Ah Pui Satay, the illegal pushcart satay stall from the 1980s, has reopened
Back in Nov 2022, I had announced the closure of Ah Pui Tiong Bahru Satay due to the poor health of the owner, Mr Ang Boon Ee. Well, loyal supporters… here’s a piece of good news! Mr Ang is back in the hawker business and has laid roots at Blk 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh Food Centre on 12 Apr 2024.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit the history of this stall, shall we?
From the 1980s until the early 2010s, Mr Ang, nicknamed ‘Uncle Ah Pui’, was known for unlawfully peddling his wooden pushcart, selling old-school Hainanese satay throughout the Tiong Bahru district without a license.
It wasn’t until he received his 4th fine from the local authorities, that he decided to take a break. Then in 2018, his famed meat skewers made a comeback at the now-defunct 195 Pearl Hill Cafe. Finally, In Jun 2021, Ah Pui Tiong Bahru Satay was established at an air-conditioned eatery at Smith Street, Chinatown.
The new Toa Payoh hawker stall is manned by none other than Mr Ang himself, along with his protege and 2 other helpers.
Unlike other stalls that also offer chicken and mutton options, Ah Pui Satay strictly only serves Pork Satay (S$1 per stick, min. 10 sticks) together with BBQ Prawn (S$2.50 per stick, min. 3 sticks). For those unaware, the Pork Satay used to sell for S$1.20 per stick during its Chinatown eatery days.
Rice cake, aka, ketupat is going at 80 cents each. The dipping peanut sauce also includes pineapple puree, a rarity in today’s offerings.
Some would argue that for a hawker stall, the price point might be a little steep at S$10 for 10 sticks.
However, in my opinion, considering that these satays are not bought from a supplier and are all marinated in-house and skewered by-hand, it justifies the higher-than-usual pricing. What’s more, the size is larger than that of other satay stalls.
For die-hard fans who have been savouring Mr Ang’s satays since the good ol’ Tiong Bahru days, swing by to Ah Pui Satay at Toa Payoh and let me know if the standard is still the same. To prevent disappointment, it’s advisable to arrive earlier since the response has been very positive (just a friendly heads-up!).
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