J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff: Michelin Bib Gourmand Curry Puffs That Will Make You Forget Other Curry Puffs In Amoy Street Food Centre

Amoy Street Food Centre is somewhat of an epicentre for foodies; a sprawling two-storey hawker centre selling everything from comforting bowls of fish soup to hearty beef donburis to spicy-makes-you-sweat-buckets Thai MAMA noodles.

Endless choices are laid out before you in neat rows amongst other hungry lunch-goers. There will be a fair amount of jostling and squeezing through 50 variations of white shirts before you finally snag a seat at the bustling Amoy Food Street Centre.

Amid the many stalls at your disposal, there are a few special ones that warrant a second visit or even multiple visits.

One of these gems has to be J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff churning out golden, flaky Michelin Bib Gourmand curry puffs.

As you walk up to the stall, you’ll be greeted by the sight of a husband-and-wife team, Lee Meng Li and Wu Jing Hua, methodically folding and filling these golden beauties.

A little chat with the affable couple revealed that making curry puffs is no easy task, both Meng Li and Jing Hua crank out up to 500 curry puffs a day.

Despite being awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand several times, the couple remains humble and so do the quality of their curry puffs.

One of the most important parts of curry puff has to be that crispy, flaky dough. It helps that Meng Li and Jing Hua used to run a bakery, so they have an intimate knowledge of how to properly roll out and shape their dough.

Next, comes those trademark curry puff pleats. It’s a quite a mesmerising process when you watch the deft and nimble fingers pinch the dough to properly seal the curry puff. A skill that comes with hours and hours practice, I’m sure.

The curry puffs are then neatly arranged on metal plates as the oil heats up to at the correct temperature. If you have slight OCD tendencies (like me), then you’d be soothed by how tidily these curry puffs are arranged. A real sight for sore eyes.

After a 10-minute dip in the hot oil, these puffs are then stacked up snuggly next to each other, proudly showing off those intricate layers of pastry that are just utterly tempting.

With curry puffs slung out every 10 minutes, you can be rest assured that these golden ingots are as fresh as they can get.

I began with the classic Crispy Curry Chicken Puff (S$1.40). True to its name, this baby was crispy and brimming with savoury chicken curry filling. I helped myself to a generous bite of the curry puff thereby showering the table with a thousand mini flakes.

Each mouthful was undeniably satisfying; the curry was slightly spicy and rich. Another thing I appreciated about the filling was the uniform cubes of potatoes and chicken. This ensured that you get a good ratio of chicken to potatoes in each bite, which just keeps you coming back for more. Before I knew it, I finished this curry puff.

From the richness of the filling to the tantalising crackly golden exterior of the curry puff, this curry puff checked all the boxes. I dare say, this was a perfect curry chicken puff.

Another quintessential curry puff flavour has to be the Crispy Sardine Puff (S$1.40). To be frank, sardines aren’t my go-to curry puff filling but after such a stellar chicken curry puff I couldn’t pass the Crispy Sardine Puff up. Just a little note from one curry puff lover to another: the little red dot helps differentiate between the various puffs.

So if you buy a box of puff to curry favour with anybody, you can easily remember which one they prefer. This way, you will win some more brownie points.

This curry puff had a pretty hefty filling; its pastry was chockful with substantial pieces of sardines interspersed with sweet and soft onions. The sardines were meaty and tangy from the tomatoes, coupled with light and tasty pastry folds—it was a toothsome mouthful indeed.

For someone who isn’t partial to sardine filled curry puffs, I would gladly have this puff when those afternoon hunger pangs hit.

For something a little more robust, the Crispy Black Pepper Chicken Puff (S$1.60) is a good bet.

Just like the previous two curry puffs, this one did not disappoint. It was a thin, flaky and crusty exterior that enveloped a thick and luscious filling of black pepper chicken. Another thing I noticed about J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff was also the thickness of their pastry.

It has been calibrated and prepared such that you’ll never bite into a chunk of undercooked puff pastry. A detail that a lesser purveyor of curry puffs would most likely miss.

Before I took my first bite, those peppercorns were already tickling my nose, beckoning me to sink my teeth into this beauty. The cubed chicken pieces were tender and ample throughout the puff, with pepper being the dominant flavour, although it certainly did not overpower the puff.

The filling was akin to black pepper chicken you’ll find at your Western stall and a good one at that. It serves as a savoury and more robust curry puff if you are a little more ravenous come lunchtime.

The many accolades that J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff has are indeed well-deserved. Every element of the curry puff is well-executed and it shows from the never-ending queue that forms in front of their stall. Some would gleefully bag two boxes full of curry puffs, a testament to J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff’s reputation.

A curry puff might be simple street food, but if done well and to the standard of J2 Famous Crispy Curry Puff, that will be the only curry puff you’ll ever want.

Expected Damage: S$1.40 – S$3 per pax