This Bukit Merah hawker sells S$2 charcoal-grilled stuffed tau pok, hasn’t changed prices for over 20 years

STUFFED TAU POK MADE THE TRADITIONAL WAY

Besides the shopfront, little has changed since Fong took over the reins from his parents. The stuffed tau pok is made the traditional way, grilled over a charcoal fire. He takes pride in doing so, telling us that theirs is one of the few rojak stalls that still uses a charcoal grill. 

And despite inflation, they have kept prices of their stuffed tau pok and rojak constant for more than 20 years. There are no plans to raise prices with the recent GST hike, except for century egg, offered as an add-on to their rojak.

“There are a lot of old and needy folks here, so we try to maintain prices. We just earn a little bit,” Fong said modestly. It helps that they own the stall space and only have to cover overheads which come up to “a few hundred dollars” a month.

“Uncle is playing masak masak (a game of make-believe cooking),” joked Ng. “My daughter and I have told him to raise prices, but he refuses.”

Fong interjected: “We have the kampung spirit here. Customers have told me to up prices too, but never mind, I want everyone to be happy eating our food. They know they cannot find this kind of food and quality elsewhere.”

We ask if retirement’s on the cards. “I’ll have nothing to do if I retire, so I just continue working to pass time. We don’t work that long hours anyway,” said Fong. He begins prepping at the stall at 1pm before opening shop from 3.30pm to 8pm. Ng, who mans the satay grill, joins him at 5pm. 

And whenever they need a break, they will give themselves a day off, usually on Thursdays. “We can no longer work every day. Sometimes we need to rest, so best to call first if you plan to come down on a Thursday,” explained Fong.