If you are the type who thinks museums are boring and stuffy, try visiting “mini museums” launched by the National Heritage Board (NHB) instead.
Street Corner Heritage Galleries: Katong-Joo Chiat features six participating businesses in the area, and proves that everyday spaces and ordinary businesses can be a repository of history and heritage through displays of historical documents, photographs and artefacts.
This follows a successful pilot scheme that featured four networks of Street Corner Heritage Galleries in Balestier (2020), Kampong Gelam (2021), Little India (2022) and Chinatown (2022).
Old and new
Katong-Joo Chiat has become known for its charming blend of the old and the new, with its colourful pre-war shophouses and diverse communities co-existing with modern shopping malls and hip cafes.
Through Street Corner Heritage Galleries, visitors can discover the rich history behind six heritage businesses in the area, each with their own story of resilience, innovation and intergenerational piety.
See their “mini-museums”, a collection of cherished artefacts such as copper kueh pie tee mould and kasut manek (beaded shoes) that celebrates and documents the rich experiences of the heritage businesses.
Visitors might learn from the owners about lesser-known anecdotes behind classic delicacies or hear inspirational tales of intergenerational support and cooperation.
Here’s why they are worth a visit.
Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah: Multigenerational commitment
One of Singapore’s oldest popiah and kueh pie tee makers, Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah was founded in 1938 by Chinese immigrant Quek Tren Wen, who would rise at dawn to begin kneading the popiah dough. Turning the leftover dough into kueh pie tee shells was his Peranakan wife Tan Ah Poh’s idea.
Their 16 children also helped make the skins and fillings, which Ker Cheng Lye, their eldest son, started selling in the 1990s. Today, online sales rival walk-in traffic under third-generation steward Michael Ker, who is also developing new products.
Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah is at 95 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427389.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang: From roadside stall to Peranakan classic
Kim Choo Kueh Chang began as a stall founded by Lee Kim Cho, at the intersection of Joo Chiat Place and Everitt Road in 1945. Her generously filled Peranakan kueh changs made with her grandmother’s recipe attracted customers from across Singapore. In the 1970s, she moved to a shophouse at 60 Joo Chiat Place, where her handcrafted dumplings continue to be sold today.
Her daughter-in-law, Helen Lim, introduced mini kueh changs in 1997 and took over the business with her husband Wong Sin Min. The East Coast Road shop opened in 2003. Lim’s son Edmond Wong and his two older brothers now run the business, along with a boutique for bespoke Peranakan wear and a mini gallery.
Kim Choo Kueh Chang is at 111 East Coast Rd, #109, Singapore 428801 (with another branch at 60 Joo Chiat Place).
Joo Chiat Fei Fei Wanton Noodle House: Satisfying bites
Founded 70 years ago by Chinese immigrant Chan Sin Yam, who arrived in Singapore in 1922, Joo Chiat Fei Fei Wanton Noodle House is famous for its springy handmade egg noodles, homemade char siew and special chilli sauce.
Chan honed his skills at a noodle factory. After the war, he and his sons sold cooked noodles in Joo Chiat. Lim Loon Huat, his grandson, would announce their arrival and take orders on his bicycle.
In the 1970s, he opened the Joo Chiat shop he named Fei Fei after his chubby grandsons. Upon his passing in 2000, Lim became its third-generation owner. Adding new dishes like chicken cutlet noodles and yong tau foo, he relocated Fei Fei to its current address in 2023.
Joo Chiat Fei Fei Wanton Noodle House is at 45 Joo Chiat Pl, Singapore 427769.
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant: Celebrating Peranakan food
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant, whose patrons included Lee Kuan Yew, was established by Yap Chee Quee, who arrived from Hainan in 1918. Even though he wasn’t Peranakan, he honed his cooking skills as a housekeeper for Peranakan families. Later, he opened a coffee shop in Joo Chiat Road. When Peranakan families learned of his cooking, they had him and his son Kow Soon prepare lavish Tok Panjang (long-table feasts) in their homes.
In 1953, Yap opened a larger restaurant at 214 Joo Chiat Road and named it Guan Hoe Soon after his three sons. Kow Soon inherited the business. His daughter, Jenny, took over in 2009, moving the restaurant to 200 Joo Chiat Road in 2022. It serves authentic Peranakan cuisine, while introducing other creations like kueh salat.
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant is at 200 Joo Chiat Rd, #01-01, Singapore 427471.
Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh: Steaming-hot till the last spoonful
In 1981, sisters Tey Chui Hua and Siew Hua opened two stalls named Sin Heng Bak Koot Teh in two Bedok coffee shops. With their older sister Sue Hua, as well as Sue Hua and Siew Hua’s respective husbands Andy Soo and Lim See Kuang, they opened their Joo Chiat restaurant in 1983.
To differentiate itself from other bak kut teh spots, Sin Heng used claypots to maintain the heat of the broth until the very last drop. Besides their signature dish, Sin Heng serves zi char dishes, too. Now run by the second generation, patrons still look forward to its tender ribs in a fragrant broth that has not changed.
Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh is at 439 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427652.
D’Bun: Traditional treats and novel creations
Established by Lee Mimi in 1991, D’Bun’s confections and snacks are very popular. A lover of good food, Lee opened her first stall in Parkway Parade’s basement selling baos and other snacks.
Eventually, D’Bun expanded into a full-fledged bakery, where Lee launched her hand-cut, lotus-shaped longevity buns. After the Nipah virus reduced pork bao sales in 1999, she began offering festive treats, including durian-filled koi-shaped confections, Chinese zodiac animal buns, and mooncakes. Using modern flavours and fresh twists to culinary traditions, she and her daughter Serena continue to innovate offerings.
D’Bun is at 358 Joo Chiat Rd, Singapore 427603.
For more information on NHB’s Street Corner Heritage Galleries: Katong-Joo Chiat, visit go.gov.sg/schgkatongjoochiat.
