On 25 July, pork satay hero Ang Boon Ee, affectionately known as Ah Pui by customers, passed away at 66 years old.
While it is unclear what the exact cause of death was, Mr Ang was known to have been diagnosed from colon cancer two years ago.
His son had told local news outlets that Mr Ang had been in hospital for a month prior to his passing.
His passing comes just three months after he re-opened for business at 01-13, Block 75, Lorong 5 Toa Payoh in April 2024.
He and his partner, Mr Ang Thiam Seng previously ran their business in the Chinatown hawker centre in Smith Street.
They closed in November 2022.
Humble beginnings
Starting in 1976, “Ah Pui” peddled satay on a trishaw in Tiong Bahru. He did so until 2019, where he and another customer sold his satay from a cafe in Pearl’s Hill Terrace.
Thereafter, in 2021, he and Mr Ang Boon Kee opened for business in Smith Street.
After a two-year break, he then re-opened for business in Toa Payoh. Unfortunately, he was only around to oversee the business for 3 months.
Ah Pui Satay
His pork satay was affectionately loved by customers. Glen Lai even posted on Miss Tam Chiak that whenever he thought about where to get the best satays in Singapore, “the [then] defunct Ah Pui Satay would inevitably pop up in [his] mind”.
As described by Glen, the pork satays are juicy, and have a pleasant charcoal aroma. Each satay is also well marinated, with chunks of lard layered in between meat pieces.
Each satay order (minimum of 10) also comes with their signature peanut sauce which is one of the few to have dollops of pineapple puree inside.
Each stick is currently priced at $1.
Such is the popularity of the satays that a sign on the stall reads “Waiting time 1 Hour”.
A visit to their Facebook page would also show “Sold Out” posts on every single day since they re-opened in Toa Payoh.
According to Ah Pui’s son, the family will now focus on the satay business and will look for avenues to grow it further.
Ah Pui Satay has announced via Facebook that as a mark of respect, Ah Pui Satay will now be closed until 28 July, with business resuming at 3 pm.
Ah Pui is survived by his wife and two children, aged 20 and 22.
