Melody Curry Chicken Noodle Unveils New Stall In Serangoon; Crab Curry Also Available

When we last reviewed Burmese-born Singaporean PR Melody Yen’s (middle in pic) curry noodle stall in May, the 45-year-old entrepreneur was unsure if her dish would appeal to Singaporeans. “At the time, I just wanted to introduce my hometown dish to Singaporeans. I figured it has potential since curry is a popular food here,” she tells 8days.sg over the phone.

Her Toa Payoh hawker stall, Melody Curry Chicken Noodle, serves the titular dish based on a Burmese-Indian recipe from her hometown Lashio in northern Shan State, Myanmar. The unique stall has an equally intriguing tagline: “Made by a Chinese girl from an Indian village”. Though slightly confusing and not entirely accurate (Melody is ethnically Chinese and grew up with Indian neighbours in Lashio), we’re told the description has attracted quite a few curious customers to try their food.

The curry mee is more full-bodied compared to Singaporean Chinese versions, and is not too spicy. Complete with chicken drumsticks, deep-fried tofu puffs, potato and bean sprouts, the noodles are served with a tangy and mildly spicy Burmese dipping sauce on the side.

Last month, Melody Curry Chicken Noodle opened its second stall at a Serangoon coffee shop, with three more hawker outlets to follow by the end of the year. “I was delighted to see so many customers accepting and loving the dish. Some of them have spotted our signboards [at the new locations] and even called to ask when we would be opening [the branches],” she shares happily.

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Toa Payoh stall sells “about 250 bowls daily”

The growing popularity of her Toa Payoh stall, which draws a steady queue on weekends (see above pic), gave Melody confidence for the rapid expansion. “We sell an average of 250 bowls daily, sometimes 350 bowls on weekends,” she shares. The joint sold about 100 bowls daily when they started offering the dish in March. Even with a queue, Melody assures us that customers only need to wait “around five to ten minutes” for their food as most of the elements, like the curry base and chicken, are pre-cooked.

Opening three more hawker stalls this year

In addition to their second outlet in a Serangoon kopitiam, Melody Curry Chicken Noodle will also be opening branches at Golden Mile Food Centre, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre and Dunman Food Centre by the end of this year. All outlets are fully owned by Melody and her business partner (who wishes to remain anonymous). Both of them also own the 40-seater Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice restaurant at Jalan Besar.

The towkays have hired three staff to run the new outlet. Melody and Alice Lum (left in main pic), the 67-year-old cook who has helmed the original stall since its opening, have also been training the new helpers at the Serangoon branch to ensure that the food remains consistent.

“We hope to introduce our dish to more customers. We want to keep our food affordable, so we’re choosing to open in heartland areas instead of places with higher rental prices,” shares the business partner. They declined to share details of their investment amount so far.

Working with a sauce manufacturer now

To cope with increased production, the owners have also started working with a sauce manufacturer and wholesaler. “They produce the curry paste and dipping sauce based on our recipes, which are then delivered to our outlets. We already had a good working relationship as they were our [Toa Payoh] stall’s supplier for spices and sauces. I’m keeping a close eye on the products to ensure the quality stays the same,” says Melody.

The savvy entrepreneur does not rule out branching into retail in the future. “We’ve definitely considered launching our own brand of curry paste, but for now we want to take it one step at a time and focus on the new branches first,” she adds.

Price increase at Serangoon

Both outlets offer the same menu, but prices are slightly higher at the Serangoon kopitiam stall to reflect the steeper rental cost. A bowl of curry chicken noodles costs $5.50 here, compared to $4.50 at Toa Payoh.

Curry crab available too

There’s also a curry crab dish (added to the menu shortly after our previous review) featuring a small Indonesian mud crab (about 200g) that’s stir-fried with ginger before getting doused in the same robust curry gravy. You can enjoy this dish a la carte for $12, or as an add-on to your noodles for $9. The item is available at both outlets.

The details

Melody Curry Chicken Noodle’s second branch is at 568 Serangoon Rd, S218183. Open daily except Mon 8am-6pm. More info via Facebook.

The original outlet is at #01-35, Blk 93 Market & Hawker Centre, Toa Payoh Lor 4. S310093. Open daily 7am-2pm. More info via Facebook.

Photos: Aik Chen & Melody Curry Chicken Noodle

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.