SINGAPORE — Fishball fans will now have one less option to satisfy their cravings. The popular Song Kee Fishball Noodle, located at Upper Serangoon Road, has closed its doors.

Announcing its closure on Facebook on Monday (Aug 1), the owners said that the stall has ceased operations on July 30, without elaborating why. They also thanked customers for their support and added that they appreciated their patronage in the past few years. The post has since received more than 140 shares.

Song Kee Fishball Noodle at Upper Serangoon Road was a popular supper haunt and was known for its springy al-dente noodles, fishballs that are firm with a bouncy bite and juicy handmade fish dumplings. It would see packed crowds, with long queues that required a waiting time of 30 to 45 minutes.

Customers who saw the news were taken aback by the closure.

One Facebook user, Daren Cher commented: “What happened?! I haven’t got a chance to have my last try at your outlet.”

Another, Amelia Ang, called it “shocking news”. “I thought my friends (were) kidding me. The best authentic fish ball noodles I have ever eaten in the entire Singapore. Let’s hope for (a) miracle.”

The stall’s co-owner, Chua Poh Seng, was once named a “Singapore Hawker Master” in the Fishball Noodle category as part of Singapore Hawker Masters 2013 — which aimed to find the best hawkers in various categories.

According to The Straits Times then, Chua ran the stall with his two older brothers, Chua Soo Meng and Chua Soo Chai.

The stall first opened in Toa Payoh in 1966, before moving to Jurong East in 1989. It stayed there for about 20 years, before moving to the current location near the Bartley Road junction around five years ago.

When TODAY visited the stall in the afternoon, the shutters were down, and the place was deserted.

TODAY then visited another stall, which bore the same name, at Toa Payoh Lorong 5. A staff, who said he was related to Chua but declined to be named, said the owners “still wish to continue” but “one of the owners there suffers from rheumatism and the other has a bump on his hand”. He added that the sickness deterred them from working efficiently, which led to the store closing.

Asked if it would reopen, he said: “Not anytime soon,” adding that “they are looking into other trades — buying and selling cars”.

Vanessa Yeo, 32, who is a huge fan of the stall, is surprised and disappointed about the closure. “It’s one of my favourite fishball noodles,” said Yeo, who works in a bank. She had found out about the stall through a friend four years ago, and visits it once every three months.

“The fishballs (there) are homemade and they are big — very generous,” she shared. “Other ingredients like the fish dumplings and the stuffed beancurd that they make themselves is very good. The chili as well,” she added.

Asked if she would consider visiting other stalls like the one at Toa Payoh, Yeo, said while it is an inconvenient location for her, she would try it “if I get the chance to”.