“Shepherd’s pie?”: Londoners make wild guesses after being shown Singapore’s curry puff
A group of Londoners were left guessing when shown one of Singapore’s most iconic snacks: The curry puff.
Old Chang Kee UK shared a video of the street interview on TikTok and Instagram on 19 Aug, asking passers-by to identify the pastry.
The interviewees came up with guesses including an empanada, shepherd’s pie, pasty, apple pie, dumpling, and samosa.
Source: Old Chang Kee UK on TikTok
Even when told it came from Singapore, many admitted they had “no clue” what it was.
After tasting the snack, another interviewee said it was “like some kind of curry”.
The host then revealed the answer: a chicken and potato curry puff.
“Curry puff!” one interviewee exclaimed, while another responded, “No way! That’s so cool”.
Source: Old Chang Kee UK on TikTok
‘Curry puff woman’ brings Singapore snack to London
Speaking to MS News, Sandra Leong, Director of Old Chang Kee UK said the video was filmed in July 2026 as part of the brand’s regular content marketing.
Old Chang Kee has operated in London since 2018, with outlets in Covent Garden and Liverpool Street.
“Sometimes known as the ‘curry puff woman’, I was born in Singapore but moved to London in my 20s,” she told MS News.
She eventually left her corporate job to introduce these Singaporean flavours to London.
“I started Old Chang Kee in London, a partnership between Old Chang Kee and myself, after seeing that authentic, quick-service Singaporean food was hard to come by,” she explained.
Source: Old Chang Kee UK on TikTok
Sandra said most of its customers are now local British people, alongside tourists and those with connections to Singapore, including overseas Singaporeans.
While curry puffs are still “a new contender” in the UK market, she said British customers have already taken a liking to them.
The street interview was also part of a series, with other videos showing the same interviewees enjoying the curry puffs.
Source: Old Chang Kee UK on TikTok
British critics have praised the pastry
Old Chang Kee’s curry puffs have also caught the attention of British publications.
GQ described the snack as Singapore’s take on a “pie/pasty/empanada/samosa”, while Evening Standard critic Fay Maschler praised its “thin, flaky, buttery brown pastry”.
The publications described the snack as “a spicy, sexy hand-grenade of goodness”, “pleasantly trashy” and “smells like heaven in a bowl”.
Source: Old Chang Kee UK website
The Sunday Times’ Giles Coren was even more enthusiastic, calling it the “best pastry in London, no question at all”.
Old Chang Kee’s signature curry puff is made with curried potatoes, chicken chunks, and slices of boiled egg, combined with herbs and spices.
Source: Old Chang Kee website
Also read: ‘It’s bread’: Canadian exchange student says favourite thing about S’pore is neighbourhood bakeries
‘It’s bread’: Canadian exchange student says favourite thing about S’pore is neighbourhood bakeries
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Featured image adapted from Old Chang Kee UK on TikTok.
