✍ 9 Mar 2019. In old Singapore, pasar malam and wayang (stage opera shows) were fairly common in town and in the heartlands. Where there were pasar malam and wayang, there were gao lak or roasted chestnut stalls. It was a popular portable snack. Nowadays, gao lak (侯栗 in Hokkien, 栗子 in Mandarin) stalls are rare in Singapore. One of the last ones left is at the Chinatown Trengganu Street food stalls.
Truth be told, I passed here many times but didn't notice Uncle Ah Orh's little gao lak stall at the corner. (Ah Orh's surname is Toh but he doesn't share his full name.)
I am glad that I gave Uncle Ah Orh's gao lak a try as they were delicious. The soft firm nut was sweet with a tasty smokey taste. The taste and smell brought me back in an instant to the pasar malam and wayang at the carpark at Toa Payoh Lorong 5 where I lived till my teens in 1970s Singapore. (The car park is still there today, though my HDB block had long been demolished.)
Uncle Ah Orh has been selling roasted chestnuts since the 1970s (that's nearly 50 years ago). He said selling 侯栗 gao lak is a dying trade as the hard work isn't very lucrative. Indeed, there are very few gao lak stalls left in Singapore - I know of none other than Uncle Ah Orh's stall (called Bugis 102 Roasted Chestnut as Bugis Street was where he started).
Ah Orh's unlicensed push cart stall used to be at old Bugis Street, the infamous wild entertainment hub of old Singapore. Ah Orh used to run a thriving business as many locals and tourists come to Bugis Street for the food, street markets, night market, spontaneous nightly street parties, wayang and Kwan Inn temple. Even Teresa Teng came to his gao lak stall in old Bugis. Ah Orh moved to Chinatown after Bugis Street was
The raw chestnuts imported from China are roasted with sugar at 300℃ in coarse sand in a gas fired drum.
Ah Orh used to turn the chestnuts in the hot sand at 100 turns a minute. Now he is older, the motorised stirrer does most of the elbow work. Ah Orh said the motor stirrer is a godsend as it never tires, so it is more consistent and reduces burnt or bursted chestnuts (which would mean losses to him). Not to mention, it allows ageing Ah Orh to carry on his trade for a few more years.
Recommended for you 👍 One of the last places in Singapore to taste this tasty traditional street snack. Besides in Chinatown, where else can we get gao lak in Singapore?
Restaurant name: Bugis 102 Roasted Chestnuts
Address: Trengganu Street, Chinatown, Singapore
GPS: 1°16'56.5"N 103°50'37.7"E 🌐 1.282360, 103.843818
Nearest MRT: 5 minutes walk from Chinatown station
Hours: 12:00 noon to 8:00pm
Date visited: 7 Mar 2019
Thank you for this post! Much appreciated!
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