Modernisation of Ng Ah Sio

This is the new Ng Ah Sio Pork Rib Soup Eating House. If you haven’t heard of or been to this place, you could be forgiven for thinking it looks like Ya Kun Kaya Toast. Or perhaps you might think it’s a new business spin off from Ya Kun Kaya Toast, seeing that this looks like a full-service restaurant, not quite the same self-service concept of the usual Ya Kun Kaya Toast. But it’s totally not so. It’s the modernised Ng Ah Sio, one of the strongest contenders for the best Bak Kut Teh  in Singapore.

The first time I set foot in this coffee shop, it was just like any old coffee shop in Singapore. Actually, I can’t call it a coffee shop since, well, they don’t actually sell coffee. It’s an oldish place, hot and crowded, you find your own seats, orders are shouted, bills are tabulated mentally. Very like a neighbourhood coffee shop.

In one of my previous visits, I noted that they “upgraded” to using wireless PDAs to take orders. They were catching up with technology. I don’t really know if this technology really added value to their business. That was over two years ago. The rejuvenation of their business did not stop there.

When I visited the eatery again recently, I was surprised by the makeover. Totally  Ya Kun themed. The same style of uniform for the staff. The same style of history printed on the walls. It might have been quite nice… except that it was just a copy-cat. Couldn’t they come up with new ideas? Or is this a case of copying what has proven to work?

The sad thing with modernisation is that, sometimes, while you might get a more pleasant ambience, the food quality could have deteriorated, and the prices could have gone up. I think many of us seek out these famed eateries for their food (and maybe good value), and we don’t necessarily care so much about the ambience. However, the owners could have reasoned that the makeover would attract a larger clientele and bring it more profits.

Ng Ah Sio’s prices seemed to have gone up slightly since my previous visit. That previous time was quite a while ago… so maybe that is simply the effect of inflation. In my very subjective opinion, I don’t think the food is as good as before. It’s still pretty good, just not as much as it was. Maybe the makeover has affected my opinion.

Or perhaps standards are difficult to keep when they pass from generation to generation. I imagine the makeover of Ng Ah Sio might have to do with a younger generation taking over the reins of the eatery, so maybe new hands took over the kitchen too. I guess things cannot stay the same forever. There needs to be progress, and sometimes progress means compromises somewhere.