Former Hilton Hotel chef opens Uncle Ah Teck’s Noodle House selling laksa in Chinatown

There’s a new laksa stall at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, and it’s causing quite a stir among those in the know.

Despite being tucked away in the quieter section of the hawker centre’s Green Zone, Uncle Ah Teck’s Noodle House has been drawing healthy queues since its opening on Oct 25.

The man behind the stall is Tan Kim Teck, better known as Uncle Ah Teck, a 70-year-old former hotel chef who spent more than four decades at the former Hilton Hotel, now known as Voco Orchard.

Once a fixture at Hilton/Voco hotel's coffee house, his noodles were so well-loved by guests that management named the noodle station after him – Uncle Ah Teck’s Noodle House – a rare honour for any chef.

He shared that even prominent guests and billionaire tycoon Ong Beng Seng, whose company Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) owns the hotel, were fans of his food and would check if he was on duty before dropping by for a meal.

When Uncle Ah Teck left the hotel in October this year to start a hawker business, the hotel management – which he describes as “very good” to him – let him use the “Uncle Ah Teck” name for his stall and even take the signboard with him.

Today, it is proudly displayed at his Chinatown stall, where he serves the same laksa that once delighted hotel guests and won him countless thank you notes and loyal fans.

"FELT PRESSURE WHEN THEY NAMED IT AFTER ME"

Before becoming a hawker, Uncle Ah Teck spent 42 years at the hotel, starting as a chef at its Chinese restaurant Inn of Happiness in 1983 before moving to the coffee house in 1994. There, he ran the noodle station and became known for his rotating menu of laksa, prawn noodles and lor mee.

“Customers said all my noodles are good,” he told 8days.sg with a smile.

When the noodle counter was first named after him in 2020, he admits he “felt a lot of pressure”.

“If I don’t cook well and customers complain, it’s very difficult for me to explain,” he said. “But as a chef, you must first want to eat your own food before serving others.”

That pride and precision carried him through decades of service. Over time, “Uncle Ah Teck’s Noodle House” became a highlight at the hotel’s coffee house, with guests leaving glowing reviews.

“Some asked if I was specially hired to cook noodles, some even asked if I had a stall outside as it was odd for a hotel to put a chef’s name on a sign,” he laughed.

STILL EVERY BIT THE HOTEL CHEF

He’s proud of his background and still carries himself like a hotel chef. He runs the stall dressed in crisp chef’s whites, complete with a name tag that reads “Uncle Ah Teck”. The tall chef’s toque? Only for our photoshoot, he quipped.

“Us chefs, if we wear plain clothes, we feel like we are not chefs. Must be clean, neat, presentable,” he explained.

“I don’t feel warm wearing my uniform as my stall has good ventilation.”

At the stall, a monitor screen plays a loop of photos and mementos from his hotel days – snapshots with guests, handwritten thank-you notes, and accolades like his Long Service and Kindness Awards. We even spotted a snap of him with Ong Beng Seng.

WHY START A HAWKER BUSINESS AT 70 YEARS OLD?

Uncle Ah Teck might have happily continued cooking at the hotel if not for his 44-year-old son who only wanted to be known as G.

He had been toying with the idea of starting his own hawker stall for a couple of years but never acted on it until G, who works in logistics, tried his laksa earlier this year.

“My son loves my laksa. He told me, you cannot get this taste elsewhere,” shared Uncle Ah Teck. “If I didn’t open this stall, I’d probably work at the hotel until I am 71,” he added, noting that the hotel threw him a farewell party when he left.

Encouraged by his son, he took the plunge. G invested about S$20,000 (US$15,300) to get it off the ground. Uncle Ah Teck would run the business, while G, who has no F&B experience, learned the ropes.

“I told him, when the business takes off, he can take over. I’m old, I want to retire. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just shut it,” said Uncle Ah Teck matter-of-factly.

The first week was rough. Unlike at the hotel, Uncle Ah Teck had to do everything himself, from food prep to cooking and washing dishes and the stall. By the time he got home, it was around 9pm.

Now that he has a stall assistant, things are easier. “In fact, I work shorter hours here than at the hotel. I used to start work at 4am at the hotel, now I wake up at 5am,” he said.

He’s since settled into the routine and has no complaints. “I’ve gotten used to it and don’t feel tired. If I don’t work, I’ll be bored at home. It’s not good to just do nothing at home.”

As for a pay cut? Barely noticeable, it seems.

“Honestly, even though I have worked at the hotel for decades, my salary wasn’t very high because I don’t want to be a head chef. They wanted to promote me but I declined – once you rise up the ranks, you lose your freedom,” he shared.

“I prefer to have less responsibilities. When time’s up, I knock off. I don’t want to think so much. If this business does well, I’m confident that I can make more than I did at the hotel.”

Ilsa Chan