Chew Chor Meng, Dennis Chew and food blogger Miss Tam Chiak open a kopitiam together in Hougang

A new kopitiam opened on Tuesday (Jul 11) in Hougang and it has famous owners. Veteran Mediacorp actor Chew Chor Meng and Love 972 DJ Dennis Chew joined forces with food blogger Maureen Ow, better known as Miss Tam Chiak, to set up Tam Chiak Kopitiam, which they dubbed ‘‘the most trendy coffeeshop in Hougang”.

This is also the plot of Mediacorp’s Ch 8 drama 118 charmingly coming to life – Chor Meng played a kind-hearted coffeeshop operator in the popular long-running series, with Dennis acting as his son in the show.

The coffeeshop and most of its tenants had just gotten approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Monday to start operating. Chor Meng tells 8days.sg that there will be ten stalls in total, including buzzy hawker names like scrambled egg rice specialist Dan Lao and popular fishball noodle and bak chor chain Ru Ji Kitchen. Singer Hong Junyang is also opening a new Korean joint called Oppa Kitchen there.

But how did Chor Meng and Dennis, who co-own other F&B businesses including 888 Mookata, end up collaborating with Miss Tam Chiak?

Chor Meng shares that he is “very close friends” with Maureen, whom he had known for around seven years. So when he and Dennis “wanted to become kopitiam operators”, which he says is a “longtime dream” of his, he decided to rope in Maureen because he felt that “her experience (in the food industry) can help this coffeeshop”. 

In total, the kopitiam has four co-owners – Chor Meng, Dennis, Maureen and a fourth “external partner”. Chor Meng says they all have equal shares in the business and the three well-known owners are in charge of marketing.

MOD KOPITIAM

The newly-opened kopitiam features mod decor with colourful signboards and hip ambient lighting. There is no air-con, but according to Chor Meng, there are more ceiling fans to combat the hot weather and attract more customers.

The airy eatery has around 60 indoor and al-fresco seats in total.

TEN STALLS

Other than Dan Lao, Ru Ji Kitchen and Oppa Kitchen, making up the rest of the ten-stall list are outlets of existing hawker brands like De Sinn Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak Ayam Taliwang and wonton mee chain Wen Kang Ji. Patrons can also get their western food fix at Chef de Pasta, and refreshments at drinks stall Yeo Yeo Huat (a fun nod to 118 for fans of the show). Chor Meng says these brands were chosen by Maureen to be brought in, as “this area is her expertise”.

Chor Meng and Dennis’ mookata chain 888 Mookata, which has an outlet at the current coffeeshop premises before the kopitiam changed hands, will continue to operate there.

Hong Junyang is no stranger to the F&B scene – the singer owns Thai chain The Original Boat Noodle and bubble tea shop Machi Machi.

Oppa Kitchen is his latest venture. The stall is helmed by Korean chef Nick Kang, 48, who used to work at the defunct Korean restaurant Yoogane, and will sell fusion Korean-style dishes like boneless Chilli Crab Sauce Fried Chicken, Rabokki (spicy ramen noodles mixed with Korean rice cakes), Kimchi Cheese Fried Rice and Army Stew.

THERE WILL BE DESSERTS TOO

There is also a new homegrown bakery stall at Tam Chiak Kopitiam. Called Flaky Haus, it serves sweet treats like house-made pastries, cakes and doughnuts.

It is opened by insurance agent Bernard Lin, 39, and his 36-year-old wife Joyce who does the baking at the stall. According to Bernard, Joyce “learnt how to bake in France a few years back” and ran a home-based bakery called Chantilly Muffin before the couple set up their stall.

Tam Chiak Kopitiam is located at 212 Hougang Street 21, #01-349, Singapore 530212.

This story was originally published in 8Days.