Fatty's Legend of Albert Street • Closing on 27 Jun 2026 after 100 Years • Always Do Good Things ☎ 6338 1087

Wing Seong Fatty's Restaurant of Albert Street Singapore, the legendary centenarian closes for good on 27 Jun 2026.

I joined kaki kaki for dinner at Wing Seong Fatty's before the well loved institution's final farewell. Lots of people were here for Fatty's last hurrah.

Fatty's have an air conditioned indoor section and an al fresco section.

Many of Fatty's fans have always preferred the al fresco section like the old days at Albert Street (even during the current heat wave 🥵 ).

Fatty Au Chan Seng was actually the second generation. Fatty's father Au Yuen started the two-storey restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine at Albert Street in 1926.

Along Albert Street, which was a chaotic food paradise with around 60 popular street hawker stalls and restaurants, only Fatty Au Chan Seng could speak fluent, impeccable English. Fatty was a Saint Joseph Institution alumni.

He was also an excellent chef but most importantly, Fatty was a man with a good heart. His motto was "always do good things" and he was blessed many fold in return.

During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945, Fatty and his father would at great risk to themselves discreetly slipped food and cigarettes to starving Australian prisoners of war doing forced labour near their restaurant at Albert Street.

Many of these grateful soldiers returned to visit Fatty after the war. The ex-prisoners of war asked how they could repay Fatty. Fatty simply said, just tell people about his cooking.

Some of these ex-prisoners became air crew of Quantas, Australia's national airline. Fatty's became popular with Quantas crew and Fatty's reputation spread worldwide. British Airways, Emirates and other major airline crews called on Fatty's whenever they stopped over Singapore on the Kangaroo Route (between Sydney / Melbourne and London).

The astute chef was attuned to preferences of his international customers and offered them an "Omakase" of sorts. Meals at Fatty's were always delicious, satisfying, and Fatty never shortchanged his customers (never taking advantage of their trust and unfamiliarity with Cantonese cuisine).

Wing Seong Restaurant at Albert Street in 1986. After sixty years, in 1987 Wing Seong Fatty's moved into Albert Complex.

By that time, at least six other unrelated stalls and restaurants assumed the Fatty Wing moniker to take advantage of Fatty's fame.

Fatty Au Chan Seng in his usual charitable style, shrugged it off with a "live and let live" attitude.

In 1999, Fatty's moved here at Bencoolen Street and handed over the reins to Skinny, his son Au Kok Wing. Skinny because Kok Wing is built lean unlike his rotund father.

Fatty's was still using this simple menu when we visited in Jun 2026.

Fatty's menu was extensive with over 100 dishes and they were the same for 100 years, since 1926.

Amazing isn't it? The same dishes and taste for 100 years.

Fried kway teow with gravy 什锦河粉.

Truth be told, I ate at Fatty's only once before, in 1997. I remember the date clearly because it was to celebrate our class' return from training in Australia.

Pardon me that I could only remember the great experience, and the wonderful hor fun (rice noodles). The heady wok hei was still there today. The meaty prawns were huge, shelled, de-veined, crunchy to the bite and rich with natural umami and sweetness.

Fatty's uses only fresh prawns from the start, never frozen or quick-freeze nonsense.

Shark fin with crab meat 蟹璜鱼翅.

Braised abalone 红烧鲍鱼.

Steamed threadfin fish tail 魚尾 Cantonese style.

Fried prawns with oats 麦片虾球. Skinny's daughter's favourite dish at Fatty's.

Sliced fish Indonesian style. (Fatty's also have this dish done with chicken.)

Sweet and sour pork 咕噜肉.

Chili kang kong 叁峇应菜 (spicy water spinach).

We enjoyed every dish we had. Despite the crushing crowd here for their last hurrah, we thoroughly enjoyed their well executed food. I can still feel the palpable pride in every dish served as if the late Fatty was present. The flavours reminded me of how it was like, back to that evening in 1997.

Fatty's restaurant may close but let's make sure his legend and story live on long into the future.

Thank you Fatty Wing and family.