After 26 years in business at Jurong Point, popular roast meat joint Lai Lai Kitchen closed permanently yesterday (Aug 22). The eatery was well-known for serving wallet-friendly char siew and roast duck rice, plus wanton and dumpling noodles in a scenic corner spot in the mall.

The closure came about as Lai Lai Kitchen’s chef-owner See Kwee Tee, 68, is retiring. Speaking to 8days.sg, his daughter Susan See, 44, says his decision to retire was brought forward by Covid-19. “He would have continued for another three or four years if there was no pandemic. He tried to hang on but [the eatery] hasn’t been doing well for the six months, so he took the opportunity to retire,” she shares.

Kwee Tee’s (pictured) business fell by 50 per cent during periods with dine-in restrictions, such as the recent Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). “Even with dine-in customers, his business still dropped by 30 per cent. He was located on a higher floor and it was difficult [to attract customers] for takeaway,” says Susan. “Given his age, he wasn’t very keen to do online food delivery like GrabFood and Foodpanda. He found that it was not right to mark up [the prices for his food].”

She also explains that being a small eatery, Lai Lai Kitchen was not eligible for the subsidies offered to hawkers and restaurants: “He’s just a small cafe, so he’s stuck in between.”

In a post on Facebook group Hawkers United, Susan also thanked her father's customers for their support. Today marks our last day operating at Jurong Point after more than 20 years. The decision to cease operation wasn't an easy one to make. A place where my dad put his 101% heart and soul to provide the best quality for his customers. We might not be the best in Singapore but am sure we aren’t the worst, she wrote.

Susan, an executive assistant in the IT industry, has no plans to take over her father’s business with her older brother and sister. “Nahhh, it’s too tough for us,” she says. “You wake up at 4am and end at 10pm, work 363 days a year and only get two days off during Chinese New Year. We tried it before and it didn’t suit us. My father doesn’t want us to slog like that either.”

Lai Lai Kitchen started as a food court stall in the same mall offering herbal soup, before Kwee Tee switched to selling curry chicken. In 1995, he took up his own shop unit in Jurong Point and became known for his roast meat, which he learnt to make from a Hong Kong chef and later outsourced due to space constraint. “But he added his own spices to make it better,” says Susan.

She noted that her dad is “sad” to retire. She shares, “This morning I called him and he felt quite empty. He used to get up at 4am. But he’s also looking forward to retirement. He’s planning to go cycling and try out some food and spend more time with my mum and family.” ​​​​​​​

Photos: Wendy Ng/ Susan See