Come March, fans of pork offal soup will have one less spot to patronise as a famous stall in Jalan Besar closes after 15 years.
Authentic Mun Chee Kee King of Pig’s Organ Soup has announced that its last day of operations will be on Feb 28.
Its owner, David Tan, cited slowing business and rising costs as the reasons for closure.
“Business fell by 35 per cent after moving to the new location. Operating costs continued to rise… This made me realise that it may be time to let go and spend my time doing something else,” he told Shin Min Daily News.
The eatery, which opened at 207 Jalan Besar in 2011, relocated to 65 Maude Road in 2024 after the authorities found that its kitchen wall was at risk of collapsing.
Authentic Mun Chee Kee is now a stone’s throw away from its former address.
While David is reluctant to part with the business that he’s been running for 15 years, he’s open to speaking with those interested in taking over the reins, Shin Min reported on Tuesday (Feb 3).
Authentic or not?
In 2014, David invited Chua Lam to try the eatery’s pig’s organ soup after the late Hong Kong food critic said Singapore’s version of the dish was not authentic, Makansutra reported.
Chua Lam, however, did not change his stance after tasting the food.
The food critic took two mouthfuls of the dish before stopping, saying that it should’ve been called “pork soup” as it lacked ingredients such as pig’s blood and didn’t have enough offal.
Despite that, David is grateful to Chua Lam, attributing his eatery’s popularity to the food critic.
“While we did not gain his approval, it led to more customers getting to know of us and enjoying the taste of our food,” he told Shin Min.
The food critic’s death last year also made David realise that life is short, and that he should spend his time doing what he loves.
Food feud
Authentic Mun Chee Kee King of Pig’s Organ Soup is not to be confused with Cheng Mun Chee Kee Pig Organ Soup at Foch Road.
According to HungryGoWhere, the former is run by its current owner, who bought over the business with help from Chow Mun Chee, the original creator of the recipe. The latter is a separate business run by Mun Chee’s family members since 1973.
Cheng Mun Chee Kee Pig Organ Soup focuses mainly on pig’s organ soup.
Authentic Mun Chee Kee King of Pig’s Organ Soup, on the other hand, offers an expanded menu including popular dishes such as sesame chicken, chive omelette and braised pork trotters.
AsiaOne has reached out to Authentic Mun Chee Kee King of Pig’s Organ Soup for more information.
Address: 65 Maude Road, #01-01, Singapore 208347
Opening hours: 10.30am to 3.30am daily
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carol.ong@asiaone.com
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