Famous rickshaw noodles stall at Maxwell Food Centre quietly closes down, was popular for its $1 noodles

After being in the local hawker scene for nearly 80 years, the legendary Zhong Guo Jie Re Shi, known to many foodies as China Street Rickshaw Noodles, has quietly closed down.  

In a post on Facebook group Can Eat! Hawker Food, user Larry Lai shared that "the stall is no more". 

According to Larry, Soh Pho Tee, the owner of the stall has given it up. 

He also shared an image of the bare storefront with its iconic signboard torn down. 

Despite being located right smack in the bustling Central Business District (CBD), China Street Rickshaw Noodle sold its rickshaw noodles for just a dollar.  

An upsized bowl wasn't that much more expensive either, only setting diners back by $1.50. 

Other than that, the stall had a range of other noodle offerings such as mee sua and bee hoon, all of which also cost $1 for a small bowl and $1.50 for a large bowl. 

It also sold a variety of fried snacks such as nuggets, luncheon meat and ngoh hiang (deep-fried meat rolls). 

Zhong Guo Jie Re Shi was established in 1943 by Pho Tee's mother, who first sold the noodles at China Street to raise her six kids, Pho Tee, who is now in her seventies, told The New Paper. 

In 1978, Pho Tee's mother moved the stall to Maxwell and passed on the reins to her.

Would you believe that the noodles actually used to be cheaper? Apparently, in June 2016, Pho Tee increased the prices from 80 cents to a dollar. 

"I had to no choice, the prices of my supplies were going up," she said back then. 

She also shared that she would like to keep the prices low for as long as possible and evidently, she has kept to her word.

For the uninitiated, rickshaw noodles is dish that was named after the rickshaw pullers that plied the streets of Singapore from the 1880s to the 1940s as it was a popular meal for them as they plied their routes.

It's traditionally made from yellow Hokkien noodles that are stewed in a thick pork broth and topped with garnishes like fried garlic and shallots. 

melissateo@asiaone.com