For first-time hawker Jacelyn Lim, 30, opening a stall at Hong Lim Food Market – home to Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed stalls like Outram Park Fried Kway Teow and Tai Wah Pork Noodles – has definitely posed a challenge. “When people come here, they already know what they want to eat. I have to step up on marketing and getting good reviews so that more customers will know about us.”

Her one-month-old stall is the hilariously named Wing Liao Lor – inspired by the ‘win liao lor’ meme featuring comedian Mark Lee, and a clever nod to their signature fried chicken wings, which come with every nasi lemak set. The playfulness is also evident in the signage, designed by Jacelyn’s younger sister, which has a comical chicken in shades beckoning customers.

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Judging from her ease in greeting customers to her speed in fulfilling orders, we could hardly tell that this is Jacelyn’s first month in the business. “Actually, I get very stressed out when I see more than four people queueing!” she tells us with a laugh.

She is currently still juggling her financial advisor job at an insurance company, which she plans to keep for as long as she can. “I try to schedule appointments during non-peak hours and limit them to two or three days a week.”

Hints of her training as a former Singapore Airlines flight attendant, a job she held for three years before joining the insurance line in 2018, would pop up in our conversation. For example, she talked about “situational awareness” when we discussed her interactions with customers. She also treats feedback very seriously. “We’re not sure if some of our items, like Nyonya-style mee siam and lontong, would be popular so we’re very keen to hear from our customers.”

Wing Liao Lor’s other owner is Jacelyn’s father, Kenny Lim. The 60-year-old veteran chef, who has over twenty years of experience, left his sous chef job at Spanish restaurant Pura Brasa to open the hawker stall with Jacelyn.

“I saw that she was interested in running a F&B biz and I wanted to support her, especially since her income was affected by the pandemic,” shares the reserved but doting father. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking local food and it’s good to be able to do that at my own stall now. All the menu items are my specialties, especially the fried chicken wing, mee siam and lontong. I used to cook them during staff meals at the restaurants I worked at and my crew loved them.”

His resume also includes a ten-year stint as a Western stall owner at West Mall’s food court, which came in handy when setting up Wing Liao Lor. In fact, the duo shared that they took less than a month to officially open for business.

We asked Kenny what’s the biggest difference between opening a stall now compared to the past (he closed the Western food stall in 2008), which prompted a quick answer. “The rental, of course! It’s much higher now,” says Kenny, who shared that they spent about $20k to open Win Liao Lor. “The bidding system is also new. We only managed to get a stall at Hong Lim after a couple of failed bids at other locations.”

Jacelyn describes working with her dad as “lively” and “fun”. “We have the same birthday so we’re both Sagittarius – we have a similar sense of humour and we make a lot of jokes while we’re cooking together,” shares Jacelyn.

“It only becomes stressful when we have a queue. My dad is very particular about presentation, so he’ll make me redo something if it’s not up to his standard, even if there are customers waiting.”

Kenny does most of the cooking at the stall while Jacelyn is slowly learning the ropes. “I’m at less than 15% now,” jokes the hawker newbie, who is starting with the basics, like frying the over easy eggs for nasi lemak and preparing the beehoon for mee siam. The duo are also planning to hire a helper to cope with peak-hour crowds. “It’s not easy to get all the work done with just the two of us,” says Jacelyn.

This is possibly the neatest plate of nasi lemak we’ve ever had at a hawker centre: A sunny side up egg with runny yolk sits demurely on top of domed coconut rice, flanked by a fried chicken wing, otah, a decent pile of crunchy ikan bilis and nuts, and cucumber slices (with sambal ladled carefully atop one of them) – all laid out on banana leaf.

We tucked into the rice first – and were pleasantly surprised by how fluffy the grains are. Kenny tells us their version is a little softer than your average nasi lemak as he wants to cater to the elderly regulars at Hong Lim. We think the texture is just right, and the unmistakable flavours of coconut milk, lemongrass and pandan hit all the spots without being too ‘lemak’.

The fried curry chicken wing is marinated overnight with a spice rub that includes turmeric and curry powder before getting coated in bright yellow batter and deep-fried upon order. We like the crispy skin and the marinade is fragrant but not fiery, but we think the curry flavour needs to be punched up to live up to its name.

The splash of sambal leans on the sweeter side – a little too mild, if like us, you prefer your chilli to have a bit more heat. Set 3, the most expensive option, also comes with otah (at an extra $1.50 compared to the basic Set 1), and we enjoyed the juicy slab brimming with aromatic rempah.

We can tell right away that Wing Liao Lor’s lontong is packed with more veggies than some of the other ones we’ve tried – the cabbage, carrot and long bean are cooked till soft but with bite. Together with three pieces of steamed rice cake and two large pieces of tau kwa, it makes for a hearty meal.

Kenny uses lots of aromatics like lemongrass and galangal to deliver plenty of flavour to the gravy. Don’t be intimidated by its vibrant orange-hued sheen – the gravy is only slightly spicy, which balances the sweetness of the coconut milk nicely. It’s creamy and just a little runny, the way we like it.

Even though it’s not spicy at all, the tangy and sweet gravy of this mee siam packs extra oomph thanks to the use of tau cheo (fermented soya bean), dried shrimp, lemongrass and turmeric.

“I’m still finding the right balance for our mee siam gravy. Some of our older customers prefer it to be more sour, but younger folks may not like that,” shares Kenny.

Sitting in the thin gravy are bee hoon that’s blanched and coloured with chilli powder, a hard boiled egg, tau pok, fried egg floss, a dollop of sambal and a calamansi (we chose not to squeeze it). We like how the toppings – dainty squares of deep-fried tau pok and fried egg floss – add texture and flavour to the simple dish.

The stall also offers classic bar snacks like truffle fries and har cheong gai. Jacelyn tells us excitedly that the fries, in particular, have been an unexpected hit among the uncles and aunties – many told her that it was their first time trying the cafe staple.

The distinct funk of shrimp sauce was prevalent in the chicken wing, which is fried to perfection. Crispy skin gave way to tender meat that was moist and well-marinated – order this on its own or as an add-on to your nasi lemak set for an indulgent meal.

The nasi lemak sets are good, even though we think the fried curry chicken wings could do with more curry powder in its seasoning. If you prefer lighter, well-balanced flavours, you will enjoy the lontong and mee siam as well. The prices are reasonable, especially considering that Kenny prepares everything from the gravy to the sambal from scratch.

Photos: Alvin Teo

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