New Horse Noodles by 2 hawker brothers closing down after just 5 months
The hawker life is not for them, they admitted.
Scott Lee and Troy Lee, aged 29 and 31 respectively, traded finance jobs for a venture selling Hakka yong tau foo and Malaysian-style noodles with black sauce. However, just five months into their hawker trade, the New Horse Noodles stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre is set to close down. In a video announcement, the brothers stated that the last day would be Sunday, October 25.
They admitted to the daily Shin Min Daily News that the grueling hours were not what they envisioned. Scott, a former fintech product manager, earned between S$5,000 and S$10,000 monthly but became tired of office life and resigned in August 2025 before joining the hawker scene. Troy, a trader, had always desired to enter the catering business.
Together, they sought guidance from an 85-year-old hawker in Melaka, Malaysia, where they spent 10 days learning to make Hakka yong tau foo for free. After three months of honing their craft, their stall opened in June 2026. Initialy, Scott's parents were not on board with their entrepreneurial endeavor. The brothers, who reportedly worked 70-hour weeks each, invested S$20,000 into the business but often earned less than minimum wage.
The announcement of their impending closure has left some customers in shock, with a few regular patrons offering to help with marketing and even requesting they continue. Scott expressed gratitude for their support. Both brothers have not ruled out returning to the tech world. For those wishing to visit the stall, the brothers advised doing so before 1pm, as it operates on Saturdays through Wednesdays, serving stuffed tau kee, tau pok, bitter gourd in soup with noodles.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
