Memories of Hock Lam Street · A Lost Forever Food Haven of Singapore

Hock Lam Street 1977. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

"Youngsters" among us will remember Hock Lam Street 福南街, a buzzing foodie haunt in downtown Singapore. It was Singapore's shopping street before Orchard Road was a thing. However, Hock Lam Street doesn't exist anymore, not even its name.

Map of Singapore 1933. National Archives of Singapore

Hock Lam Street ran parallel and between Coleman Street and High Street.

At the northern end was the Central Fire Station on Hill Street and Adelphi Hotel was at the southern end on North Bridge Road.

Adelphi Hotel 1906. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The Adelphi 1993. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Adelphi Hotel closed in 1973 and was demolished in 1980 (it was replaced by The Adelphi shopping centre). During its heyday in the 1960s, Adelphi Hotel was the venue of many grand events and occasions. It was the place to be seen in - you know, in today's context, a place you have to post a selfie on social media.

Central Fire Station 1930. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Central Fire Station 1960. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

In many vintage photographs of Hock Lam Street, the red and white Central Fire Station building stood proudly at the end of the street.

The Central Fire Station is in this video of Hock Lam Street from the 1920s. Hock Lam Street was already very busy at that time. A rickshaw puller was having his fuel stop of rickshaw noodles.

Thankfully, the beautiful Central Fire Station still serves proudly, well into the new Millennium.

Let's go back in time and do a Hock Lam Street food trail. Do you remember any of the food stalls? Tell us more about it in the comments.

Hock Lam Street 1972. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Good morning Hock Lam Street. The stalls slowly waking up to another busy day ahead in one of Singapore's top food streets.

Hock Lam Street 1972. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Can you tell what kind of food stall was this? The hanging bundles look like fresh vegetables. Inside the glass case, it looks like a slab of roast pork belly (siew yok). A zi char stall?

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

This was a zi char stall for sure. Zi char stalls are literally "cook and fry" stalls that dish out many different noodle, rice, meat, poultry, seafood and vegetable dishes. It is like a mini restaurant with a menu that match the more upscale establishments.

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Wow look at the crowd heading to the Hock Lam Street food stalls for lunch. Hurry, hurry most office workers have only one hour or so for lunch.

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archive of Singapore

Is this more fun than an air conditioned food court, or not? What do you think?

What's for lunch?

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Char kway teow! Of course, there will always be char kway teow. 

The fried kway teow man, his name is Ah Woo, and you can still see him at Chinatown Complex running Hill Street Fried Kway Teow stall. Fifty years of frying kway teow, Ah Woo is a master of his craft and there is a long queue at his stall everyday.

I love the aroma of caramelised savoury sauces and rice noodles tossed and turned in a searing hot wok. It is called wok hei 鑊氣. There is no straightforward English translation. It could mean "breath" of the wok or "chi" (energy) of the wok, or a combination of both 😄

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Chicken rice! Every food haven in Singapore worth its salt will have a good Hainanese chicken rice stall. At that time poached chicken is more popular than fried chicken, but today it is reversed - Singaporean taste buds have changed.

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Chicken porridge and noodle stalls used to be more common than today.

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Chinese mutton soup. One of my favourite dishes (but I have never tried this stall before).

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Kembing sup (spicy Indian mutton soup) and mee goreng (spicy Indian fried noodles) are always popular. Note the sign in 4 languages - Malay, Chinese, English and Tamil - this is Singapore lah 😊

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

This looks like a yong tau foo stall.

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

The stall in the middle sold turtle soup.

Hock Lam Street 1975. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Turtle soup costs just $1 per serving back then. The hawker had his hawker's licence clearly displayed.

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

What was he selling? It looks like fried fish cakes? Or, were they fried fritters like ham chim peng, "butterfly" etc.

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

"不要拍, 不要拍". I am familiar with this - I get this "no picture, no picture" reaction in 2020 too. Auntie was selling Teochew steam kueh (cakes).

Auntie's reaction is understandable as she was likely an unlicensed hawker. The government had just launched (in 1972) a concerted effort to register every hawker and put all into hawker centres.

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archive of Singapore

Do you recognise this coffee shop? It was across Hock Lam Street from Cortina Department Store. I can see a chicken mee stall on the left. What other stalls were there? Most coffee shops have 6 to 8 food stalls and a drinks stall (ran by the coffee shop towkay or boss).

Remember those vintage white marble top round tables with ornate legs? Those pretty wooden chairs were memorable too (to me).

More on the history of Singapore kopitiam 👈 click

Hock Lam Street beef noodles

The most famous hawker stall at Hock Lam Street was arguably Hock Lam Street Beef Noodles. The brand is approaching its centennial and still going strong. 

Hock Lam Street 1974. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

What drinks were they selling?

Hock Lam Street 1977. Image credit: National Archive of Singapore

Hock Lam Street once chock-a-block with street food hawkers was cleared in 1977, waiting for the wrecking ball and bulldozers.

Hock Lam Street 1977. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

They're here (the wreckers). The beginning of the end of Hock Lam Street in 1977.

Funan Centre 1989. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Hock Lam Street and its shophouses were demolished, replaced by Funan Centre which opened in 1985. It was a gargantuan shopping centre specialising in electronics and computers.

Its name Funan 福南 is the pinyinised Mandarin Chinese version of the original Hokkien Chinese name Hock Lam.

The brick and concrete Funan Centre was itself demolished in 2016 and replaced by a monstrous size, glass and steel reincarnation in 2019.

Hock Lam Street 1977. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Hock Lam Street no longer exists, not even in name.

The only place we can still see the words 福南街 Hock Lam Street is at the beef noodle restaurant at North Canal Road run by Edwin Tan, the fourth generation of Hock Lam Street Beef Noodles.



The Hock Lam Street legacy also continues at Old Airport Road hawker centre by Francis, the third generation of Hock Lam Street Beef Noodles. (Update: Francis retired in 2022 and his stall has closed.)

Do you remember or know the whereabouts of other Hock Lam Street hawkers or their successors? Please share with us as we love to continue the Hock Lam Street hawkers' story. We love to add your memories to the story. Thank you 🙏

Hock Lam Street 1977. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Those were the days my friend.




References:

Map of Singapore 1958. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore

Written by Tony Boey on 12 Aug 2020 | Updated: 18 Nov 2023