Not wanting others to go through the same hardships as he did in the form of enduring hunger, a former chef decided to show generosity to the less privileged with affordable meals.
Situated at Crystal Food Park City food court in Alor Setar, the stall has been serving thousands of plates of fried vermicelli, noodles, and koay teow to low-income workers for just RM3—a testament that kindness still exists in society.
‘Bottomless’ meals for only RM3
The stall is operated by 51-year-old Nicky, who opened it last year as a way to give back to society and repay the kindness that was shown to him in the past.
I came from a less well-to-do background and received help from others back then, so now I want to give back to society,” he told China Press.
At his stall, customers can enjoy as much fried vermicelli, noodles, and koay teow as they can consume for just RM3 per person.
If they want to add other ingredients such as eggs, luncheon meat, and curry chicken, they will be charged separately.
Serves hundreds of customers daily
Nicky said that since he sells the food at such an affordable price, the stall has seen hundreds of customers appear daily, with a majority being factory workers who earn less than RM2,000 monthly.
As such, he has to prepare an enormous amount of food regularly, where he cooks around a total of 60kg of vermicelli, noodles, and koay teow each day.
“Previously, some were only charged RM9 in total whenever they ordered takeaway meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as each portion is priced at RM3. There were also those who paid for a single portion but shared it among five people.
“Because these situations happened too frequently, I had no choice but to add the words ‘(RM3 pricing) for one person only’ on the signboard,” he explained.
Culinary experience
Nicky also told China Press that he worked as a chef in the UK for 17 years before joining Sheraton Hotels and Resorts in Singapore.
In 2016, he returned to Alor Setar as he needed to care for this ailing father at the time. Following his father’s death, Nicky currently stays with his elderly mother.
Nicky’s stall operates from 7am to 11am or noon daily. He also plans to expand operations from 4pm to 9pm by continuing to sell affordable vermicelli, noodles, and koay teow, all while offering dishes such as seafood yee mee.
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