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Hawker couple with 'rivals to lovers' story to retire from running Botak Cantonese Porridge

Hawker couple with 'rivals to lovers' story to retire from running Botak Cantonese Porridge
[Right[ Ivy Lim and Ngoh Jook Guan, who had set up Botak Cantonese Porridge together, will soon be planning for their retirement.
PHOTO: Botak Cantonese Porridge

After toiling hard at work, the family behind popular hawker stall Botak Cantonese Porridge are finally going on a much-needed vacation to Yunnan. 

This means that their working hours will be affected. 

"While we're away, we kindly ask for your patience and understanding as our staff will be working hard to serve you despite being understaffed without us," Hwee Yi, the daughter of the elderly owners, wrote in a Facebook post on the page Hawkers United - Dabao 2020 on Tuesday (April 30). 

"Your support means the world to us, and we truly appreciate your understanding during this time."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@botakporridge/photo/7363564407927950610?embed_source=121374463%2C121409638%2C121404359%2C121351166%2C121[/embed]

But that isn't the only big news the family has to share. 

On top of that, Hwee Yi revealed that her parents, Ngoh Jook Guan and Ivy Lim, will begin planning for their retirement. 

No further details were revealed, though, about what their retirement plans would mean for the business and who would take over. 

"Thank you for being a part of our journey!" she concluded. 

AsiaOne has reached out to the family for more details. 

In the comments of the Facebook post, netizens congratulated the couple and told them to have a safe and fun trip to Yunnan. 

From rivals to lovers 

Seeing how affectionate Jook Guan and Ivy are with each other on social media, it's hard to believe that they once used to be rival hawkers from different stalls. 

Over a decade ago, Jook Guan was selling mixed vegetable rice while Ivy was running a porridge stall at Golden Mile Hawker Centre.

And this year, they will have been married for 12 years. 

Eventually, they set up Botak Cantonese Porridge together at The Hawker Centre @ Our Tampines Hub. 

According to posts on their social media, the couple opened their second outlet at One Punggol Community Centre in November 2022. 

ALSO READ: Elderly owners of well-loved Ng Soon Kee Fish & Duck Porridge to retire after 65 years, looking for successor

melissateo@asiaone.com 

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