Chinatown Complex’s Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen hawker retires after fall injury
Known as Uncle Hong, his stall in an obscure corner of the hawker centre attracts many foodies for its excellent Cantonese claypot zi char dishes.
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Bad news for fans of legit Cantonese cooking: One of the few local spots where you can have a hearty old-school zi char meal has closed for good.
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Photo: Google/ CK C Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen is a hidden gem at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. Located in a quiet corner in the sprawling hawker centre’s Green Zone, the stall opens in the morning for only four hours a day, Tuesdays to Fridays, but typically sells out before noon.
Never mind that zi char is not even breakfast-friendly — foodies flock to this stall for a chance to feast on dishes churned out by Uncle Hong, a formidable 70-something former restaurant chef.
Photo: Google/ Kwan
Last March, netizen Gregory Leow shared on Facebook group Hawkers United: Dabao 2020 that the stall was closed indefinitely as Uncle Hong “had a bad fall earlier in the week and shattered his pelvic bone into several pieces”.
Photo: Yip Jieying Earlier this year, Uncle Hong reopened his stall, to the delight of his regulars. But he has ceased his operations for good, having quietly shuttered his shop earlier this week.
A check by 8days.sg with his stall neighbours revealed that Uncle Hong had decided to “retire”. The stall was already closed when we dropped by, though the hawker’s regulars tell us that Uncle Hong’s injury had flared up again, which influenced his decision to retire.
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
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No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
Photo: Google/ CK C Claypot & Cooked Food Kitchen is a hidden gem at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre. Located in a quiet corner in the sprawling hawker centre’s Green Zone, the stall opens in the morning for only four hours a day, Tuesdays to Fridays, but typically sells out before noon.Never mind that zi char is not even breakfast-friendly — foodies flock to this stall for a chance to feast on dishes churned out by Uncle Hong, a formidable 70-something former restaurant chef.
Photo: Google/ Kwan
Fell in stall and suffered pelvic injury
Lianhe Zaobao reported that Uncle Hong had trained under the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ of Cantonese cooking in Singapore, and worked at the acclaimed Lai Wah Restaurant. He manned his stall with his wife but was the sole chef there, which explains the limited quantities he could serve in a day.Last March, netizen Gregory Leow shared on Facebook group Hawkers United: Dabao 2020 that the stall was closed indefinitely as Uncle Hong “had a bad fall earlier in the week and shattered his pelvic bone into several pieces”.
Photo: Yip Jieying Earlier this year, Uncle Hong reopened his stall, to the delight of his regulars. But he has ceased his operations for good, having quietly shuttered his shop earlier this week. A check by 8days.sg with his stall neighbours revealed that Uncle Hong had decided to “retire”. The stall was already closed when we dropped by, though the hawker’s regulars tell us that Uncle Hong’s injury had flared up again, which influenced his decision to retire.
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
8days.sg is now on #tiktok! Follow us on www.tiktok.com/@8dayseat
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