I met R at his office in Robinson Road for lunch last week. “What shall we have?” I asked, referring to food, of course.
“Let’s have a quickie,” replied R.
“What?!” Hmm. My heart pounded fast.
“A quick lunch, I mean. I’ve got a lot of work to be done today. What were you thinking of?” winked R.
What an anti-climax.
East meets West: Curry chicken in bread bowl.
Lunch was a 2-minute walk down to Old Chang Kee at The Ogilvy Centre. Most of us know Old Chang Kee as the homegrown franchise famous for fried curry puffs and other artery-clogging but irresistible deep-fried snacks. They are the local takeaway version of McDonald’s. Ubiquitous and unhealthy.
At a few selected outlets, they have now started to sell hot meals too. At the Ogilvy Centre branch, we were lucky to get a table despite the very limited seating. Surprisingly, demand for the meals was quite brisk.
Out of the five hot meals, R recommended the curry chicken and beef stew. Forget the mee siam, he said. An absolute horror. The nasi lemak and curry noodles were forgettable too. For a moment, I thought I was sitting next to Simon Cowell.
Curry chicken in bread bowl (SGD$3.90; SGD$5.00 with beverage).
Given a choice between rice and a bread bowl, I chose the latter. This is localized Chinese curry chicken, which Singaporeans like to eat with French loaf, dipping the bread into the curry. Seems like the dudes at Old Chang Kee were inspired by the classic soup in bread bowl, and hit upon the idea of localizing the concept.
It was actually pretty decent. The interior was modified to suit the local preference for soft and fluffy breads, but the exterior crust was nicely toasted till warm and lightly crisp.
Another plus: The curry is made without coconut milk, making this a healthier version. Indeed, I did feel that it was less oily than the usual coconut milk version. The gravy was still rich, though, and the spices packed quite a punch. The chicken leg pieces were meaty and tender.
Beef stew in bread bowl (SGD$3.90; SGD$5.00 with beverage).
I barely tasted R’s beef stew because my tastebuds were quite numb from the spices, but I tried a beef cube and it was very tender.
It’s interesting to see Old Chang Kee expanding their repertoire to include more items. I just hope that in the process, they will maintain the quality of their food. I still love their curry puff. All too often, over-zealous expansion results in a dip in standards. Anyone been to Delifrance lately?
One tip: Skip the lime juice, unless you don’t mind paying for water, sugar, and food dye. One grouse: Can’t they include some salads or greens on the menu to balance out all that meat and fried food? Still, if it’s curry chicken with bread I want, I wouldn’t mind having Old Chang Kee’s again.
Old Chang Kee (Ogilvy Centre outlet)
35 Robinson Road
#01-08
The Ogilvy Centre
Singapore 068876
website: www.oldchangkee.com
cheers!
Hear Julia on radio every Thursday at 11:10am & 12:10pm as she shares a Foodie Lunch Pick on 938LIVE's Lunch Box with hosts Howie Lim and Desmond Wong. 
Wow! I didn’t know Old Chang Kee serves such interesting stuff! I love curry! But sianz I can’t eat chicken
Julia: How about trying the beef stew? It’s pretty good too.
hmm…reminds me of 933 golden pillow that serve curry in bread too. but the pictures looks yummy. can’t wait to try them. =)
Quickie!AHAHAHAHHAAH!!
Oooh…that looks so good! And what a neat idea!
I love soup in bread bowls, and I’m often stuffing small rolls and things with savory foods…I’ll have to try this.
Too bad about the ‘quickie’, though!!
Julia: Stephanie, I think you’ll love this. It’s a neat idea that works beautifully. Yeah, the ‘quickie’ was a shame, wasn’t it?
i think the bread is not french baguette but more on sour dough bread. It takes 3 – 4 days just to make a starter dough. Then proof for at least 24 hours in a chiller. A lot of work but its delish!
i just found out this site today.. and im loving it! a great space for a foodie like me too!!! =DDDD
Cool! I love this idea!