Chop Chop’s Boss Called ‘Crazy’ For Selling $3.80 Grilled Chicken Thigh Turmeric Rice In CBD

The space mirrors that philosophy — minimal, functional and without signage at the shopfront. Marcus says he didn’t want to fork out “a few thousand dollars” as a deposit just for signage, opting instead for a cute chick mascot and the shop’s name mounted on the walls inside.

His Thai wife, Jar (pictured below), 42, runs the place with two staff, while Marcus, who works full-time as a senior business development manager at food caterer Nosh Kitchen, manages the business largely from behind the scenes.

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Rising food prices spurred him to open Chop Chop

Though this is Marcus’ first F&B venture, he has more than two decades of experience in the industry, spanning restaurant operations, catering and food manufacturing. Over the years, he has also helped many eateries design and set up their kitchens.

Having seen both the successes and failures of the F&B scene, Marcus says opening his own eatery was something he had thought about for years — even as he repeatedly told himself not to do it. “I’ve seen the ups and downs of the F&B industry. So many failures, so scary,” he says with a laugh.

What eventually pushed him to act was watching food prices climb steadily in recent years. 

“Everyone has been complaining that food is expensive and there are no more good options,” he explains. “But food caterers can still survive, so there must be a way to do it.”

Marcus believed there was still demand for affordable, staple meals, and that his background in catering and food manufacturing gave him a workable formula.

“I’m not looking to do something [that will make me] very rich. I just want something that can be sustained. I believe staple food can sustain [a business],” he says. He invested about $120K to get Chop Chop off the ground.

Insisted on pricing chicken dish at $3.80

Chop Chop’s star dish — grilled chicken with turmeric rice — is deliberately priced below $4, a decision Marcus was adamant about, even when those around him disagreed.

“It’s always in my plan to have one cheap dish. If it’s $4, it’s not that attractive. When people see a $3.80 meal, they will not hesitate to try,” he says. 

Friends and family, including his wife, warned him the price was too low. “Everyone told me, ‘Cannot lah, crazy, too cheap. But they’re not in my position. I understand my costing. I’m the only one doing the math,” he shares, adding he makes “comfortable F&B margins”.

The price point, he says, was chosen with a specific group in mind. “When you walk around town, you forget that cleaners and some workers don’t have many options below $4 or $5,” he explains. “I’m not expecting them to eat this every day, but once a week should be okay.”

So can he make money? If there’s enough volume, says Marcus.

How he keeps prices low

Chop Chop runs on large-batch production and heavily SOP-based methods more commonly used in central kitchens. 

Most of the food is prepared using a combi oven that can produce up to 200 portions of chicken per batch. “It’s similar to how a bulk caterer produces food for 5,000 to 10,000 people,” says Marcus.

Keeping the menu tight — just four mains — also helps keep inventory lean and minimise wastage. “I want to sell more of the same thing,” Marcus says. “That’s how I reduce cost.”

Thanks to his industry contacts, he gets ingredient prices comparable to those paid by bulk caterers. Still, the model only works if enough plates are sold. 

“I don’t want to sell 100 meals a day, I need to sell about 200 meals a day,” he says, adding that his maximum daily production capacity is 700 meals.

Currently, Chop Chop moves around 160 to 180 meals daily, putting it close to breaking even on operating costs. 

“The model is working,” he says. “We have a lot of repeat customers but there is still a lot of room to grow. We have been here for five months and there are still people working in this building who are just finding out about us,” says Marcus.

The menu

True to its no-frills approach, Chop Chop keeps its menu deliberately small, with just four mains designed to be cooked in bulk and served fast. To stand out from the crowd, their mains come with turmeric rice or jade noodles (spinach noodles) instead of the usual steamed white rice or egg noodles. 

The most affordable option is its grilled chicken with turmeric rice ($3.80). You can also opt for the same chicken thigh with jade noodles at $4.80. The other protein option is grilled seabass, served with either turmeric rice ($7.50) or jade noodles ($8.50)

Sides are equally straightforward, with five options to choose from: baked pumpkin, roasted potatoes, cucumber salad, California mix (grilled mixed vegetables) and baked egg. You can add one side for $1.50 or two for $2, with the purchase of a main, or order sides on their own for $3.

There are plans to change the offerings every few months.

Grilled Chicken with Turmeric Rice, $3.80

For $3.80, you get half a boneless chicken thigh (around 140g), turmeric rice and three slices of cucumber. The chook, marinated overnight in a simple seasoning that includes soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, is juicy, tender, with a savoury-sweet finish.

Grilled Chicken with Jade Noodles, $4.80

The same grilled chicken paired with springy spinach noodles that are tossed in fragrant garlic oil and lightly seasoned with soy sauce, served with xiao bai cai on the side. Topped with fried garlic bits, the noodles are simple but comforting, with enough flavour to hold their own even without sauce. We prefer this pairing to the turmeric rice thanks to the punchy hit of garlic.

Grilled Seabass with Jade Noodles, $8.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)

A generous slab of flaky, moist grilled seabass is finished with a kecap manis–based sauce. We love the savoury-sweet balance of flavours which complement the garlicky noodles nicely.

Sides, $1.50 with a main; $3 a la carte

Sides are priced at $1.50 for one or $2 for two with a main — a reasonable add-on if you’re looking to round out your meal.

We tried the baked pumpkin (pictured above), roasted potatoes and baked egg. Of the three, the baked pumpkin cubes were our favourite. Soft and naturally sweet, they make a simple but satisfying accompaniment to both the chicken and fish mains.

The roasted potatoes are straightforward and satisfying — lightly crisp on the outside and tender within, simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

Bottom line

For CBD workers watching their wallets, Chop Chop is a rare find. The food is simple, comforting and thoughtfully executed, with the $3.80 grilled chicken turmeric rice standing out as a genuinely value-for-money option. That said, our top pick is the slightly pricier grilled seabass with jade noodles, whose savoury-sweet sauce and moreish noodles make it especially satisfying. It may not be fancy, but for a quick, affordable meal in the heart of town, it delivers exactly what it promises.

Chop Chop is at #02-67, International Plaza, 10 Anson Rd, S079903. Open Mon to Fri, 10.30am to 5pm. Closed on weekends. More info via Instagram.

Photos: Kelvin Chia