ON THE ground floor of United Square, an old-fashioned provision shop stocked with Chinese dried goods and tidbits from yesteryear is open for business.

Nearby, a pushcart selling yong tau foo looks ready to serve up the delicious delight any minute.

These additions to the mall in Thomson Road are, alas, for one's eyes only - they are made of clay and and are tiny.

The miniature models of shops and roadside food stalls from the 1960s are the brainchild of Mr Jason Tay, 50, who sells them from a kiosk called Something Fine.

Other awe-inspiring models include drool-worthy roast ducks with glistening skin hanging from a food stall and a traditional Chinese medicine hall, complete with herbs.

Through the clay models, Mr Tay hopes to preserve some fond memories of how he used to bug his grandmother to buy him a bowl of kok kok mee, a popular 1960s dish sold by street hawkers.

"The fun was in the waiting for the 'kok kok' sound," said Mr Tay, referring to the sound of bamboo sticks being struck against each other by hawkers to canvass business.

"Sometimes, my siblings and I would even skip lunch to wait for the kok kok mee hawker. I really treasure those days."

Relying on his memory of street hawkers and online photo resources, Mr Tay and his supplier came up with designs for the models that proved to be uniquely Singapore.

The delicate works of art are painstakingly handmade by a Japanese woman who lives in Thailand, said Mr Tay. He declined to reveal more, citing a need to keep trade secrets.

What he can say, however, is that a lot of effort went into making the models look as real as possible.

From the porcelain bowls with cockerels painted on their sides to lip-smacking lup cheong (Chinese cured sausage) hanging on red strings - the smallest details are never compromised.

The kiosk also has other treats, including cheesecakes with mini strawberries, sashimi bento sets, and dim sum in bamboo baskets.

Prices for the models range from $3.50 for a 2.5cm cake to $580 for a 30cm Chinese medical hall.

Most of Mr Tay's clients are working professionals in their 30s and 40s. Some have even created their own food street and bakery with the models they bought. His most loyal customer spent a total of $4,000 on 20 food-stall models.

But, for some, the models are more than a blast from the past.

Mr Tay said: "An old man was looking longingly at a wonton- mee pushcart and his son later bought the model for him.

"He told me it would really mean something to his father as the elderly man had brought up his family selling the dish."

nggwen@sph.com.sg

Something Fine is located at United Square, level 1.

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