LONDON — How much would you pay for a taste of home while travelling overseas?

For celebrity chef Shahrizal Salleh, or Chef Bob as he is more popularly known, a sardine puff from an Old Chang Kee outpost in London had him forking out £4.25 (S$7.25).

The TV personality shared his experience in a TikTok video on Saturday (Jan 20), leaving Singaporean viewers reeling over the snack’s seemingly steep price. 

In his video, Chef Bob is seen visiting an Old Chang Kee outlet in Covent Garden. Sporting an exaggerated British accent, Chef Bob asked an employee if they serve sardine and beef rendang puffs, which she confirmed. 

He then panned his camera to show part of the menu. A beef rendang puff was priced at £4.50, while a signature chicken curry puff was slightly cheaper at £4. Spring rolls were sold at two for £3.

Eager to pair his snack with a cup of teh tarik, Chef Bob then asked if the beverage was available but the employee did not seem to understand. Upon clarifying that he was referring to tea, the employee said that the eatery does not serve hot drinks.

Chef Bob then proceeded to purchase a single sardine puff for £4.25. 

After biting deliciously into his snack, Chef Bob remarked: “Sometimes when you’re abroad, you look for our local food. And sardine curry puff (in) this kind of weather (is a) perfect combination.”

He added that he felt “super proud” to see the popular snack chain, which was founded in Singapore, flying the nation’s flag high in London.

Chef Bob’s video has attracted over 480,000 views, 26,400 likes and 870 comments as of Tuesday afternoon.

Many viewers flocked to the comments section to express their shock over the “expensive” price of a sardine puff overseas, with one user calling it “insane”.

A top comment read: “When you’re overseas, then you realise how expensive everything (is).”

Some TikTok users lamented that customers in Singapore could buy three sardine puffs at a local Old Chang Kee for the same price and called it a “rip off”. A sardine puff, or Sardine'O, costs S$1.90 here.

Other viewers were more curious about how the taste of a sardine puff in London would compare to those available in Singapore. To this, Chef Bob responded that the puff he had in London was “way better” than the ones sold locally.

“In Singapore, the margarine taste is too strong,” he explained, replying to one such query.

A number of people chimed in with their own experiences of paying exorbitant prices overseas for Singaporean food, such as £12 for two pieces of roti prata with chicken curry, and £20 for a plate of char siew rice.

However, several people pointed out that comparing the prices of food items solely based on the exchange rate was inaccurate and unfair. Others argued that it made sense for Singaporean food to cost higher in other countries due to difficulties in acquiring certain ingredients.

One viewer wrote: “Sorry to say, when you want to compare, you have to compare apple to apple. Not the amount with the exchange rate. Once you convert (the price) into Singapore dollars, you are comparing the exchange rate.”

A household name in Singapore famous for its curry puffs, Old Chang Kee has established franchises in Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United Kingdom.

The homegrown brand opened its first British outlet in Covent Garden in June 2018, followed by a second outlet on Goodge Street in Nov 2019.

In 2018, a curry potato puff was priced at £2.60 while the signature curry puff was set at £2.80, according to an article on the Michelin Guide website.

As seen in Chef Bob's video, the prices of the items on the Old Chang Kee menu have since risen, with a curry potato puff now costing £3.80 and the signature curry puff setting one back £4.