Maxwell Food Centre’s proximity to the CBD makes it a popular haunt for white-collar workers looking for great hawker grub at equally great prices. Still, it’s rare to find a bowl of food there that’s as cheap — or even cheaper — than what you’d find in the heartlands.

Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle, run solely by 66-year-old hawker Chow Lee Feng, recently caught the attention of netizens for selling a $2.50 bowl of bak chor mee. 8days.sg speaks to the hawker — who specialises in the soup version of the dish — as well as her 39-year-old daughter Nan Tan (who works as a property agent and replied most of our queries as her mum’s unofficial spokesperson).

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The veteran hawker has had various food ventures over the last 30 years, including a stint selling mixed rice and another biz selling nonya kueh. After these businesses proved unviable, Lee Feng secured a stall at Maxwell Food Centre in 2018. However, she didn’t have a concrete idea of what she’d sell. “She started off selling steamed rice dishes, but business wasn’t so good as construction hoardings [for the Thomson-East Coast Line] were still up,” shares her daughter. She pivoted to chicken rice for a few months, before switching to duck rice, and eventually a claypot delights stall. Finally, in early 2020, right before the pandemic unfolded – she settled on bak chor mee.

“When I was younger, I used to buy [soupy] bak chor mee from a pushcart near Telok Kurau (where she stayed),” says Lee Feng in Mandarin. “I was hoping to recreate the taste.” She hired a cook – who lasted for about a month into the pandemic before quitting “with 24 hours’ notice” – and tweaked his recipes into what they are now. She does all the cooking and cleaning herself daily. The stall’s name, Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle, is an homage to the “old uncle” behind the noodle pushcart in her youth.

The netizen’s post marvelling over Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle’s starting price of $2.50 garnered close to 800 likes on Facebook at press time. “You won't believe it! Bak Chor Mee for $2.50! So yummy! No MSG!” the post raved, going on to describe a slightly more atas bowl with handmade meatballs, fish maw and wantons for “only $4.50! Where to find? Must come here and try at least once!” Nan clarifies that it’s actually pork skin, not fish maw, that goes into the $4.50 version.

Other netizens soon chimed in. Many were surprised to see a hearty bowl of noodles – which comes with a simple blend of minced pork and noodles – selling for just $2.50 in Maxwell Food Market. “So cheap in [the] city area like Maxwell,” chirps one netizen. “Wow, that is something unheard of, $2.50 for bak chor mee. Especially in Maxwell Market,” added another.

As a rough comparison, the starting price for a bowl of soupy bak chor mee at famous noodle stalls Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee and Xing Ji Rou Cuo Mian in Fengshan Food Centre (commonly known as Bedok 85 Market) is $3 – though their bowls come with meatballs on top of minced pork.

Business hasn’t improved much over the year, as work-from-home largely remains the default for office folk nearby, Nan tells us. “[My mum] sells about 10 bowls a day. The stall is making a loss now, but she doesn’t want to give up as it’s not easy to secure a stall at Maxwell Food Centre.” As for her prices, it’s to cater to the elderly regulars who live in the area. “I want to make sure they can still afford to eat something,” Lee Feng adds. “My philosophy is: earn a bit, but sell a lot — just that there aren't enough customers now [thanks to rising Covid cases].”

Serving these older folks affordable grub is another reason the hawker (who is fully-vaccinated) refuses to close her stall amid rising Covid cases. “I asked her to stay at home ’cos of the rising cases, but she completely ignored me,” Nan shares. “She says that she has no way to tell her regular customers she won’t be open, so she’d rather cook less [to not waste food] and stay open.”

This is despite a further drop in footfall after “a few stall owners in Maxwell Food Centre recently tested positive for Covid”, Nan adds. “We’re not sure if the new rules [limiting unvaccinated diners to taking away from Oct 13] will affect business, but we’re looking into delivery,” she says.

Fortunately, the Facebook post on October 6 led to a boost in business recently. “These past few days, business went up by quite a bit after the post,” Nan tells us. “She sold about 30 bowls a day. Customers came from all over the place, like Woodlands, to buy from her – my mum was very happy.” Adds Lee Feng, “It’s a good feeling, of course. I’m just happy more people are trying my food.”

Although we haven’t had the chance to try the noodles yet (to be clear — anyone, not just seniors, are welcome to order this $2.50 bowl), we’re told Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle’s broth is fortified with pork bones, dried sole fish powder, soybeans and other ingredients (MSG is not one of them). Along with soup, your noodle of choice (mee kia here) is adorned with minced pork and cubes of freshly fried lard.

Interestingly, it’s served in a heated claypot – uncommon for bak chor mee. “My mum is a big claypot fan. She wants everything to be super hot when you eat it. Also, it’s a bit unique lah,” Nan shares with a laugh.

There’s also a more substantial offering of Signature Bak Chor Mee for $4.50, which comes laden with handmade meatballs, minced pork, wantons and slices of pork skin, also served in a claypot (with your choice of soup or dry).

Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle is at #01-02, Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St, 069184. Tel: 8389-6644. Open Mon to Sat, 10.30am to 3pm.

Photos: Ah Gong Minced Pork Noodle, Hawkers United - Dabao 2020/Facebook

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