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20240503 Singapore Rolex Mee Master Tan Kue Kim frying up some noodles

Noodle master Tan Kue Kim, wearing his trademark Rolex watch, fries up fare for a customer in January. He died the following month. (Photo by Dylan Loh)

DYLAN LOH

There he was on a Thursday night, Rolex watch on wrist, decked in office wear, frying up a batch of noodles. This was Tan Kue Kim, known in Singapore as the "Rolex mee master." (Mee is a term for noodles in Singapore and Malaysia).

Tan's signature dish was seafood-infused Hokkien mee, a calorie-laden, wok-fried Chinese dish served with a spoonful of sambal (chili paste) for extra heat. I ate dinner there often, and while I questioned the wisdom of wearing a luxury timepiece in a greasy kitchen, I never questioned Tan's cooking.

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