Two brothers fight for one curry puff: Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff stall family feud splits founder sons

The tension between Peter Ng, 56, and Ray Ng, 50, has become so deep that the two no longer work together, resulting in separate stores at 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market and Food Centre.

What’s more, Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original (run by Mr Peter Ng) and Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff (run by Mr Ray Ng) stand just two spots away from one another. Their father,  Ng Yong Cheong, started the business in 1952, at the original stall, 02-36. The Ng brothers spent many years side by side at the stall, until March of this year, when Ray broke away to open the other unit two doors down.

On the Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original Facebook page, a post read, “With effect on 1st April 2022, my company name Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff have (sic) been changed to ‘Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff Original’due to personal reasons.”

An article in Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore characterizes the rift between the brothers as a particularly bitter one. It quotes Mr Peter Ng as saying, “This is a business but now it’s like a war, we are like enemies. He (Ray) is trying to kill me.”

The article said that Mr Ray Ng was less forward about the rift with his brother, merely saying, You want to talk about why we have the same name but the other stall (has) no queue, is it?”

Mr Ray Ng had been given permission by their father for the use of the Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff brand to open a stall, but not at Hong Lim Market. To the surprise of his brother, he set up shop practically beside him.

Mr Peter Ng was quoted in Yahoo as saying, “I feel cheated because he (Ray) went behind my back. It’s very unfair to me because I built up the business in 2016 when nobody wanted to take over. Now Ray is telling everyone that he is the original Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff.”

Curry puffs are an indelible part of Singaporean cuisine, and Tanglin Crispy Curry Puffs have long enjoyed being considered among the best in the country.

The curry puffs are indeed a favourite of many, and were recently described in prestigeonline.com as “little pockets… packed generously with fragrant fillings, and are priced at a neat S$1.80, wrapped around little blankets of flaky pastry.”

These days, unfortunately, it’s not the deliciousness of the little golden pockets from the store that have made the headlines, but the split between the brothers who took over the business from their father. /TISG

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