Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff @ Hong Lim

We have the laksa war, bakchang war, soy sauce chicken war, and now curry puff war. For the curry puff war, two brothers and a woman were involved.

Once upon a time (1952 to be exact), Ng Yong Cheong started Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff. It was so good, people flocked to its store and the family business grew over time. It was a thing as it allowed Mr Ng to raise a family. Now, Mr Ng has two sons, Peter and Ray. Both sons helped at the store, and the business expanded so each one runs a store.

And Peter fell in love with a Chinese girl, to the chagrin of the patriarch. Over time, Peter split from the family (in 2022) and Mr Ng decided to pass on the brand to Ray. The Michelin accolade came in 2017, which was contentious because both brothers claimed credit for it. So another flare point on who was responsible for getting the Michelin. Doesn’t matter, they both lost it the next year.

Today, while the second-generation sibling rivalry led to having two opposing stalls within arms reach, curry puff fans are spoilt for choice. The stalls are still managed separately by two brothers, Ray Ng (52) at #02-34, and Peter Ng (58) at #02-36, one unit apart from each other at Hong Lim Market & Food Centre. Ray has since opened Hong Lim Curry Puff to produce the Halal version of Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff from a central kitchen.

The afternoon I was there, Ray’s store had ran out of the signature chicken potato curry puff. So I had to settle for the sardine puff (which Peter was more famous for) and the otah puff (which again was Peter’s invention and so he claimed).

I really enjoyed the otah puff, really flaky puff with delicious otah. Now I got to try Peter’s versions of the curry puffs. Plus, I didn’t try the signature chicken curry puff, which make this a really poor post.

According to other reviews and reports, each one has their own supporter. With Ray’s expansion plans and moving in the direction of Old Chang Kee in terms of marketing and plans, we hope the standards would not drop. They have since come up with a lot of innovative fillings like black pepper chicken, taro paste (Teochew orh nee), while Peter sticks to doing what they do best.

Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Since 1952
31A Upper Cross St, #02-34 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, Singapore 051531
Tel : +65 8418 3937

Visited Jul 2024

Michelin Singapore Guide Plate 2017