Netizen Eunice Goh, 32, who works in video production, was having a challenging day when she found unexpected kindness at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. Her mother just had surgery at SGH and was craving fish porridge. Keen to satisfy mum, Eunice ordered a takeaway bowl stall at the curiously named stall Fish Soup Sons of Teochew Peranakan without realising it was a cash-only biz. When the food arrived, she found she had no notes on her and the stall didn’t accept digital payments.
Instead of turning her away, the ponytailed towkay in cool chef’s whites and red bandanna simply said, “Oh, never mind! No need, or you pay back next time!”
“I was having the worst week, but his kindness really moved me,” she shared on Instagram Threads.
Hawker’s generosity not a one-time thing
Eunice recalls that she arrived at the stall around 5pm, before it was open for business. “When I wanted to order, he said, ‘Actually, I haven’t opened shop yet, but don’t worry, wait a bit and I will make it for you,’” she shares.
His generosity wasn’t just a one-time act. “He was so casual about it that it gave me the impression that he does this often,” she adds. And she wasn’t wrong – after sharing her experience on social media, a friend reached out to say that the same thing had happened to her. “She ordered something that cost $11 but didn’t have cash, and the hawker also said, ‘Never mind, can pay me back next time.’”
Affordable fish soup from $3.50
Though it’s named Fish Soup Sons of Teochew Peranakan, this under-the-radar stall in the yellow section of Chinatown Complex doesn’t sell any Peranakan food – just four combos of fish soup with noodles or porridge. Prices range from $3.50 for a “value” basic bowl of batang fish porridge to $11 for the fancier red grouper soup.
Uncle hopes to win Toto
A telltale sign of the uncle’s cheeky personality? A notice on the signboard declaring the stall “Closed Every Saturday And The Day After Winning Toto First prize”. Good luck, uncle!
Beyond his sense of humour, Eunice describes him as “super cheerful” and “playful.” When she returned two days later to repay him, she found him “dancing to Thai music while making food”.
When she told him she was there to pay for her earlier order, she says: “He didn’t even remember the amount I owed him! He asked me, ‘How much change should I give you?’”
Wah uncle, like that can make money or not?
Netizen Isaac Chin who had also visited the stall, shared a lighthearted exchange with the hawker. When asked if the stall was new, the hawker quipped, “Of course you didn’t see it, I am invisible!” before revealing that he had actually been open for “more than one year liao”.
Value meals that don’t compromise
Beyond his good heart and humour, uncle also dishes out legit value-for-money meals. Issac describes his $3.50 fish porridge order: “It came in a relatively big bowl with plenty of rice bits suspended in a tasty soup and three slices of quite fresh batang fish fillets.”
Eunice encourages folks to support this “kind and cute unker” at Chinatown Complex. “Good people deserve good rewards,” she adds.
焱記鱼汤 Fish Soup Sons of Teochew Peranakan is located at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-10, 335 Smith St, S050335. Open daily except Sat.
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