The 'godfather' of Singapore food in Shanghai

In Shanghai's notoriously cutthroat food and beverage scene, being able to sustain a business for just five years can be considered quite a feat.

Frankie's Place, a Singapore restaurant located on Huang Hua Road in Hongqiao area, has been in business for five times as long. Naturally, the restaurant owner, Frankie Ong, is considered quite a legendary figure among Singaporeans working in the Chinese megacity.

"There's no secret to being in business for so long. I think it's down to two things－authentic food and me," he laughed.

"This is just like a members club. Customers know everyone here. Many of them became my good friends after dining here a few times."

The 73-year-old first came to Shanghai in 1988 when the Japanese construction firm he was working for assigned him to handle the safety management for a major project－the construction of the 50-story tower for a complex that is today known as the Portman Ritz-Carlton. Following the completion of this project two and a half years later, Ong spent another few years working directly for the owner of the building, overseeing the management of fire safety and other technical aspects.

One of his favorite memories from his initial years in the city was getting together with fellow Singaporeans every weekend to prepare dishes from home.

"The food we cooked was not authentic as we couldn't find the necessary ingredients. But those were good times," he said. "I think these weekly gatherings were also the main reason why I had the idea of opening a restaurant in the future. There was nowhere in the city where we could find Singapore food."

The opportunity to do so came when he left his job about two years later. Seeing how Shanghai had developed into a vibrant metropolis, Ong was determined to stay and witness the city's transformation. But as most companies did not hire foreigners, he knew that his best shot of staying in the city was if he became his own boss.

In 1995, Ong and a handful of local partners opened Frankie's Place in Jing'an district, converting a canteen previously used by factory workers into a restaurant space that could accommodate up to 40 diners. Located in a small lane just off Nanjing West Road, Frankie's Place was the only Singapore restaurant in the city, and perhaps even China.

"I've never dared to claim that Frankie's is the first Singapore restaurant in China," he equipped.

"But one of my customers, a Singapore lawyer who worked in Beijing, believed this to be the case. He told me: 'Frankie, seeing how only Shanghai and Beijing are open to the outside world, and there are no Singaporean restaurants in Beijing, yours has to be the very first in China!' I just smiled."

Though he was not trained in the culinary arts, Ong was confident that his keen sense of taste would suffice in his quest to create authentic Singapore cuisine. In order to provide a comprehensive selection of dishes, the restauranteur made trips to Singapore and Malaysia where he stocked up on cookbooks and sampled the creations of famous hawkers. He also relied on his compatriots to transport essential ingredients from Singapore.

"Many of the ingredients, such as sambal belacan, turmeric and other types of spices were not available in China. I had to rely on my friends. I used to call them my 'little army of ants'," he quipped.

Despite having to move his restaurant four times before settling in his current location in 2005, Ong's customers kept returning, and his fame continued rising. Dignitaries who have dined at Frankie's Place include Singapore officials such as George Yeo, the former trade minister. Ong has even catered a buffet for a delegation to China led by Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

But though business has slowed over the past few years due to the increase in competition, Ong is unfazed.

In fact, his genial disposition toward his business rivals demonstrates exactly why people are such big fans of the septuagenarian. Years ago, after visiting the owner of the now defunct Ah Long Bak Kut Teh, Ong started distributing the name cards of his competitor to his own customers.

"My customers started scolding me, saying I was stupid for helping promote the competition!" he laughed.

"But I told them: 'He's a Singaporean. He's a newcomer. Let's help him stand on his feet first. We can compete later.'"