Greenview Cafe first opened at Far East Plaza in 1983. The eatery was known for its handmade mee hoon kueh, attracting a loyal following over the decades. It was later sold by the original owner to longtime customers Eve Bong, 45, and Lyn Bong, 40.
In April, Greenview made headlines when it announced it would leave its longtime home at Far East Plaza due to rising costs and manpower challenges. The business has since reopened as a smaller hawker stall where it continues to serve its signature handmade noodle dishes.
Among the stall’s biggest supporters is Royce, the son of co-owner Lyn, who recently found himself becoming the face of the family business.
Promoting the stall for Pokémon card money
Royce’s mother, Lyn, tells 8days.sg that the viral video came about entirely by chance.
“It was my idea, but very random,” she says. “He came to the stall with me on a day when he had home-based learning and I thought, why not let him help me out?”
Royce agreed only after negotiating a deal. He reveals that his mother promised him money to buy Pokémon cards in exchange for appearing on camera. The incentive was performance-based too.
“I get $30 for 1,000 likes. If I get 10,000 likes, she’ll pay me $50,” Royce says, sounding every bit the savvy young businessman.
Lyn admits she never expected the video to take off.
“I was super surprised,” she says.
The clip has since crossed the 10,000-like mark (it’s currently at 11,400 and has 233K views), which means Royce successfully unlocked the higher payout.
“Yes, he makes sure he gets paid,” Lyn laughs.
“I’m too famous already. Paiseh, paiseh”
Royce is not shy about the reason he’s pleased the video performed so well.
8days.sg catches up with the young man over the phone and asks him how it feels to go viral. He giggles before replying, “Kinda happy.”
Why?
“When I get a lot of likes, I get more money,” he says playfully.
The attention has followed him beyond social media. While he’s currently on school holiday, Royce says some classmates have told him they saw the video online.
The youngster is taking the attention in stride. Asked if going viral has made him more popular with girls at school, Royce doesn’t miss a beat.
“No, because I’m always popular,” he boasts. “I’m too famous already. Paiseh, paiseh.”
A natural in front of the camera
Royce’s deadpan delivery quickly became the highlight of the video, including in a recent TikTok by 8days.sg.
When asked if he’s the boss of the stall, he replies: “No, I’m not the boss. My mother and auntie are my bosses.”
While many viewers assumed the youngster was simply being himself, Lyn reveals that Royce had actually studied online marketing videos before filming.
“Royce is funny and cheerful by nature,” she says. “But in the video, it was intentional for him to [speak in a] monotone because he had watched a few versions of ‘marketing’ videos.”
That said, when 8days.sg spoke to Royce, he sounded much the same as he did on TikTok — deadpan, mildly disinterested, but with a playful sense of humour that surfaced whenever the conversation turned to Pokémon cards or money.
His confidence on camera may also come from school, shares Lyn. The Primary 6 student, who attends a school in central Singapore, has become increasingly comfortable in front of the camera in recent years, something Lyn attributes partly to his speech and drama classes.
Enjoys helping out at the family biz… “because I get money”
Royce may not know how to make mee hoon kueh yet — he readily admits that he only knows “how to eat” it — but he is no stranger to helping out at the stall.
When he accompanies his mother to work, he occasionally helps as a cashier. Lyn says she rewards him with either extra gaming time or a small allowance depending on how long he helps out.
Asked if he enjoys helping out, he replies with an enthusiastic “Yes!”
The reason?
“Because I get money,” he says without hesitation.
To which he doubles down: “Because I can spend it.”
His favourite dish at the stall is the Minced Meat Mee Hoon Kueh ($4.90), which he describes as “chewy and handmade”. Like all of Greenview Cafe’s noodle dishes, the mee hoon kueh is handmade, a hallmark of the business since its Far East Plaza days.
The dish is one of several variations on the menu. Besides the classic minced meat version, customers can also choose from options like Herbal Mee Hoon Kueh ($5.80), Vegetarian Mee Hoon Kueh ($3.80) and the stall’s Mala Stir-fry Mee Hoon Kueh ($7.50), a spicy creation introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Royce also gave his own reviews of some dishes in the 8days.sg clip. He warns viewers that the mala mee hoon kueh is “very, very spicy until I cannot take it”.
The Chicken Cutlet Handmade Noodle ($6.80), however, earns his approval. Royce describes it as a “protein meal” for “very buff people” before quickly clarifying: “Not me, ah.”
Customers showed up because of Royce
The family did not expect the video to have such a tangible impact on business. According to Lyn, many customers turned up specifically because they had seen Royce online.
“The next day [after our video was posted] was a public holiday, and the response was overwhelming,” she recalls.
The sudden surge in customers resulted in longer-than-usual waiting times. “We apologise for that. Now we’ve learnt our lesson and will be better prepared, especially on public holidays,” she adds.
While Royce wasn’t around to meet most of those customers, Lyn says many told her they had come after seeing him on TikTok.
Despite his newfound internet fame, Royce still has more immediate priorities. The Primary 6 student will be sitting for his PSLE later this year.
When asked if he’s been studying hard during the June holidays, Royce initially says yes before his mother chimes in: “Must be truthful, you know!”
He bursts out laughing and quickly clarifies: “Okay, I study in school only.”
Dreams of becoming a nuclear scientist
Royce isn’t planning a future as a food influencer. Instead, Royce has his sights set on a very different career path. The playful student says he hopes to become a nuclear scientist one day.
“I like science. I like to see chemical reactions,” he explains.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he adds: “I want to protect Singapore.”
Exactly how a future career in nuclear science would help him achieve that goal remains unclear, but Royce appears convinced of the connection.
That doesn’t mean he’s giving up on the arts. Royce, who also enjoys drawing comics in his free time, says some of his earnings have gone towards buying art supplies, including a set of Ohuhu markers.
According to Lyn, he spends much of his free time reading science books and drawing.
“I like both science and arts,” he declares.
As for Pokémon, Royce’s obsession goes beyond simply liking the characters.
“He thinks they’re very cute,” says Lyn. “And he collects the cards because they fetch him value.” It seems the young negotiator has an eye for investment opportunities too.
For now, however, his most profitable investment may have been starring in his mother’s TikTok video. After all, not many 12-year-olds can say they earned $50 by helping promote a mee hoon kueh stall.
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