I absolutely adore curry with just about anything… rice, French loaf, roti prata— the list goes on. So I made my way down to Golden Mile Food Centre aka Beach Road Army Market, in search of a stall called Mama’s Curry.
It specialises in a variety of homemade curries and since it was raining that day, it was the ideal occasion to enjoy it without breaking a sweat!
Helmed by 28-year-old Mr Lin, Mama’s Curry opened for business on 7 Sep 2022. I found out that he learnt the cooking process of making curry from his mum, who happens to be the franchisee of the Bedok North branch of Nana Curry (2016 – 2020 Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee).
All the curries are freshly homemade on the daily by Mr Lin, who uses the same curry paste as that of Nana Curry. However, he has tweaked the recipe to accommodate the taste buds of his customers.
What I tried at Mama’s Curry
The Curry Chicken (S$5.50) came with the chicken wing and thigh, and also chunks of potato cubes doused in a fiery red gravy. Alternatively, you can order the big portion (S$7.50) which gives you a drumstick and thigh instead.
The very first thing I did was to take a sip of the Curry Chicken gravy, which wasn’t a wise move. The fiery spiciness took its time to build up in my mouth.
Before I knew it, I was coughing and beads of sweat had begun trickling down my forehead. I wish that there had been a cup of ice-cold water on my table— this is definitely not for the faint-hearted!
The chicken was succulent and didn’t require much effort to break apart with my utensils. After braving a couple more spoonfuls, I had gotten accustomed to the spice level. I started to appreciate all the full-bodied spices and dimensions of the curry.
Honestly, I was a little worried about my next dish, the Curry Mutton (S$6.50). I’ve had my fair share of lamb at other establishments, and they all possessed gamey smells and tastes. The Curry Mutton was a no-frills dish consisting of mutton cubes and pieces of potato.
Thankfully, the pieces of lamb had no unpleasant attributes. In fact, they were very tender and the lovely layers of fat enhanced the whole experience. I loved it!
The potato chunks felt like mini mashed potato dumplings, which disintegrated without delay in my mouth. The curry was aromatic and slightly less spicy than the Curry Chicken I had earlier on.
I ordered an extra side of Bread (S$1), which came with 3 thick pieces of French loaf. The Bread managed to absorb all the aromatic spices of the curry like a sponge, and I loved how soft it was.
Perhaps my only complaint about the Curry Mutton was that it was a little over-seasoned. It needed to be paired with the Bread to mellow down its saltiness.
The last dish we tried was the Curry Vegetables (S$4.50). It had pieces of tau pok, long beans, cabbage and vermicelli.
Although the curry gravy was the mildest of the 3 in terms of spice level, it was still very tasty. I slathered the gravy over my Plain Rice (S$0.50) which made it extra hearty and luxurious.
The cabbage was nice and soft while the long beans were still slightly crunchy.
The pieces of tau pok kept secret stashes of curry, which burst in all directions in my mouth when my teeth bit into them.
The strands of vermicelli were silky-smooth and addictively chewy. Overall, it reminded me of a spicier rendition of a sayur lodeh without the lemak-ness.
Final thoughts
The bowls of curries at Mama’s Curry are definitely on the spicier side, especially the chicken curry.
When you’re tired of having rice or noodles, why not have a bowl of heartwarming curry together with bread instead? Do remember to have tissues and cold drinks on standby if your tolerance of spice is low.
I’m excited for a revisit to try their fish head curry next— can’t wait!
Expected damage: S$5 – S$21 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
Mama's Curry
505 Beach Road, #01-82, Singapore 199583
Mama's Curry
505 Beach Road, #01-82, Singapore 199583
