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After over 30 years of whipping up oyster omelette and fried kway teow, the elderly couple behind this popular hawker stall in Hougang will be hanging up their aprons soon.<\/p>\n
Ong Lim Chong, 70, and his wife Lim Suan Eng will be retiring by the end of the year, but they’re on the lookout for a successor.<\/p>\n
At Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow, Lim Chong and Suan Eng specialise in preparing oyster omelette and char kway teow respectively, serving up 200 plates daily, 8world reported on Monday (Sept 28).<\/p>\n
According to online reviews, their oyster omelette is fragrant, crispy and comes with plump oysters while their fried kway teow comes a tinge of wok hei and well-balanced flavours. Both dishes pair well with their homemade chilli sauce.<\/p>\n
The couple also accommodate customers’ preferences on their orders.<\/p>\n
Their stall has one of the highest ratings for oyster omelette on Google review, earning 4.3 out of 5 stars across over 1,000 reviews. Photos show long queues even before the stall opens for the day.<\/p>\n
As their children are grown and have expressed no interest in taking the helm, the couple said that they’re looking for a successor to impart their culinary skills and secret recipe.<\/p>\n
The self-taught couple got their start selling oyster omelette at night markets, later moving their stall to coffee shops in Hougang.<\/p>\n
An oyster omelette fan himself, Lim Chong was patronising different stalls selling the dish even before the couple started their own business.<\/p>\n
“When we started the stall, I was still learning. Just cook anyhow,” Suan Eng told Time Out Singapore in an 2018 interview.<\/p>\n
Over the years, they refined their recipes through trial and error, as well as through taking in customer feedback.<\/p>\n
When asked what made their dishes so tasty, Suan Eng revealed that mastering heat control is the key, while her husband quipped: “We also have secret ingredients”.<\/p>\n
But age is catching up on Lim Chong who has sustained injuries from decades of cooking.<\/p>\n
He has undergone surgery on his left hand and will be doing the same on his right hand soon, he told 8World.<\/p>\n
“If I didn’t have to go for surgery, I’d continue cooking.”<\/p>\n
While the couple started the business to earn a living, many customers have become the couple’s friends over the years.<\/p>\n
“When the stall is closed, they’d ask after our health. They’re lovely people,” Suan Eng told 8world.<\/p>\n
After slaving over the hot stove for half their lives, however, it’s time for them to pass on the mantle and retire.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t been out of the country for the past 10 years, we’d like to travel the world.”<\/p>\n