Taiwanese hawker who runs stall in Chinatown slashes menu prices, to close shop amid high rent

Several years ago, Lex Li packed his bags and left his home in Taiwan to come and work in Singapore. 

The 34-year-old eventually set up a hawker stall called Really Something at Chinatown Complex Food Centre to sell authentic Taiwanese food. 

But this will come to an end soon as Lex will be shuttering the stall by the end of the month. 

He announced the closure in a Facebook post last Wednesday (Nov 15). 

He explained that because of rising operational and rental costs, he had no choice but to close up shop. 

"We thank everyone for your longtime support," he wrote in Chinese. 

The stall will officially close on Nov 30. 

Lex also will be lowering the prices of his menu items from now till the stall's last day. 

For instance, the lu rou fan (braised pork rice), which usually costs $4.50, will now only be $3. 

The fried chicken cutlet with egg fried rice will also go from $6 to $4.80. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Lex shared that the decision was not easy. 

"Of course it is a tough decision. My passion lies in being a chef and I feel happy offering good food to people," he said. 

He also told us that apart from operational costs and rent, the GST increase and inflation have also affected his business.

In the comments, several netizens expressed their sadness about the bad news. 

In Chinese, one said: "What a shame, your food is really delicious. Thank you boss for the food." 

In another comment, a netizen wrote in Chinese: "It's really a pity. My friends and I love your chicken rice and pork chops. I wish you all the best. If you reopen elsewhere, do let us all know." 

Lex is not completely closed off from the idea of reopening somewhere else and told AsiaOne that if there is a "good opportunity", he would consider doing so. 

He worked at several restaurants before setting up shop in Chinatown 

Lex, who is from Chiayi City in southern Taiwan, moved to Singapore sometime between 2016 and 2017 because of his family and his Singaporean wife. 

He initially worked at Din Tai Fung before deciding to open Really Something in 2019. 

His menu features Taiwanese classics such as lu rou fan, fried chicken cutlet with egg rice. 

He also sells Chiayi chicken rice, which is a Taiwanese dish that is not commonly found in Singapore. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com