Rochor Original Beancurd
“Do you and your family eat Tau Huey?”
“Mmm… not really, but I guess I could get some,” I pondered for a bit. My fondest memory of beancurd is probably from my primary school days when my mum would come back from the wet market with a warm, comforting tub of beancurd over the weekends.
Fast forward to my army days; this wasn’t the best time of my life. Holding up my semi-drunk army mates while they steadied themselves in between cigarettes as we staggered along the alley of Rochor.
I remember how this space always burst to life at night or over the weekends when people came to patronize the nightlife joints surrounding the area all the way down to Prinsep street like moths to flames. And like moths to a flame, we wound up drunk, barely able to make it home, but at least we had a crazy night of fun and survived another night.
Leaving the dark stories of the other time, I remember how this shop was our comfort pit stop as we started to sober up with some food and some oil-fried snacks. My go-to would always be the beancurd and the sesame peanut ball. We would all gather around the table, trading stories and laughter, before one by one disappearing when our cab arrived.
And like life… one by one disappeared as well. The twenty-odd friend gang broke up into several groups: the four or five scene kids who were always in the happenings of social media, the other handful of five or six ah beng car zeng car group who switched up to Thai discos (Siam diu), the two of us free-spirited misfits who didn’t care about the world, and the few social butterflies who fluttered between friend groups.
It was more than just a food place but an important pit stop in memory lane for me as I walked across the familiar place. Other than the more expensive prices now, the place still feels the same to me. I walked across the asphalt, the space where people used to sit by the alley, and also the less preferred second storey. It was an emotional food errand, and I could smell the familiar taste of the you tiao and peanut balls.
It was especially nostalgic for me that day, with stories and memories weaving themselves. And I’m glad I came by here again, and I got to share this story with you guys.
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Details
Name: Rochor Original Beancurd
Address: 2 Short St, Singapore 188211
Opening Hours: Sun-Mon 10:30 am–11:30 am | Fri-Sat 10:30 am–12:30 am
(Website)
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