower sales at Telok Blangah, saying: “This is a residential neighbourhood, so we won’t have the office crowd and tourist customers. We will just serve nearby residents and our regulars who might want to look for us here.”

He was originally scheduled to go for a surgery in May after discovering a black spot in his eye, but says that his doctor had postponed it to a later date. “He examined my eye and found that there was no need for an operation yet, as it was not life-threatening. So now I’m wearing a patch to try and improve my condition,” he shared.

As for his recipe offer, Kok Hua concedes that there are still no takers. He pointed out: “There were interested parties who wanted to partner us, but my siblings and I would rather sell our recipes wholesale ’cause partnerships can get very complicated.”

China Street Fritters reopens Sep 3 at 61 Telok Blangah Heights, #01-121, Singapore 100061. Open Tues-Sun, 11.30am to 7.30pm.

This story was originally published in 8Days.