‘In SG, heritage food gets bulldozed,’ Chef Benny Se Teo decries upcoming closure of Beo Crescent Curry Rice
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SINGAPORE: Chef and restaurateur Benny Se Teo took to social media to decry the closure of Beo Crescent Curry Rice. The iconic curry rice stall is reportedly set to cease operations by the end of the month, although the children of the stall owners said in an Instagram post that talks are ongoing with the new owners of the coffee shop at 40 Beo Crescent.
Beo Crescent Curry Rice has been in operation since 1988, and because the stall has no signage, many Singaporeans have called it “No Name Hainanese Curry Rice” over the years that “Auntie Mo” and her husband have been running it.
News that the stall would cease operations at its present location came last week. On the Singapore Heritage Food Facebook page, a member wrote: “Proceeded to order. Good as always. Somehow, the stallholder auntie told me that they will close by October. They are hoping to find a stall nearby. I hope that their wish will be fulfilled. Do drop by soon.”
According to a report in TimeOut, coffee shop stallholders said that the new owners told them they needed to find a new location by September 30.
In a Facebook post on September 20, Mr Teo sounded upset when he wrote that stallholders had been “evicted” and pointed out that “curry rice auntie still doesn’t know where to go”.
He further claimed that another famous stall, Hong Ji Porridge at Commonwealth Crescent, may also need to find a new home after the Lunar New Year celebrations early next year.
“So there you go … in Singapore heritage food gets bulldoze(d), replaced with ‘own concept’ stalls that nobody asked for… another reminder that in the race for millions our comfort food and childhood memories are the first casualties,” he added.
Owners of Beo Crescent Curry Rice respond
In a comment on Mr Teo’s post, the children of Auntie Mo and her husband thanked him for featuring the stall.
They confirmed that there has been a change in the ownership of the coffee shop and added that they are “facing certain challenges” at the moment, though they did not go into any specifics.
Nevertheless, they remain optimistic.
“But we’re still hoping for the best! We’re still talking to the new owners and doing what we can to work something out so the stall can continue at the current location.
“In the meantime, please remain hopeful with us and we kindly ask that you don’t feel the need to rush down. Your encouragement and kind words already mean so much to us. Thank you again for the love and support,” they wrote.
/TISG