A couple’s ‘Simple’ mission to help stray cats and dogs

It hasn’t been an easy few years for Yap Siew Hwa, 70, who runs “Simple Chicken Rice – by Uncle Lim” in SS14 here. Health issues, a shop fire and delays with the shop’s halal certification have given her a lot to contend with.

Yet she shows up every day armed with a positive attitude, helping to maintain the shop that has been a fixture in the community for the past decade.

Part of what keeps Yap going is her love for the neighbourhood’s stray cats and dogs, which she feeds with the money she earns from the business.

Yap starts feeding the cats here at 6:30am every day before going over to the restaurant at 8am. By 6pm, she is out in her neighbourhood once again, this time feeding the stray dogs.

“I help to feed them, take them to be spayed, and find them shelters. It can sometimes be very tiring. But if I don’t go, I feel sad, thinking that the cats and dogs will be waiting for me,” Yap told FMT Lifestyle.

Her husband, retired military airman Lim Boh Cheng, 72, runs his locksmith business at the front of their premises.

The food at Yap’s shop lives up to its “Simple” name: all dishes are unpretentious yet delicious.

The curry mee combines springy noodles with a fragrant, creamy broth, with plenty of savoury depth in every spoonful.

The wantan mee is a comforting treat, topped with tender chunks of chicken, crispy fried wantan and a generous scattering of fried shallots.

And of course, you can’t leave without trying their classic chicken rice, which tastes best with their punchy chilli sauce.

“I’ve had customers tell me they think my chicken rice tastes better than those made by commercial outlets. That makes me very happy,” Yap said with a smile.

Interestingly, Yap never intended to run a restaurant; she was operating a laundromat when an employee suggested the idea. Deciding to specialise in simple comfort fare, Yap rented half a shoplot, aptly naming her new venture “Simple Chicken Rice”.

That was in 2015. That employee has since returned to Indonesia, but Yap’s business has expanded to a full shop lot.

“I noticed that the majority of my customers were Malay. I successfully applied for halal certification so I could give them more confidence to eat here,” Yap said.

Running the eatery, however, has not always been smooth sailing.

When Yap was diagnosed with lung cancer eight years ago, she could not work at the shop for one full year. Her staff kept things going then. Thankfully, she is cancer-free today.

However, a few months ago, an electrical short circuit sparked a fire that caused considerable damage to the premises, forcing her to close shop for over three weeks.

Worse still, the fire destroyed many of her business documents, delaying the renewal of her halal certification.

“There are some customers who don’t want to come and eat here anymore because of the lack of certification. But the renewal is taking a long time,” Yap said.

Needless to say, this has affected business. Still, Yap remains motivated to keep the shop open.

“I’m very thankful to all our faithful customers, some of whom have been eating here for years, who trust us even without our cert. I hope we can solve this matter soon,” she said.

“I hope more customers keep coming so I can keep helping my cats and dogs. They really need me.”

Simple Chicken Rice – by Uncle Lim 88,
Jalan SS 14/1, SS 14, 47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor

Business hours: 9am-6pm daily

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