✍ 21 Aug 2025. "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.
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 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 check-in and post a selfie on social media.
In many vintage photographs of Hock Lam Street, the red and white Central Fire Station building stood proudly at the end of the street. Hock Lam Street was always very busy, chock a block with street food stalls.
EXTORTION FROM HAWKERS. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 10 October 1930, Page 20
A street hawker's life has always been hard. In addition to facing ingredient suppliers, and customers, they had to face thugs collecting "protection money" as well as even rogue policemen who extorted their own "protection money" too.
Hawkers fined The Straits Times, 7 March 1954, Page 5
Street food hawkers also faced fines for illegal hawking.
The Central Fire Station is in this video of Hock Lam Street from the 1920s. A rickshaw puller was having his fuel stop of rickshaw noodles.
A BELLICOSE PULLER. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly), 10 April 1929, Page 8
Just another day at colourful Hock Lam Street.
Hock Lam Street is gone but 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 (just before it was demolished in 1977). Do you remember any of the food stalls? Tell us more about them in the comments.
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?
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.
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 😄
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.
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 😊
"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 steamed 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.
Do you recognise this coffee shop? It was across Hock Lam Street from Cortina Department Store. I can see a chicken mee / noodle 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 dark, hardwood legs? Those pretty wooden chairs were memorable too (to me).
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.
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 🙏
Inside the coffee shop was a beef ball with clear soup stall. The sons have stalls in Gar Lok Eating House at 217 Syed Alwi Road and 153 Joo Chiat Road (now closed).
At night there was a Cantonese Beef Brisket noodle stall in Hock Lam St too...
there is a dim sum restaurant somewhere there, don't know the name. My dad used to bring me to school at ACPS and go there to buy a big pao for me for breakfast. Also, i recall there are push carts selling lotus seed paste as desserts.
I remember the char kuay teow fried with tiny oysters. They don't do it like this anymore. The drink stall at the entrance of the road, famous for its home-made lemon drink and bottled lemon juice concentrate for sale.
My relative neighbour, their secret recipe was added Assam / Tamarind on this drink which was dark in colour. I think it was preserved lime/ calamari(sng kum)
In 1965 to 1975, I stayed in Hock Lam street 29B (Level 3). My downstairs shophouse is a barber shop. I recognised the Chinese fritters hawker and Char Kway Teow assistant, he used to bully me when I was less than 10 years old. I am very interested to know more about the whereabout of those hawkers and those small boys that previously stayed there. I am now 56 years old and had fond memories of my childhood days there.
Thank you very much for the valuable insights. I understand the char kway teow stall is now called Hill Street Char Kway Teow and it is located in the Yellow Zone of Chinatown Complex Food Centre. The owner of Hill Street Char Kway Teow could be the boy you are looking for. Hope you can find your childhood friend.
Hi, I am KG Yip, I lived opposite you, below the laundry shop, @ 11A Hock Lam Street. My parents stall, Roast meat and chicken rice was just beside the barber shop. There was time when I worked with someone at a construction from your unit. Not sure if it is you.
There was a stall that sold delicious Teochew raw fish, served with home-made pickled vegetables and tangerine dip. It was one of the stalls that stayed till almost the end..
Hihi, thanks for the memories. There was a Malay stall selling mee rebus with satay gravy..the best. Shortly after that, I went away to London. Don't know what became of that stall or where the business was relocated.
Used to teach in ACPS then. After school we will head to Hock Lam Street for our lunch. Never forget the beef noodle, chay keow and other stalls. Missed the sumptuous food.
Many of us graduated from ACPS and moved on to ACS (BR) or elsewhere. I was in ACPS from 1962 to 1967, in ACS (BR) from 1968 to 1971. It was hard to get into ACPS and my neighbour queued up for me to get in to Primary One. Yip KG
Playground and makan place to be during late 60s to 70s as my father’s tailor shop was at nearby Armenian St. Others nearby was Waterloo St, Bugis St, Hill St and North Bridge Rd.
In the 60’s every time during school holidays I would spend time in my father’s shop at Adelphi Hotel and my Dad would bring me to Hock Lam St for the awesome beef noodles. It was a great time with my Dad. Thanks for the fond memories.
Inside the coffee shop was a beef ball with clear soup stall. The sons have stalls in Gar Lok Eating House at 217 Syed Alwi Road and 153 Joo Chiat Road (now closed).
ReplyDeleteAt night there was a Cantonese Beef Brisket noodle stall in Hock Lam St too...
Thank you for the information 👍
Deletethere is a dim sum restaurant somewhere there, don't know the name. My dad used to bring me to school at ACPS and go there to buy a big pao for me for breakfast. Also, i recall there are push carts selling lotus seed paste as desserts.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight. 👍
DeleteI remember the char kuay teow fried with tiny oysters. They don't do it like this anymore. The drink stall at the entrance of the road, famous for its home-made lemon drink and bottled lemon juice concentrate for sale.
ReplyDeleteMy relative neighbour, their secret recipe was added Assam / Tamarind on this drink which was dark in colour. I think it was preserved lime/ calamari(sng kum)
DeleteIn 1965 to 1975, I stayed in Hock Lam street 29B (Level 3). My downstairs shophouse is a barber shop. I recognised the Chinese fritters hawker and Char Kway Teow assistant, he used to bully me when I was less than 10 years old. I am very interested to know more about the whereabout of those hawkers and those small boys that previously stayed there. I am now 56 years old and had fond memories of my childhood days there.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the valuable insights. I understand the char kway teow stall is now called Hill Street Char Kway Teow and it is located in the Yellow Zone of Chinatown Complex Food Centre. The owner of Hill Street Char Kway Teow could be the boy you are looking for. Hope you can find your childhood friend.
DeleteHi, I am KG Yip, I lived opposite you, below the laundry shop, @ 11A Hock Lam Street. My parents stall, Roast meat and chicken rice was just beside the barber shop. There was time when I worked with someone at a construction from your unit. Not sure if it is you.
DeleteThere was a stall that sold delicious Teochew raw fish, served with home-made pickled vegetables and tangerine dip. It was one of the stalls that stayed till almost the end..
ReplyDeleteHihi, thanks for the memories. There was a Malay stall selling mee rebus with satay gravy..the best. Shortly after that, I went away to London. Don't know what became of that stall or where the business was relocated.
ReplyDeleteUsed to teach in ACPS then. After school we will head to Hock Lam Street for our lunch. Never forget the beef noodle, chay keow and other stalls. Missed the sumptuous food.
ReplyDeleteWhen was this, may I ask? I went to school at ACPS from 1966 to 1971.
DeleteMany of us graduated from ACPS and moved on to ACS (BR) or elsewhere. I was in ACPS from 1962 to 1967, in ACS (BR) from 1968 to 1971. It was hard to get into ACPS and my neighbour queued up for me to get in to Primary One. Yip KG
DeleteSuch a fitting song to go along with this historical post. Thank you for doing the research for us to remember the good memories.
ReplyDeletePlayground and makan place to be during late 60s to 70s as my father’s tailor shop was at nearby Armenian St. Others nearby was Waterloo St, Bugis St, Hill St and North Bridge Rd.
ReplyDeleteThe first drink stall was fermented lime drink stall. Don't get them anÿmore
ReplyDeleteChinatown complex has 2 hill street char kuay teow stalls.
ReplyDeleteIn the 60’s every time during school holidays I would spend time in my father’s shop at Adelphi Hotel and my Dad would bring me to Hock Lam St for the awesome beef noodles. It was a great time with my Dad. Thanks for the fond memories.
ReplyDeleteThe drinks stall sold a dried longan drink. They called it mata kucing. My favourite.
ReplyDelete