UK food critic slams Old Chang Kee's curry puffs, calls them "weird over-sweetened generic chicken curry mush"

Food critic Jay Rayner has slammed Old Chang Kee’s curry puffs, calling them "weird over-sweetened generic chicken curry mush” amongst other insults.

It was earlier reported by The Straits Times back in June that the home-grown local food brand opened its first British branch at 15A New Row, Covent Garden, in London. 

However just barely more than a month since its opening, the beloved Singaporean snacks have come under attack by Rayner, reports Lianhe Wanbao

Rayner, who is the Observer's restaurant critic and a feature writer, has also starred as a judge on the cooking show, Masterchef. 

In an article published in The Guardian newspaper on July 8, Rayner said that having a long history does not mean that the food is good.

Rayner quickly brought up Old Chang Kee’s curry puffs as an example, calling them “dense, stodgy, turmeric-yellow pasties with a filling of weird oversweetened generic chicken curry mush”.

He even added that these puffs could be “used more successfully to grout the tiles in a dodgy-coloured bathroom”, and stuck to the roof of his mouth like his “swollen tongue after a bad night’s sleep”. 

Rayner also claimed that the curry puffs, which Ms Sandra Leong, director of Old Chang Kee UK said were “Singapore’s version the Cornish pastry
“, were brought back to London, “possibly as an act of revenge”.

He continued, saying that he suspected that the people who will want the curry puffs are homesick Singaporeans who “craved their awfulness”. 

In response to Rayner’s scalding reviews, a spokesman from Old Chang Kee said that everyone has different definitions of good food, and will respect personal opinions and cultural differences. 

The spokesman said:

“We will continue to provide high quality and tasty food to our customers.”

First established in 1956, Old Chang Kee started with a small stall, but later developed into a franchise with over 100 stalls across Asia and Australia. 

It was listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 2008.