Goodbye and Hello!
It’s a sad, sad day when you discover that a stall that you’ve patronised since childhood is no longer there.
I experienced one of those sad days when I realised that my all-time favourite Nonya Kueh stall in Katong had disappeared. Matilda’s Nonya Kueh, manned by Uncle Harry and Auntie Christine is now no more. I used to love their Melaka-style kueh tart (large with slightly fibrous pineapple jam) and those gula melaka rabbit jellies made from seaweed.
The Tan family has been patronising the stall since Uncle Harry’s father, Uncle Bob ran the original stall at the corner of Ceylon and East Coast Roads.
I have so many happy makan memories of my Granduncle Chuan, my Grandma and the traditional Nonya delights Uncle Bob served up. They used to serve traditional popiah in egg skin, Apom berkuah with the sinfully sweet gula melaka and banana pengat as well as an assortment colourful kueh. Uncle Bob was a jolly old man with a ready smile and a soft spot for talkative little kids (like yours truly!). I will never forget the non-chilli otak-otak he used to slip me, those were of an amazing texture – what a burst of flavour!
Oh well, I wish Uncle Harry and Auntie Christine all the best and I do hope to rediscover their stall again someday…
Well, this story does have a happy ending. Last week, I had lunch with my favourite boys at Everything With Fries, the dinky little casual cafe that has replaced Matilda’s Nonya Kueh.
YUM!
I must say that aside from the fact that they serve up the tastiest fries (I’d recommend herb and garlic as well as the curry! finger-licking good!) and great burgers (the regular beef burger is definitely a must-try, I found the lamb version a little gamey).
Milton in an intense stare-off with my coleslaw
I’m glad that aside from the artery clogging carbohydrates, they were also considerate enough to offer veggie options. You can order a side serve of coleslaw or a mini Caesar. The Caesar was a little soggy, but I guess this wasn’t the chef’s main focus.
Worth special mention though, are the nutella-laced milkshake and tart. With the addition of everyone’s favourite breakfast spread, these sweet treats become the decadent desserts of the gods.
So yes, every cloud has a silver lining!
– delicious
UPDATE: I’ve discovered off the Makansutra forum that Uncle Harry and Auntie Christine still take orders and can be reached at – 94352944 🙂
juicyndelicious.wordpress.com 
Is the fries place opened by the awfully chocolate people?
Hi Keif,
I don’t think it is. Despite the fact that the cafe follows the all-white theme and the logo uses a similar typeface, I don’t think that it belongs to the same owner. I guess the most obvious reason would be the conspicuous lack of Chocolate Fudge Cake 🙂
Wow I haven’t even tried Matilda’s and they’re gone already! Luckily still can order. What are those exotic rabbit jellies??
I love the curry fries from Everything With Fries. And yes, they are owned by Awfully Chocolate.
OOPS! Thanks for the update on Everything With Fries! Then I must say that the dessert is pretty-looking but a little disappointing taste-wise!
The exotic rabbit jellies are the traditional jellies made from gelatin extracted from seaweed. I think Glory might have them as well.
I didn’t know that stall at the junct of Ceylon Rd and East Coast Road was called Mathilda’s but I loved their kuehs! I grew up in Katong and just the mention of popiahs and nonya kuehs has got my tummy a rumbling again.I think I also loved their piping hot curry puffs.
All the best to them in their new ventures.
Jeanne(A nostalgic French former Katong resident and extreme-bakchang enthusiaste)
Always happy to share great food memories, especially those that are so dear to me. Thanks for stopping by, Jeanne!
The stall was Bob’s in the mid to late 80s, then Harry’s and finally it was named after Harry’s daughter Matilda. My mother ran into uncle and auntie recently and I’m pleased to report that they’re doing well.
Look us up if you’re back in town
🙂 delicious
Thanks for the post.
It saved me from making a wasted trip down to Joo Chiat today.
And more importantly, your update allowed me to get in touch with Christine and Harry – I just bought two large bottles of kueh bangkit and pineapple tarts, and a smaller bottle of kok chai.
I’m the KB and PT for CNY but the KC bottle has been opened and i’m sharing them with my family. They are delicious!
Glad to hear that we saved you a wasted trip to Katong! You’d be pleased to note that Glory has a great deal of goodies this year as well. I was especially pleased to find my favourite Kueh Kara-Kara! EXCELLENT
– delicious