livinghubb

By K.F.Seetoh
OK Yong Tow Foo

Address
33, Mosque Street



Opening Hours
8am-3pm
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays




When I casually mentioned to some yong tau foo devotee friends that I’ll be doing a re-visit interview of OK Yong Tau Foo, they baulked. Then the cries of “ eh, standard drop la, “,” the soup cannot make it anymore” or “last time much better” followed.

“Last time” meant their pre-present location days since 1970. Onn Kee (OK) Yong Teow Foo then operated a little hawker stall in a humble old-fashioned Hainanese coffeeshop also along Mosque Street. “Then, business was thriving because of a couple of reasons, first, the location was much better and cooler and secondly, we had access to better ingredients from the market and from Malaysia. Now, a lot of them are banned and the vegetable suppliers can’t guarantee quality because of erratic weather.” , says the resigned boss Mr Chung Ah Lay. Items like fresh pork skin, blood cakes and offals from the local abattoirs are history today.

The relegated soup quality? “Yes, it’s true too. Last time, the bones of at least 30-40 kg of fish would go into making the stock with some pork bones and soybeans. But I don’t order so much fish these days so less bone go into the soup. Since I moved here in 2002, business has been down by about 30%”.



But pick out your favourite pieces of stuffed vegetables and tofu, ask for it to be done “soup” style accompanied by mee kia with minced pork sauce, and you’ll know in an instant why they are priced in a league of their own. Their simple little rack of yong tau foo items is comfortably lit and bedecked with about 20 items each day. Their stuffing paste is made with seventy percent of fish and thirty percent of pork mince. Other than fishballs and natural items, all the ingredients are handmade with elbow grease. Say you choose an average of seven items like fishballs (soft and springy), stuffed bittergourd (not bitter and juicy), fried fish roe(dry and well freid), mushroom and minced meat wrapped in pigs caul (superbly crunchy and fresh), a slice of jellyfish(soft, resilient and crunchy), stuffed tofu and chilli (both chosen for texture and freshness). It’s going to set you back by about eleven bucks! And we’re not talking about imported caviars, shitakes and Japanese chillis.

“ It has been our pricing policy since the old days. If you want to pay $4-5, you can do so at another stall. You have a choice. But if you like our food, we have always priced it like this.”, said a straight faced Mr Chung, ingressive and unapologetic. It was already noon and the stream of regulars began to troop in. This folks did not pass by and had a craving for yong tau foo, they came just for OK Yong Tau Foo.



I have been a fan of their “high class’ yong tau foo since the seventies. I would accompany my mother to the clinic opposite their old place and a treat a their stall would follow. Then, more than 30 years ago, it was already a five dollar meal each. I agree, the stock has somewhat mellowed today but is still good as the sweeten it withchopped shallots, but the ingredients, although with less variety, is still so delightful such that you won’t mind the price( if you had the spare bucks). Try as I might, I cannot peel myself away from three items, the fried fish roe, and the mushroom minced meat wrapped in tight pig’s caul and the stuffed fried bittergourd. I get momentarily possessed and automatically pick it up. The stock becomes secondary as each beautiful piece beckons to be dunked into their other superb item, the rough and robust chilli, which comes free (that’s another story altogether!).

But the bilingual Hakka and Chinese High School old boy, who could have gone to have “regular” office jobs, took on the mantle of continuity in the family business for one very noble reason- to keep his family together. His wife and two sisters help out each day and it pleases him that they are together and happy each day, despite an occasional health hiccup.

Pushing nearly sixty, Mr Chung could have easily retired and live with his corporate banking trained children and grandkids, but he remains contented and OK with his family youg tau foo business without an heir to the family jewels.

So when time for him to call it a day, we can all say bye bye to an yong tau foo heritage that’s more than OK.