Remembering 'Ah Po': Leong Yuet Meng, beloved owner of popular Nam Seng wanton noodle stall, dies at age 94
She leaves behind a culinary legacy spanning over six decades, from the old National Library to Far East Square to Toa Payoh North
SINGAPORE —The owner of the well-loved Nam Seng Noodle House hawker stall, Leong Yuet Meng, fondly known to her customers as "Ah Po" or "Granny", has died at the age of 94.
Her stall announced her passing via a Facebook post on Wednesday (7 Feb), expressing gratitude for her years of service, "She has fed us her wanton mee with warmth, love, and fiery personality. She will be dearly missed. Let us celebrate her life."
Leong, believed to be one of Singapore's oldest hawkers, first operated her stall in 1962 with her late husband at the old National Library canteen along Stamford Road, according to the Nam Seng Noodle House website.
Leong Yuet Meng's culinary legacy
For more than 40 years, the stall gained immense popularity for their delicious wanton mee and beef hor fun, before the library building was demolished in 2004. The Straits Times reported that throughout her tenure, Leong passed on her culinary skills to around five individuals, all of whom retired before her.
Conversant primarily in Cantonese, Leong eventually relocated her stall to Far East Square after the closure of the old National Library. However, amid the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nam Seng ceased operations in 2020.
In April 2022, Leong reopened Nam Seng for business, this time in a coffee shop named Che Kitchen in Toa Payoh North.
Outpouring of tributes
Comments flooded in on the Nam Seng Facebook post. User Roger Loh wrote, "When I worked at SMRT from 1992 to 1994, we practically ate at her stall at National Library every other day. I miss her as well as the library."
Another user, David Wong, posted, "We have lost a legend! I always had fond memories whenever I visited her stall, and her delicious dishes (wanton noodles, beef hor fun, fried rice) always filled me up and recharged me.
"Deepest condolences to you and loved ones."
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