9 Facts About The Teochew Porridge Stall (That is Trashed) at Upper Serangoon Saga

Last year, footage of four individuals messing up a Teochew porridge stall at Upper Serangoon surfaced online.

It went viral almost overnight.

Fast forward a few months later and I’m pretty sure you’ve forgotten all about it.

Well, there’s been an update on the case.

Here are 9 facts about the Teochew Porridge Stall saga that’s going viral once again.

1. What Happened?

Now, don’t be mistaken, this isn’t the aftermath of a gang fight in Hong Kong. This is the result of a temper tantrum at Heng Long Teochew Porridge at Upper Serangoon Road.

Four individuals trashed the stall on 27 May 2017 at around 3.45 am.

Three of the individuals, two men and a woman, was captured on CCTV footage throwing bowls, tables and chairs at the eatery.

A marble-topped table in the eatery was overturned as well, shattering the top surface. They also smashed wooden chairs in serving area and sent dangerous glass shards flying within the area.

Then, they left the area quickly.

2. Ang Mo Kio officers identified suspects in the case and arrested them 3 days later

On 30 May, it was reported that police officers from Ang Mo Kio division identified three of the four people on 29 and 30 May.

The three suspects have been arrested to assist with the case.

They are 47-year-old Tan Sung Meng, 49-year-old Ang Sim Poh and 41-year-old Pang Pei Pei.

It was understood that they were drinking at Chinatown before making their way to the eatery.

3. It all started with a $28 bill

So there you are, wondering, what could’ve caused the entire incident?

According to news reports, it’s all because of a $28 final bill.

Waitress Chia Ai Cheng, 38 years old, delivered the food to their table, as well as a final bill of $28.

When pressed about the breakdown of the bill because they thought it was too expensive, the waitress was unable to provide a satisfactory answer.

Pang, who grilled the waitress repeatedly, lost her temper and threw a bowl of porridge into the shop.

And here’s the best part.

4. The shop had even given them discounts on some of the dishes

Now, here’s something reportedly crazy about the whole thing.

The shop finally gave a breakdown of the final amount of $28, and there were some discounted prices within.

• A black pomfret at a discounted price of $7
• duck at a discounted price of $7
• pickles for $1
• Shrimp for $4
• Minced Meat for $5
• Preserved vegetables for $2
• Four bowls of porridge at $2

In other words, that $28 is a discounted price, not an inflated price. Fighting over a discount? Definitely not worth it.

5. The 3 individuals who caused trouble at the stall jailed

On 3 May (yesterday), the case of the Heng Long Teochew Porridge has finally reached a conclusion. Sort of.

Tan, Ang and Pang have each admitted to a count of committing mischief and sentenced to jail.

Tan and Ang (the two men) were each sentenced to four weeks jail.

Pang (the woman), however, was sentenced to a shorter jail term. She was given a two-week jail term to serve. This is in view of her remand at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for two weeks.

So why did we say, sort of? Because nothing is known about what’s going to happen to the last person, 53-year-old Yeoh Keng Hock.

6. The woman in the incident was remanded at IMH for 2 weeks

On 7 Jun, it was reported that Pang Pei Pei, the main actor in the porridge incident, was remanded at IMH.

Her lawyer, K. Ravendra, told the judge that his client probably has post-natal depression. She had a 5-month-old baby girl at that point in time.

She had made arrangements for her daughter’s care.

7. The waitress was rude

The lawyers of Ang, Tan and Pang told judges that their clients are remorseful.

However, their lawyers also argued that the waitress’s attitude became aggressive when they questioned her about the bill

Kind of remind you of the $10 BMW driver, doesn’t it?

However, the judge said that this isn’t an excuse.

What they did was “completely disproportionate” to whatever attitude the waitress displayed.

8. Another fight broke out at the porridge shop about 2 months later

One would suspect that the shop is an underground fight club.

Because less than 2 months later, another fight broke out. This time, between two groups of customers.

Again, this happened in the wee hours of the morning at 3.26 am. The police were alerted and arrived 10 minutes after the fight started.

Six individuals between the age of 25 and 40 were arrested.

It was reported that the fight happened because of disagreements between two male diners on different tables.

A 31-year-old man who was injured in the brawl was sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital conscious.

9. However, the real winner of this saga is…

The shop itself.

You would’ve thought that the shop is the loser in this case.

After all, there wasn’t any compensation made for damages and losses to the business.

But apparently not.

In a report by Straits Times, a manager of the shop said that the fights in their shops had brought good publicity to them.

Coz, in the words of Logan Paul, “any press is good press.”

People will still visit the stall for a meal, especially in the evenings.

It was also said that the staff are used to fights happening from time to time. Especially in the early morning.

A regular, Henry Thia, who has been eating at the stall for three years, said he’ll still patronise the business because the food is cheap and good.

Another regular of the stall, housewife Ms Sim K travels all the way to the shop from her Pasir Ris Drive home for their food.

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