Photo: Nic Crilly-Hargrave
While UK restaurants were given the go-ahead to re-open last weekend, following official guidance and strict rules, many still aren’t ready to eat out. As hundreds of pubs and restaurants across the country opened their doors for the first time in almost four months, many remained closed. Some have announced plans to open at a later date, others are still unsure of a date that seems sensible and socially responsible in protection of both customers and staff. With two central London sites, Old Chang Kee is not yet ready to re-open.
Famous for their curries and curry puffs, Old Chang Kee was first opened in Singapore during the 1950s. Having quickly grown a positive reputation, the business now owns 90 outlets throughout Singapore. The brand’s flagship UK site opened in the summer of 2018, on New Row, Covent Garden, followed by a second on Goodge Street, opened late last year. Their best-selling item, the curry puff, is “a Singaporean homage to a Cornish pasty, samosa or empanada”, featuring buttery pastry filled with spiced meat, vegetables or potato.
While the Goodge Street site continues to serve hot food via Deliveroo, Slerp and Uber Eats, frozen curry puffs and curries are available for delivery to anywhere within the M25, significantly increasing the brand’s delivery radius. Available to order via Old Chang Kee’s UK website, the full menu includes a selection of curry puffs (priced from £2.80), Singaporean curries, Old Chang Kee sambal chilli paste, and Nanyang kopi (coffee) powder.
On the launch of London-wide delivery, Old Chang Kee UK Founder Sandra Leong said: “When we had to shut down for lockdown we wanted to find a way to keep feeding our customers, which led to the idea of delivering frozen curry puffs and curries around London. We started out with a small delivery radius, but thanks to popular demand, were able to extend delivery all the way to within the M25. The response has been phenomenal and we want to keep this service going. To date, we’ve delivered more than 5,000 curry puffs and over 2,000 portions of ready meals.
“Whilst we miss our customers, we would still like to learn more about how we can trade safely and wisely in the world of COVID. We would also like to see the hustle and bustle of Central London return, people visiting for work, play and culture, before we commit to fully reopening both sites.”
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