“It’s quite a pity, it’s like I failed. But I gave it my best shot,” said the hawker, who opened Kokoyo to honour his Peranakan grandmother’s recipes.
Kokoyo Nyonya Delights, a stall selling Peranakan food including blue pea nasi lemak, ayam buah keluak and beef rendang, is closing after two years in business. Its last day at Hougang Mall’s fourth-floor food court is on Nov 2.
Co-owner Ernest Ang, 25, told 8days.sg that the business has accumulated an estimated S$50,000 (US$39,100) in losses since February this year. Sales have also fallen by about half, with business becoming particularly difficult since September.
While the Kokoyo brand is closing for good, Ang and his brother, co-owner Irwin Ang, 29, are staying put. They plan to launch a seafood porridge concept in the same space called The Porridge Stall. The siblings hope this comforting dish will help turn things around.
The brothers announced Kokoyo’s closure in a video posted on the brand’s Instagram page on Oct 21.
They explained that footfall at the food court was initially healthy when there were fewer dining options elsewhere in Hougang Mall. Following renovations and the arrival of more eateries on other floors, they found it increasingly difficult to draw customers up to the fourth floor.
“It’s been rough these past few months, foot traffic to the food court has dropped drastically compared to when we first entered,” said Ernest Ang.
With monthly rent of S$11,000, the drop in sales has been difficult to sustain.
“The rent is high, so the breakeven point is high,” Ang told 8days.sg. “There has to be a benchmark we need to hit every day, but then the footfall is not good, so it’s directly related.”
Kokoyo first opened as a standalone eatery in Serangoon Central in 2024, before relocating to Jelita Mall as a food court stall on Holland Road, then to Hougang Mall in February this year. Ernest Ang said the business had already begun incurring losses at Jelita Mall, and earlier earnings had gone towards covering those losses.
So why take another risk at Hougang Mall? Ang, who lives in Hougang, said he was initially confident about customer traffic there. He estimated that food establishments made up only about 30 per cent of the mall when Kokoyo moved in.
What he hadn’t anticipated was the extent of the mall’s refurbishment under an asset enhancement initiative. As more eateries gradually opened, competition for diners increased.
When 8days.sg first featured Ernest Ang in 2024, he was a fresh electronics engineering diploma holder who had stopped job hunting after six weeks to open his own eatery.
His grandmother contributed S$40,000 – half the initial investment – while he funded the rest with savings from part-time jobs. She also taught him her closely guarded Peranakan recipes, tasting and approving dishes before they went on the menu.
Her involvement extended beyond sharing recipes: when Kokoyo first opened, she made around 200 pieces of nonya kueh daily from home for the eatery. Ang shared that she has since stopped supplying them due to mobility issues.
Even the brand’s name was a tribute to her: Kokoyo came from the way she pronounced “coconut”, while the cartoon logo was also modelled after her.
His older brother Irwin, who has a degree in marketing, has also been involved in the business since the start. Hougang Mall is their only remaining outlet, and the brothers work at the stall daily.
For Ernest Ang, giving up the brand means letting go of a business he started to honour his grandmother’s cooking.
“It’s quite a pity. It’s like I failed, but I gave it my best shot, so that’s all that matters,” he shared.
His grandmother has taken the decision in her stride. According to Ang, she feels that if the business isn’t working, they should “stop the bleeding”.
For those hoping to visit before the closure, Kokoyo’s current menu centres on blue pea nasi lemak. Its Nasi Lemak Kosong (S$4.90) comes with a fried egg, ikan bilis, peanuts, cucumber, achar and sambal.
Other options include the Inchi Kabin Berempah Set (S$7.50), featuring spiced fried chicken, and Ayam Buah Keluak Set (S$7.50). There’s also a Fried Pork Belly Set (S$8.50) and Beef Rendang Nasi Lemak (S$11.50), featuring beef slow-cooked in a spiced coconut gravy.
À la carte dishes include Homemade Ngoh Hiang (S$5.80) and Nyonya Chap Chye (from S$4.80), while sharing sets for two start at S$20.50.
The Porridge Stall will take over the space after Kokoyo closes. Staying at the same spot is a practical decision – their existing lease runs until February 2027.
He settled on seafood porridge after visiting eateries in Malaysia in search of a new concept. He describes his version as Guangdong-style porridge, with a consistency somewhere between thick Cantonese congee and the looser Teochew style.
The base will be a broth made with chicken and pork bones. The opening date has yet to be confirmed.
Ang hopes the switch will help the brothers reach a wider customer base.
“I just want to go for a very mass market dish. I don’t want to go for something very niche like Nyonya food anymore,” he said. “I believe for many people in Singapore, porridge has a childhood connection.”
He also saw a gap in the mall’s food offerings. According to him, there are four nasi lemak sellers, including Kokoyo, but no dedicated porridge stall.
“I feel the success rate will be higher, and I think it’s worth a gamble rather than not doing anything about it,” he said.
If the new concept does well, the brothers are open to continuing the business beyond their current stall’s lease.
Would Ang consider getting a corporate job if things don’t work out?
“I will study the numbers and make a decision,” he mused. For now, he prefers to stay in F&B and may try his luck at another location.
Why stick with a notoriously punishing industry that hasn’t been kind to him?
“I feel like this shouldn’t be the end of my journey. I’m not the type of person that gives up easily,” he reasoned.
He added that building a brand is something both he and his brother enjoy.
And what do his dad, a technician, and mum, who works in HR, think of their sons’ rocky F&B ventures?
“My parents are pretty chill about it [despite our losses],” said Ang simply.
Kokoyo Nyonya Delights’ last day of operation is on Nov 2. #04-11 Hougang Mall, 90 Hougang Ave 10, Singapore 538766. Open Mon–Fri, 11.30am–8pm; Sat & Sun, 11am–8pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/.