New Horse Noodles opened by 2 brothers to close after 5 months: 'The lifestyle is not what we really want’

The hawker stall at Chinatown Complex Food Centre will close on Oct 25, five months after brothers Scott and Troy Lee left fintech and trading careers to become hawkers.

Brothers Scott and Troy Lee left their careers to become hawkers, working 70 hours a week and earning far less than in their previous full-time jobs. (Photo: 8days/Kelvin Chia, Instagram/@newhorsenoodles)

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Brothers Scott Lee, 29, and Troy Lee, 31, traded finance careers for handmade Hakka yong tau foo and Malaysian-style noodles. Now, after five months of running New Horse Noodles at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, they’re hanging up their aprons.

In a video announcement, the siblings shared that their last day of business will be Oct 25.

When contacted by 8days, Scott confirmed the closure. Asked what led to the decision, he said: “The lifestyle is not what we really want.”

Scott declined to elaborate further, saying the brothers will share more in upcoming videos on their own social media platforms.

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When 8days.sg last spoke to the brothers, they shared that they had invested about S$20,000 of their savings in the venture. Scott, a former fintech product manager, previously earned between S$5,000 and S$10,000 a month, while Troy was a trader.

The switch came with long hours and a much smaller pay cheque. Scott said he was probably earning “less than minimum wage”, with both brothers clocking around 70 hours a week. Even their only day off involved preparing food for the next working day.

The Lee brothers trained with an 85-year-old Hakka hawker in Malacca for 10 days before bringing her yong tau foo recipe to Singapore. (Photo: 8days/Kelvin Chia)

LEARNT RECIPE FROM 85-YEAR-OLD MALAYSIAN HAWKER

Their venture grew out of a shared love of food. Scott explained that he had left corporate life in search of more satisfying work and became a food blogger alongside Troy.

Their makan adventures eventually took them to an 85-year-old Hakka hawker in Malacca. The siblings trained with her for 10 days before bringing her yong tau foo recipe to Singapore.

They paired the handmade pieces with Malaysian-style dry noodles – the dish they had repeatedly travelled across the Causeway to eat.

The stall sells Handmade Hakka Yong Tau Foo Set (S$6.50), pairing stuffed tau pok, tofu, tau kee and bitter gourd in soup with Malaysian-style dry noodles. During our visit, we enjoyed the springy noodles tossed in mildly sweet dark soya sauce and sesame oil, with minced pork, fried shallots and crunchy pork lard. The broth, simmered with carrots and corn, had a pleasant natural sweetness.

The two brothers ran the stall New Horse Noodles at Chinatown Complex Food Centre. (Photo: 8days/Kelvin Chia)

STILL PLANNING THEIR NEXT MOVE

Scott said the brothers are still deciding what comes next and will update their vlogs once their plans are confirmed.

In their farewell video, the siblings thanked customers for their support, sharing that they had met many great people and welcomed diners from all over to try their food.

Those hoping to squeeze in a final visit have until Oct 25. The brothers advise coming before 1pm.

New Horse Noodles is located at #02-148 Chinatown Complex Food Centre (Red Zone), 335 Smith St, Singapore 050335. Open Sat–Wed 9.30am–2pm. Closed Thur & Fri. Its last day of operations is on Oct 25. More info via Instagram and TikTok .

This story was originally published in 8Days.

For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/ .

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牛车水综合美食中心的这家小贩摊位将于 10 月 25 日关闭。此前五个月，李斯科特和李特洛伊兄弟放弃了金融科技和交易事业，转而成为小贩。

斯科特·李和特洛伊·李兄弟放弃了原本的职业，成为小贩，每周工作70小时，收入却远低于他们之前的全职工作。（图片：8days/Kelvin Chia，Instagram/@newhorsenoodles）

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29岁的李斯科特和31岁的李特洛伊兄弟俩放弃了金融行业的工作，转而投身于手工制作客家酿豆腐和马来西亚风味面条的生意。如今，在牛车水美食中心经营了五个月的“新马面馆”后，他们决定结束自己的面馆生涯。

在一段视频公告中，这对兄妹宣布他们的最后营业日为 10 月 25 日。

8days联系到Scott时，他证实了关店的消息。当被问及做出这一决定的原因时，他说：“这种生活方式并非我们真正想要的。”

斯科特拒绝进一步解释，称兄弟俩将在他们自己的社交媒体平台上发布的后续视频中分享更多信息。

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8days.sg 上次采访这对兄弟时，他们透露已将约 2 万新元的积蓄投入到这项创业项目中。斯科特曾是一名金融科技产品经理，此前月收入在 5000 至 1 万新元之间，而特洛伊则是一名交易员。

这份新工作意味着更长的工作时间和更少的收入。斯科特说，他可能“挣不到最低工资”，兄弟俩每周都要工作大约70个小时。就连他们唯一的休息日也要用来准备第二天的工作食材。

李氏兄弟在马六甲跟随一位85岁的客家小贩学习了10天，才将她的酿豆腐秘方带到新加坡。（图片：8days/Kelvin Chia）

从一位85岁的马来西亚小贩那里学到的秘方

他们的创业源于对美食的共同热爱。斯科特解释说，他为了寻找更有意义的工作而离开了企业界，并和特洛伊一起成为了美食博主。

他们的美食之旅最终将他们带到了马六甲一位85岁的客家小贩那里。兄妹俩跟她学习了10天，然后把她的酿豆腐配方带回了新加坡。

他们将这些手工制作的菜肴与马来西亚风味的干面条搭配在一起——这道菜他们曾多次跨越堤道去品尝。

这家摊位出售手工客家酿豆腐套餐（6.50新元），包含酿豆泡、豆腐、豆腐皮和苦瓜，搭配马来西亚风味的干拌面。我们去的时候，劲道的干拌面拌着微甜的黑酱油和麻油，配上肉末、炸葱和香脆的猪油渣。汤底用胡萝卜和玉米熬制，带着一丝天然的甜味。

两兄弟在牛车水美食中心经营着一家名为“新马面”的摊位。（图片：8days/Kelvin Chia）

仍在计划下一步行动

斯科特表示，兄弟俩仍在决定下一步计划，一旦计划确定，他们会在视频博客中更新。

在他们的告别视频中，这对兄妹感谢顾客的支持，并表示他们结识了很多很棒的人，欢迎来自各地的食客品尝他们的美食。

希望抓紧时间做最后一次探望的人，截止日期是10月25日。兄弟俩建议在下午1点前到访。

新马面位于新加坡牛车水综合美食中心（红区）#02-148，史密斯街335号，邮编050335。营业时间为周六至周三上午9:30至下午2:00，周四和周五休息。最后营业日为10月25日。更多信息请关注Instagram和TikTok。

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