Mr Tan Kue Kim, the owner of Kim’s Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, who is known for wearing Rolex has passed away at the age of 78. According to Zaobao, he was taken to the hospital and passed away about two hours later on 14 February.
At the age of 13, Mr Tan started to learn how to fry Hokkien Prawn Mee under the guidance of his elder cousin. He set up his stall at the age of 17 and became his own boss. It has been 66 years since he started his business. He rose to fame later because of his flamboyant sense of style. He would fry Hokkien Prawn Mee while wearing a Rolex watch and long-sleeved shirt.
Mr Tan and his wife have two sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Mr Tan Fu Rong, said in an interview that his father had always been very healthy. However, he started feeling unwell over the Chinese New Year weekend. He thought he would be fine after taking medicine, but unexpectedly on the fifth day of the Chinese New Year (Wednesday), after waking up in the morning, he suddenly collapsed and passed away about two hours after being sent to the hospital.
“The medical report stated that the cause of death was coronary artery disease. We were all surprised because my father had never had any diseases and had never complained of heart problems,” he said.
In recent years, as Mr Tan is getting on in years, he has intended to sell his business and the secret recipe for his Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee and is actively looking for a successor.
Mr Tan’s biggest wish is to pass down his Hokkien Prawn Mee recipe
Mr Tan Fu Rong said that his father’s biggest wish was to pass down Kim’s Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee recipe. Although several people came to inquire about this matter, however, no agreement was reached in the end. “The immediate plan is to arrange my father’s funeral first, and then discuss how to deal with the business later. I have been running a seafood restaurant myself for a long time, and I will probably not take over my father’s business, but I will make a decision after discussing it with my mother,” he added.
His youngest daughter said that her father gets up early for work every day and works till late at night. Everyone called him “Iron Man”, so they were surprised by his sudden death.
She added that his father had a very high standard for the Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee and he was very particular about the amount of noodles to achieve the authentic taste. In addition to being very particular about food, her father is also very friendly to his customers, so he has many regular customers.
“Even though there are many customers, he is very calm and always smiles when dealing with customers,” she said.
She also shared that she had a job and would not consider taking over her father’s business for the time being.
Mr Tan’s wake is being held at Blk 411 Eunos Road 5 between 15 and 19 February, and the cortege will leave for Mandai crematorium Hall 04 at 10am on 19 February.
