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Hong Seng Curry Rice

Hong Seng Curry Rice was founded in 1995 at Redhill Hawker Centre by the matriarch of the Lim family as a means to feed a household of 7. The humble stall has survived the generations by endeavoring to present the best quality of food to their loyal patrons. 3 generations of lasting operation is a testament to the quality of the fare served.

On Oct 2014, Lim Jia Han, fresh with a Degree in Banking and Finance, took over the helms of the stall and apprenticed under the watchful eye of his father and uncle as a 3rd generation hawkerpreneur.  Under the watchful eye of Master Chef Lim Gee Kiat, Jia Han honed his craft at the traditional stall for a full year before being granted full management of the business allowing Master Chef Lim to focus solely on quality control. This ensured that the quality is maintained as the recipes and cooking technique is passed down from one generation to another.

Under the helms of a Gen Y hawkerpreneur, Hong Seng Curry Rice recognises that the Gen Y population has growth for greater consumption of traditional hawker fare such as Hainanese curry rice and therefore course has been set to achieve this goal through the active rebranding of Hong Seng Curry Rice. Another stall right in the heart of town in District 9 is in the pipeline so check back often to find out more!

Strategically located at Redhill Hawker Centre, Hong Seng has long enjoyed the loyal support of patrons to the centrally located hawker centre and the good name of Hong Seng has generally been spread by the word of mouth. To achieve the goal of getting the attention of the younger generation, word of mouth alone is not enough and as such, an online presence is critical. An online presence also allows Hong Seng to provide more information to the greater public and launch online promotions in tandem with on-site discounts.

Jia Han’s addition to the business has been a thoroughly modern input. He’s taken a leaf out of Ford Motor Company and has done a Henry Ford on Hong Seng Curry Rice. All tasks are streamlined so it is easy for someone to step in when another worker is away. Automation has also been introduced to cut down on manual labour. However, the sourcing of ingredients is one aspect where no short cuts can be entertained to ensure that the freshest ingredients are delivered daily to ensure the food is always of the highest quality. All these improvements are achieved through the gradual acquisition of machinery and the most recent and investment heavy acquisition of a cargo van.

It has not been a completely smooth road, as Jia Han’s parents discouraged him from working in the stall as they did not want him to live the strenuous life that they lived. But once Jia Han sat them down and pitched his strategy to them which consisted of using machines to cut down on laborious work and the provision of catering and delivery options for the food, they quickly came round to the idea.

Passion for the industry and having a goal in sight motivates Jia Han to wake up each day before the sun rises to whip up 22 dishes before the stall opens at 10 a.m. His team of assistants arrives just before 10 a.m. to help open the stall and to ready themselves to face the lunch crowd. Having travelled extensively during his schooling days, Jia Han has experienced exemplary service standards that he wishes to emulate at his stall and therefore each staff has been given pointers on customer management to bring up the service standards of Hong Seng Curry Rice therefore leaving a pleasant taste not only on the tastebuds but on the minds of his customers as well.

The unadulterated Hainanese curry gravy is thick and full of spices prepared from scratch and spread over chicken, fish and squid. As a unique twist, pig trotters are used instead of the more common pork belly for a tender dish that features meat that falls off the bone.

If you’re looking for a homely dish of curry rice for lunch or dinner, head on over to Redhill Hawker Centre to fill your belly with an affordable yet delicious meal of Hong Seng Curry Rice.

Hong Seng Curry Rice has received positive affirmative from prominent food bloggers such as Dr Leslie Tay, Daniel Ang and Catherine Ling; KF Seetoh, CEO of Makansutra; as well as news outlets Channel News Asia, The New Paper, Shin Min Daily News and Yahoo News Singapore.