GEORGE TOWN, July 15 — More than 50 years ago, Tan Chooi Hong was just a helper at a hawker stall when he decided to try coming up with his own version of char koay teow.
Over the years, through trial and error, Tan perfected his koay teow (flat rice noodles) frying skills as he travelled around George Town in his push cart selling the dish.
“I can’t remember when I started my own stall but it has been many years, most probably over 50 years,” he said.
He said he learnt to fry koay teow on his own so that he could start his own stall.
“Those days, I didn’t have anyone to teach me, I had to learn to do it on my own,” he said.
At some point over the years, Tan chose to be based on Siam Road and Anson Road.
He would be at Siam Road from noon to evening and at night, he’d move the stall to Anson Road.
Up to about 10 years ago, Tan’s stall was just one of many other char koay teow stalls all around George Town.
In the past, he would stay open till 11pm with hardly any crowd. It was only after Tan’s stall became so well-known that he frequently sold out by 6pm; only then did he stop operating till late night.
His meteoric rise to fame in these recent years, mostly due to social media and word-of-mouth, was something unexpected for the 77-year-old.
“The crowd has been crazy,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Tan also used to tell his customers to stop spreading the word about his stall — popularly known as the Siam Road char koay teow — because he can’t cope with the crowd.
Early this year, Tan closed his stall to take a long break. Rumours were flying about his health and many believed that he had finally retired.
It turned out though that the break was so Tan’s son, Kean Huat, could look for their own place instead of remaining by the roadside.
On July 6, the famous Siam Road char koay teow opened for business at their new coffee shop, just a few metres from their previous spot by the road.
Today, Chooi Hong and Kean Huat take turns to fry the koay teow. “We now take turns so we both can rest in between,” he said.
Chooi Hong’s stall was ranked 14th in the top 50 list at the World Street Food Congress 2017 in Manila.
Unlike many other stalls that have switched to gas, the Tans still use charcoal fire for the char koay teow which gives the noodles an added smokiness.
Those who want to try his char koay teow will have to be prepared to wait upwards of three hours as the queues are phenomenal.
The Tans’ coffee shop also has a laksa stall. Tip: Have some laksa while you wait!
82, Siam Road,
George Town.
Time: 12pm-6pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
