10 Facts About Old Chang Kee & Its Menu That Shows It’s Not Just About Calories

2019-04-20 , 2:00 am

Last Updated on 2020-02-12 , 2:35 pm

I used to always google Old Chang Kee menu due to the frequency in which I visited the Old Chang Kee outlets. Every weekend, my mother would bring me to visit my grandmother and we would always pass by an Old Chang Kee store en route.

I didn’t care about the Old Chang Kee curry puff calories. I didn’t even care about the Old Chang Kee share prices. Heck, I just wanted my Old Chang Kee in my tummy.

As if a weekly routine, I will ask my mother to get me a stick of fishballs from the store and I will be a happy boy for the rest of the day.

(Ahh, those were the simpler times)

However, as time went by, we stopped buying from Old Chang Kee due to the ever-increasing food prices in Singapore.

And as it turns out, my grandma’s a magician when it comes to deep frying food like Goreng Pisang and sweet potato fritters.

But nevertheless, Old Chang Kee will always have a special place in my heart. As such, why don’t we take a look at some things you might not know about Old Chang Kee?

OldChangKee

1) Singaporean brand

Tell me Old Chang Kee is a Hong Kong brand one more time and I’ll shove my foot down your throat. No, seriously. One of my colleagues actually asked if it’s a Hong Kong brand. When confronted, he simply said:

“Coz…they sell dim sum like snack thing mah”

(I dim your head ah, dim sum!)

For those of you who have no idea, Old Chang Kee is a local brand dating back to 1956!

2) Humble origins

Old Chang Kee started as a small store outside Rex Cinema at McKenzie Road. Here’s how Old Chang Kee used to look like in the past:

A far cry from the Old Chang Kee we know now, huh?

3) Rex Curry Puff

And that was the nickname of the famous Old Chang Kee curry puff in the past! People would travel from all over Singapore just to taste the curry puff for themselves!

According to my father, the Old Chang Kee curry puff nowadays tastes different from the “Rex Curry Puff” he knew. And in true, typical old man fashion, he would say something like this:

“Things used to be better in the past”.

Well, yeah. Who could deny that, right?

4) New beginnings

In 1986, Old Chang Kee was about to fold up. It was then that the current chairman, Han Kee Juan, bought over the business and revived it, modernizing the brand in the process.

So, I guess we could say that it’s all thanks to the vision of this man that we still get to enjoy Old Chang Kee’s curry puffs!

Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, eh?

5) Old Chang Kee is halal certified

Old Chang Kee is a halal-certified establishment. The only reason why this point made the list is because, well, I didn’t actually notice that it’s a halal-certified establishment.

I guess now I have more options when picking out snacks for my friends!

6) International taste

There are a total of 80 Old Chang Kee outlets operating in Singapore alone! And if you ever miss the taste of home while you’re overseas— here are some countries where you can find Old Chang Kee!

Malaysia: 2 outlets
China: 3 outlets
Philippines: 3 outlets
Indonesia: 4 outlets

How’s this for something to remind you of home?

7) Curry Puffs no more

In 2005, Old Chang Kee started introducing different types of curry puffs and some, like the chilli crab curry puff released in the recent years, is pretty good IMHO.

That very same year, the products of Old Chang Kee underwent a rebranding, with its curry puffs being renamed as Curry’O.

Beats me, I don’t really see how Curry’O is a better name for the curry puffs. Maybe it has something to do with Feng Shui or something.

8) Not just curry puffs

This may come as a surprise to some, but did you know that eateries like Curry Times and Bun Times belong to Old Chang Kee?

I only found that out when I went to Curry Times to try out their curry dishes. Hmm, this is indeed a really impressive empire, considering it’s built on mountains of curry puffs!

9) Achievements and Awards

In case you have yet to notice, Old Chang Kee is a pretty big name with lots of awards under its belt!

In 2007, the company changed its name to Old Chang Kee Ltd as it was being converted into a public company limited. By 2008, Old Chang Kee was listed on Catalist-NS.

If you have no idea what all the awards, just know that Old Chang Kee is something Singaporeans can be proud of!

10) News and Promotions

Old Chang Kee always has some kinda ongoing promotion. Stay tuned to their news and promotion page to keep yourselves updated!

With 80 outlets all over Singapore, I’m sure you can find an Old Chang Kee nearby to sate your cravings!