This is with some historical basis – closely knitted to the origins of Liugui Hall. Liugui Hall is the common Hall name of the six surnames of Weng, Hong, Jiang, Fang, Gong, and Wang. They are the descendants of the six sons of Weng Gandu during the Five Dynasties. Scholars in their own rights that served in the imperial courts, they were well revered by all. This can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty around 1000 BC, King Zhou Zhao had a son named Weng Yi. Later in the Five Dynasties, Weng Gandu, the descendant of Weng, gave birth to six sons in Fujian, the eldest son Weng Hong, the second son Weng Jiang, the third son Weng Zong, the fourth son Weng Fang, the fifth son Weng Gong and the sixth son Weng Wang. According to legend, Weng Gandu was afraid of being punished as the country fell from Grace, so he decided to let the six brothers to use their First Name as their surnames to avoid being wiped out during the war. All of them happened to change their names and surnames, and the fourth son with the surname Png (方) settled in Henan Province of China at that time – this is the origin of Henan.

 This is a family-run business of over 50 years. The siblings of the Png family have followed their father, Png Kim Soon, and worked hard at their initial food stall located  at 29 Tai Thong Crescent. Later, due to their father’s poor health, the siblings took over the family business. The elder brother Png Aik Seng is in charge of the evening and night business. The two younger sisters, Ah Zhu and Ah Lian, manage the day business. The secret to Henan ’s success is not only due to their unrivalled cooking skills with reference to the traditional cooking recipes handed down by their father, in actual fact it is actually the Png’s family insistence on using the best ingredients and sauces to enhance their offerings’ taste, the dedicated thought for their customers to enjoy only the very best that brought about this desired outcome. Hard work is also an important success element as the Png siblings worked for at least eight hours a day for 6 days a week.  The soup base is the authentic traditional stew, simmered with the use of the freshest ingredients, the broth is so flavourful by itself that there is no need to add any more MSG – no thirsty aftertaste, customers only have praises for the sweetness of the soup. Another feature of Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles is that all of their chili powder are cooked and prepared inhouse, giving it a very different taste from those that are purchased directly from outside suppliers. Putting a little in the soup will give one a taste of another unique tantalizing flavour.

Ever since its opening, Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles has been a Media’s darling. Even foreign media from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and other countries, local newspaper reporters, TV food shows’ personnel, food bloggers (where some have since become regulars) organize group tasting trips onsite. Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles enjoys a certain reputation in Singapore’s food landscape having garnered so much eyeballs and support over the years. Awards and accolades are also aplenty and in Mr Png’s words all these are FREE Publicity, without having to fork out anything. If your offerings are good, it will “Speak” for itself.

The 1970s

Was Founded by the siblings’ father, Mr Png Kim Soon. At the very beginning, Hoe Nam used to sell mixed noodles, such as fish noodles, minced pork noodles and etc. At that time, Hoe Nam was most well-known for its dry noodles. By chance, the siblings met an old Noodles Master that has perfected his craft and gotten his guidance. He commented that they are straying away from what they are doing best – their Prawn Noodles and suggested them to specialize in just selling prawn noodles. Since then, there was no looking back, business is blooming under the management of the Png siblings.

Mr Png Aik Seng is a person gifted with great ideas and creativity with the courage and drive to see things through. After listening to the feedback of many customers (the most frequent comment: selling only one kind of prawn noodles is too monotonous), Mr Png developed a series of other kinds of Prawn noodles that matched well with ingredients such as pork ribs, pig intestines, Pig’s tails, abalone, abalone clams and so on. This innovative move is warmly welcomed by customers, elevating Hoe Nam business to a whole new level ever since its implementation.