If you are a fan of 88 Katong Laksa, this might be your last chance to grab a bowl of their noodles before they are gone for good.
The popular hawker stall will be closing on March 29, stall owner Charlie Soh announced in the Facebook group Hawkers United – Dabao 2020 on Thursday (March 19).
Charlie, 74, said that he and his wife Irene have made the “painful decision” to shutter the stall due to their health concerns.
He has been battling Stage 4 cancer for years, while Irene is recovering from second-degree burns on her hands that she got while working at the hawker stall, he explained.
His wife also underwent knee replacement surgery a few months ago, Charlie added.
Thanking customers for supporting the hawker stall, the owners added that they look forward to continue serving their laksa until the last day.
Charlie’s post received words of encouragement and support from old and current customers.
One comment read: “Thank you for the many years of delicious laksa. Happy retirement.”
“Thank you for the delicious laksa all these years. Sad and happy for you both,” another netizen wrote.
“Sad because each day our senior and wonderful hawkers are closing one by one and we are losing the original taste, resilience and hardworking people of Singapore.”
“Happy because after all the years of hard work serving delicious food, you deserve a much-needed rest.”
“I wish and pray that you have a wonderful retirement and recover your energy. Stay healthy and stay well.”
Some netizens, however, pointed out that this was more of a “forced closure” rather than retirement and expressed sadness that 88 Katong Laksa has joined a long list of hawker stalls that closed down.
Opened stall while battling cancer
Charlie opened 88 Katong Laksa at Circuit Road Hawker Centre after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
He wished for his wife to have a chance at earning a stable source of income in the event of his death.
Over the years, the elderly man had been in and out of hospital multiple times and would often document his experiences on Facebook.
Aside from its specialty — Katong Laksa — the stall also serves local favourites such as chicken curry and fishball noodles.
Address: 79 Circuit Road, Singapore 370079
Opening hours: 8am to 8pm daily till March 29, closed on March 23
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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