SINGAPORE — A familiar restaurant, a bowl of noodles and a birthday song were enough to bring Singapore actress Ya Hui to tears as she remembered her late mother.
The 39-year-old actress recently shared an emotional tribute after returning to the restaurant her mother loved most to mark what would have been her mother’s birthday.
But the visit was about more than food. It was also about fulfilling a promise they had made before her mother died — one that Ya Hui never got the chance to keep while they were still together.
In an Instagram post shared on November 7, Ya Hui revealed that she had returned to The Black Pearl, a Cantonese restaurant tagged in her photographs, after remembering a conversation with her mother following her hospital discharge.
Her mother had told her that they would return to the restaurant together once she felt better.
That reunion never happened.
“I just wanted to keep my promise,” Ya Hui explained in her post.
A PROMISE THAT COULD NO LONGER BE KEPT TOGETHER
Ya Hui recalled that her mother had wanted to revisit the restaurant after leaving hospital, hoping they could enjoy another meal together when her health improved.
Sadly, her mother died in July at the age of 81, leaving the actress with memories of plans they had never managed to fulfil.
Rather than let the promise disappear, Ya Hui decided to return to the restaurant herself.
The visit carried another particularly painful memory.
A day before her mother passed away, she had expressed a craving for mee sua, a traditional Chinese wheat vermicelli dish. She never got the chance to eat it.
During her return to the restaurant, Ya Hui ordered the dish and ate it on her mother’s behalf.
It was a small gesture, but one that carried the weight of a final wish.
THE SWEET NOODLES AND TWO EGGS HER MOTHER ALWAYS PREPARED
The restaurant visit was only one part of Ya Hui’s tribute.
She also remembered a birthday tradition that her mother had maintained over the years: preparing a bowl of sweet noodles accompanied by two eggs.
For her mother, even the smallest details mattered.
Ya Hui recalled that if the eggs were not peeled perfectly, her mother would boil additional ones and keep trying until she got the result she wanted.
This time, the actress prepared the eggs herself — and managed to peel them perfectly on her first attempt.
She jokingly told her mother that she had finally demonstrated her hidden talent, adding that her mother should no longer think of her as a child who could not do anything.
The playful message offered a glimpse of the affectionate relationship they shared, even as the occasion was filled with grief.
Ya Hui also wished her mother a happy birthday and wondered whether she was enjoying cake in heaven.
ANOTHER FAMILY’S BIRTHDAY SONG MADE HER BREAK DOWN
The most emotional moment came unexpectedly.
While Ya Hui was eating at the restaurant, another table was celebrating someone’s birthday. The group began singing the familiar birthday song.
Under ordinary circumstances, Ya Hui said she would have happily joined in.
But this time, she could not hold back her tears.
The song reminded her that she would never again have the opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to her mother in person.
“Because I’ll never have the chance to sing Happy Birthday to you again,” she wrote.
It was an ordinary moment for the other diners, but for Ya Hui, it became a painful reminder of the celebrations and family traditions that had ended with her mother’s passing.
She had also hoped to visit several other places her mother loved that day. However, heavy rain disrupted those plans.
Reflecting on the unexpected change, she remarked that life does not always follow the plans people make.
Her message ended with a heartfelt expression of love and the hope that mother and daughter would meet again someday.
YA HUI’S MOTHER DIED AT 81 IN JULY
The latest tribute comes several months after Ya Hui announced her mother’s death in July 2026.
In an earlier Instagram post, the actress shared photographs and videos of their family, accompanied by a deeply personal message thanking her mother for raising her.
She wrote that when she was young, her mother held her hand as she grew up. As an adult, Ya Hui had the opportunity to hold her mother’s hand and accompany her through the final stage of her life.
She also acknowledged that her mother had endured a difficult journey and expressed relief that she would no longer have to suffer.
One of the most moving lines in that tribute expressed her wish to remain her mother’s daughter even in another life.
The announcement prompted messages of support from fellow Singapore entertainers, including Jesseca Liu, Tasha Low, Rebecca Lim, Elvin Ng and Zhang Zetong.
The story was also reported by AsiaOne in its coverage of Ya Hui’s mother’s death, while Mothership highlighted the actress’s earlier reflections on her relationship with her parents.
HER LAST OUTING WITH HER MOTHER REMAINS A TREASURED MEMORY
In another emotional post shared in July, Ya Hui recalled her final outing with her mother on May 25.
The pair had visited an oceanarium with other family members. Although Ya Hui had been tired from filming that day, she still wanted to make the outing enjoyable for her parents.
She later described how happy her mother had been, remembering her laughter and smile as some of her most treasured memories.
Ya Hui admitted that editing the video was difficult because the emotions became overwhelming each time she tried to work on it.
She also reflected that, had she known it would be their last outing together, she would have made even more jokes just to hear her mother’s laughter again.
The memory adds another layer to her latest tribute: the restaurant visit was not an isolated act of remembrance, but part of an ongoing effort to hold on to the experiences they shared.
WWC ONE MEDIA previously explored another deeply personal Singapore family story in Singapore Director Turns Estranged Family Pain Into Award-Winning Film Ah Girl — But the Real Story Behind Her Father and Childhood Is Even More Emotional.
WHY HER STORY IS RESONATING WITH SO MANY PEOPLE
Ya Hui’s tribute has struck a familiar emotional chord because it centres on something many families recognise: the everyday traditions that become priceless after someone is gone.
A birthday meal, a favourite restaurant or a simple promise to eat together may seem ordinary while loved ones are still around.
But when circumstances change, those small moments can become some of the most meaningful memories left behind.
Her story also echoes a message she shared before her mother’s death.
In an earlier post, Ya Hui recalled feeling embarrassed as a child when classmates mistook her older parents for her grandparents. Looking back, she said she regretted those feelings and encouraged people to spend more time with their parents, take them out and create memories while they still can.
That message is particularly poignant now.
WWC ONE MEDIA has also reported on the importance of family memories in the story of a Singapore grandmother who died at 100, leaving behind five generations of family.
And in another Singapore entertainment story, Carrie Wong revealed how portraying a troubled mother in the film Ah Girl left her emotionally overwhelmed, highlighting how complicated and deeply personal family relationships can be.
SOME PROMISES CAN STILL BE KEPT, EVEN AFTER GOODBYE
Ya Hui could not return to The Black Pearl with her mother. She could not share the mee sua they had once planned to eat together, nor recreate the birthday celebrations that had been part of their lives.
But she found a way to honour those memories.
By returning to the restaurant, ordering the dish her mother had wanted and preparing the birthday noodles and eggs herself, she turned an unfinished promise into a personal tribute.
The birthday song may have been the moment that finally brought her to tears, but the deeper sadness was the realisation that there were still so many places to visit, meals to share and memories left to make.
Her message is a reminder that time with loved ones is never guaranteed.
And sometimes, the simplest moments — a meal, a familiar song or a promise to meet again — become the memories we hold on to the longest.
