Chuck aside the appealing appearance & picture-perfect qualities, “Beach Road Scissor – Cut Curry Rice” is the name to look out for its outstanding Hainanese mixed curry rice dish!
A Bit of History
Let’s start with some background. Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice originated in the Beach Road area in the 1950s. It was created by Hainanese immigrants who worked as cooks for wealthy households.
The distinctive style of cutting or “scissoring” ingredients into small, bite-sized pieces using cleavers became a signature technique. It allowed flavors to blend together and made the curry easier to eat. Genius!
Over time, Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice grew into a beloved national dish. The clinking sound of a chef chopping up ingredients is music to the ears of any local Singaporean foodie like me!
Beach Road Scissor – Cut Curry Rice Review
Located along the busy road of Jalan Besar, this eatery offers a unique taste of authentic Hainanese food delights that uses the same concept style of a typical economical mixed rice selection!
Having dominated and obtained a reputation for its food in Singapore, it has been a popular hit with the locals like myself, who are all fascinated over especially by their curry!
The layout of the shop is rather spacious that spread across two housing units, offers a good seating plan in catering to a large crowd!
I have to mention that its external seating arrangement by the road side really brings me back a different & nostalgic feeling while indulging over the dish!
For night owls, this place is definitely one of the perfect treat for an outstanding plate of curry rice, as it opens till the wee hours of 3.30am in the morning!
Apart from its long operating hours which I like, this shop also offers a variety of food dishes where you can simply just pick and choose the type of dishes that you prefer!
As the name of this eatery suggests, it is indeed an eye-opening experience to witness the art of scissor cutting right before your eyes!
Over here, the chef himself will use a pair of scissors to cut up your food dishes into smaller bite size pieces, before serving it onto a plate.
Literally, the moment when you started queuing up for your food order, you could totally hear the fast, repeatedly, snip and snap sound, coming from a pair of scissors!
I was really awed with admiration by that perfection of fast scissor movement which is so amazing!
I gotten myself a plate of white rice that is added with curry chicken, ngoh hiang, braised taupok, fried pork chop, stir fry white cabbages & topping it off with their signature curry!
I also specially order an additional plate of white rice that is top with some braised gravy & curry, because it is really that good!
The entire plate is nothing short of deliciousness but with an appearance of messiness that contained all over it! It had reminded me of the artwork by Picasso which is so artistically presented!
What makes this eatery so outstanding is by that scrumptious plate of Hainanese curry that I cannot emphasised more!
The curry is of a slimy & sticky texture that is sweet, fragrant & rich in flavour! It is rather a pity that the curry itself is totally not spicy, which would certainly be better if it is!
I personally feel that the curry is so dominant on its own, that it overlaps the overall flavours of the other dishes that we ordered, which is rather scrumptious in an extremely delightful way!
It is so tasty that I actually ate it on its own, over that extra plate of white rice that I had ordered.
Moving on to the other dishes, what I had really enjoyed the most was its fried pork chop & ngoh hiang!
The pork chop was crisp and carried a good chewy texture to it, had went perfectly well with that curry!
Meanwhile, the ngoh hiang on the other hand, was packed with a good variety of vegetable ingredients on the inside, had turned out to be tasty & chewy as well!
Although the majority of the flavours were dominated by the curry, there is still a slight minimal flavour from the dishes!
As a whole, this eatery is indeed a highly recommended place to visit, for a scrumptious & mouth-watering plate of Hainanese mixed curry rice! I certainly felt that the curry is already too outstanding that it can totally be eaten on its own, or with just a plate of white rice! The other dishes, in my opinion, were just extra sidekicks that are not necessary to order but add to a good overall chewing experience! This is definitely a dish that should not be judged by its messy appearance! And if you’re someone who loves cooking at home, enhancing your rice dishes can be achieved with the best Japanese rice cooker, ensuring perfect rice every time.
About Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice (美芝律剪刀剪咖喱饭)
Address: 229 Jalan Besar, 208905
Opening Hours: Mon – Sun: 11:00 – 03:30
Tel: +65 98261464
Average Price:
- SGD $1.50 – Per Meat dish
- SGD $0.80 – Per Vegetable dish
Even after all these years, Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice remains an integral part of Singapore’s food culture. Newer western-style curry rice stalls have popped up, but the original Hainanese style is still the best in my opinion.
The decades-old stalls at Golden Mile Food Centre and other hawker centers continue dishing out this specialty to loyal locals and tourists. It warms my heart to see young Singaporeans still enjoying this dish that their parents and grandparents grew up eating too!
The next time you’re in Singapore, do yourself a favor and seek out an authentic Beach Road Scissor-Cut Curry Rice stall. Order my usual combination for the full experience! Let the nostalgic flavors and aromas transport you to the Singapore of the past. This tasty, fuss-free dish is truly a national treasure.