noodle venture

S'porean's noodle stall to open in London

Chicken rice, other local favourites to feature in S'pore-style foodcourt

NOODLE stall operator Stella Wong had never thought about going to London, for work or leisure. But when she was invited by British property developer Rosewheel to open a stall in the Singapore-style foodcourt it is building in London's Chinatown, she leapt at the chance.

'Although I have just three stalls, since the opportunity came knocking, I thought I will give it a try,' the 36-year-old said in Mandarin. Her three Singapore stalls are at Suntec City, West Mall and IMM Building.

She plans to be in London in the first three months to oversee the opening of her handmade noodle stall. Once the business is up and running, she plans to return to Singapore and hire staff in London to look after the stall.

'If it is successful, well and good. If not, I shall just take it as a learning experience.'

Miss Wong is one of three Singaporean food vendors who have rented a total of five stalls in the foodcourt. Select Food Management and Lerk Thai, which are under the same management team, will take up one unit each, offering Thai food and Chinese mixed rice. Gourmet Cuisine is taking up two stalls for hot plate dishes and Hainanese chicken rice.

Rosewheel managing director Robert Borne fell in love with Singapore's foodcourts when he visited earlier this year and wanted to import the concept to London. He hired former Kopitiam employee Ellen Chew to advise on the construction of the foodcourt and to woo local operators over.

Select and Lerk Thai executive director Jack Tan said he had never thought of expanding beyond the region because he had few contacts. But Rosewheel provided an opening. He estimates his investment to be $100,000.

The foodcourt is the centrepiece of Rosewheel's £50 million (S$145 million) revamp of the five-storey Newport Sandringham building. It will occupy a third of the 80,000 sq ft shopping mall. It is expected to be open by March next year, with 18 food stalls over three levels, and seating for up to 400, said Rosewheel spokesman Horatio Cheng.

He estimates up to 15 of the stalls will be run by Singaporean operators. 'We want to offer something that is different from the normal London menu.'

Singaporean food and beverage companies' forays overseas have been on the rise in recent years, said Mrs Tan Li Lin, director of the lifestyle and business services division of IE Singapore, the government agency that helps local companies expand overseas.

However, most ventures are into regional markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea. So Mrs Tan was pleased with the Europe move.

'Singapore's reputation as a food paradise is well known,' she said. 'We hope more Singapore-based companies will use this reputation to propel themselves into established markets, including European countries.'

- Straits Times, 18 Nov 2005.