Jman888 Moderator March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 another one bite the dust. i only been there twice in past 20 years and really dun feel so special, no big deal. everyone can cook a good fried rice at home nowadays Chen Fu Ji cooks its last plate of fried rice 21/03/2016 on mypaper WOK THIS WAY FOR GREAT FRIED RICE: Chen Fu Ji, which traces its roots to Chinatown in the 1950s, gained many fans when the small shop there was run by a woman and her two daughters (pictured preparing the famous fried rice dish). (ST FILE PHOTO) THE Chen Fu Ji Fried Rice restaurant, which has a history of more than 50 years, called it a day on Saturday, the last of three consecutive days during which its owner Roger Koh specially took to the kitchen to cook its most famous dish for the loyal customers. According to Mr Koh, 55, who is a chartered accountant by training, the restaurant at Riverside Point was crowded with customers as early as 4 pm on Saturday. Many had come after learning that it was its last day of operations, reported Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao. When its reporter arrived at 10pm, he found the eatery's signboard was already taken down but the owner was still around chatting with some customers. Mr Koh told Wanbao that more than 200 customers came throughout the day, including many who had come specially for the first time to try the Gold Plated Fried Rice. It was priced at $25 a dish. He also revealed that he was recorded on video - for the first time - stir-frying the well-known dish. "As there were too many customers, each had to be limited to only one dish, which also had to come in smaller amount," said Mr Koh. "Otherwise, there won't be enough for everyone," he added. Earlier, he told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that the restaurant could not continue anymore, with rental too high, the labour market too tight and customers too few. Mr Koh said the idea of winding up had dogged him for more than a year after he found it necessary to transform his business model. Besides, he pointed out, turnover in local food business has declined apparently by between 20 and 30 per cent this year. Chen Fu Ji had constantly been criticised for "overpricing" since Mr Koh bought the brand in 1995. But he insisted that lots of work and expensive ingredients went into its signature dish. He lamented that the price was kept unchanged for years, despite the rise in costs, to prevent driving away even more customers. The Riverside Point branch was the only Chen Fu Ji outlet still standing this year, after the other nine, including the oldest one at Erskine Road opposite Maxwell Food Centre, were closed through the years. Chen Fu Ji had its genesis in Chinatown in the 1950s, where a small shop run by a woman and her two daughters made famous the Gold Plated Fried Rice. The recipe is said to have been passed down from ancient China. The daughters were hired by a Japanese to work at his restaurant at Erskine Road in 1992 but the brand was soon sold to Mr Koh. The women worked for six months only under Mr Koh but, in that short span, they had passed on their cooking skill to him and his chefs. [email protected] ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
13177 Supersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Never heard of this chen fu ji?! Lol. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadX Moderator March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Never heard of this chen fu ji?! Lol. me too, guess you can tell how old @jman888 is. WE probably not born yet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator March 21, 2016 Author Share March 21, 2016 me too, guess you can tell how old @jman888 is. WE probably not born yet how come mcf dun hv the emoji like whatsapp? nevermind, see my avatar 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuPerBoRed Twincharged March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 oei oei .. you two dont tcss la... used to park at riverside point... makan the fried rice once... and didnt think it was worth the moolah... and i am gen Y lor... you gen X's.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 another one bite the dust. i only been there twice in past 20 years and really dun feel so special, no big deal. everyone can cook a good fried rice at home nowadays not really eaten there before. But technically speaking, it's not difficult to make decent fried rice. It's not easy to make excellent fried rice though. Most home cooks i don't think can manage it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tkseah Supercharged March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 me cannot afford $25 for a plate of fried rice.. me at most eat the pork chop fried rice at ding tai fung.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 me cannot afford $25 for a plate of fried rice.. me at most eat the pork chop fried rice at ding tai fung.. Tiagong DTF fried rice is not bad. But haven't eaten there yet. Prefer to eat fried rice from tze char stall. Fond memories of eating Keng Eng Kee's fried rice while on call. I've not met a home cook who can do that level of fried rice at home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kusje Supersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 What do they have in their fried rice? Gold flakes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman888 Moderator March 21, 2016 Author Share March 21, 2016 What do they have in their fried rice? Gold flakes? crab meat, they charge $25 since day 1 cos they claim that manual work to take out the crab meat and it was very rare 30 years ago. nowadays many suppliers supplies extracted crab meat to restaurant liao, nothing special now hence they dun dare to increase price. Some atas places already selling laksa and chicken rice at $20 so dun think it is price sensitive but the dated concept. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 crab meat, they charge $25 since day 1 cos they claim that manual work to take out the crab meat and it was very rare in 30 years ago. nowadays many suppliers supplies extracted crab meat to restaurant liao, nothing special now hence they dun dare to increase price. Some atas places already selling laksa and chicken rice at $20 so dun think it is price that sensitive but the dated concept. crab meat goes very well with fried rice. yum yum. My mum did it once or twice. My dad the manual labourer lol. Usually her fried rice is very average, but add that, really Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Never eat the $25/plate fried rice before. It's been around for 50years? I never imagined ppl in the past would pay premium for fried rice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Chatterbox chicken rice also had that issue right. Lol. This was an article i read recently about him and his business practice, F&B here in SG. There are some relevant points in the last part. It's a pretty long interview. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/singapore/singapore-a-third-world-f/2411694.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Moderator March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Tiagong DTF fried rice is not bad. But haven't eaten there yet. Prefer to eat fried rice from tze char stall. Fond memories of eating Keng Eng Kee's fried rice while on call. I've not met a home cook who can do that level of fried rice at home. Not only fried rice, even hor fun also can't get the same level as the professionals at home likely cos the fire control over the wok is not as intense as those commercial ones with their bigger woks and strong fire. Wok smell aka burnt taste is never the same for home cooked I'm afraid. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chowyunfatt Turbocharged March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 IMO ... The Crab Meat was just Smoke Screen to justify the cost of the Fried Rice ... What the Customers paid for was the Wok Technic rather than the Ingredients ... "Wok Kung Fu" It is not easy to cook a good plate of Fried Rice ... Especially at home when you don't have High Heat and most of us don't use Thin Woks ... $25 is a lot of money for a plate of Fried Rice ... But to some, it is much more than that just a Simple plate of Fried Rice ... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 Not only fried rice, even hor fun also can't get the same level as the professionals at home likely cos the fire control over the wok is not as intense as those commercial ones with their bigger woks and strong fire. Wok smell aka burnt taste is never the same for home cooked I'm afraid. i have a professional grade wok. Yes, u will probably need LPG gas supply plus also likely industrial grade burners. Also more importantly, u need fast hands and good timing/experience when u are cooking at such heat. Also u need to know how to flip the rice in the wok with your hand. Using the chan too much will spoil the rice beads. All this makes a the difference for excellent fried rice. That's why we still order fried rice from tze char stalls hehe It's also a lot of experience or "skill" involved. The moisture in the rice is different depending on who cooked it and how long it's been left in the fridge. Sometimes it's wetter and dryer. Honestly, most tze char cooks are chin chai, just anyhow cook. That's why some places the fried rice is downright lousy. IMO ... The Crab Meat was just Smoke Screen to justify the cost of the Fried Rice ... What the Customers paid for was the Wok Technic rather than the Ingredients ... "Wok Kung Fu" It is not easy to cook a good plate of Fried Rice ... Especially at home when you don't have High Heat and most of us don't use Thin Woks ... $25 is a lot of money for a plate of Fried Rice ... But to some, it is much more than that just a Simple plate of Fried Rice ... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuPerBoRed Twincharged March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 sorry man.. the key to good fried rice begins with 隔夜饭 bros... dont have this.. dont even start... some FT chefs dont seem to understand that sadly... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic March 21, 2016 Share March 21, 2016 sorry man.. the key to good fried rice begins with 隔夜饭 bros... dont have this.. dont even start... some FT chefs dont seem to understand that sadly... I think they know. But can't be bothered to prepare. Or fridge no space etc etc excuse lol. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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