How An Ex-Bank Analyst Became One Of S’pore’s Best Char Siew Roasters & Boss Of Laifaba
“Being comfortable in F&B is very different from being comfortable in banking,” says the 32-year-old roast master with a degree in finance. A necessary pivot during the pandemic led to Laifaba, which just opened another outlet at New Bahru.
Six years ago, chef-owner Royce Lee would never have imagined he’d one day be known for making fabulous char siew and sio bak.
“Probably disbelief honestly,” says the 32-year-old when 8days.sg asked what a younger him would say to this label of char siew roast master. “Back then, both my brother and I were still working in banking, and F&B wasn’t something we imagined ourselves doing long term.”
Today, the brothers are behind popular roast meat concept Laifaba, which opens its second outlet, Laifaba @ New Bahru, on May 12 at New Bahru’s Factory Block. The new kiosk introduces a more streamlined, bowl-centric take on the brand’s signature wood-fired Cantonese roasts, including fabulous char siew.
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Why he left banking for F&B
“It feels ironic because roast meat is such a traditional and established category in Singapore,” Royce reflects. “We never imagined we would eventually become known for it in our own way.”
The business began in 2020 as an unexpected pandemic pivot. Royce, who studied finance and previously worked as a bank analyst, first launched Laifaba out of a wine bar at The Scarlet Singapore after dine-in restrictions forced him to shelve alcohol service and revisit his hawker grandmother’s 1970s wanton mee recipe.
“At that point, my path was actually quite conventional,” he says. “But over time, I realised I was more drawn towards building something tangible and creating experiences for people. F&B felt a lot more personal and fulfilling.”
From Bukit Batok to New Bahru
The concept gained traction fast, leading to a move to its current retro-chic 60-seat flagship in Bukit Batok in 2021. Royce’s older brother Zachary (who prefers to work behind the scenes), also formerly from banking, eventually joined the business too.
Now, the siblings are bringing Laifaba to New Bahru, reinterpreting the brand for a younger, faster-paced crowd. “When we first heard about New Bahru’s concept of a curated food hall built around local brands, it felt like the right platform for us to present Laifaba in a new format,” says the genial, talented self-taught cook. Laifaba is one of several eateries in the newly-opened enclave, including Dumpling Darlings and a pop-up shop by popular Italian restaurant Fico.
Self-taught wood-fire roasting
While the wanton mee recipe came from their grandmother, the roasting side was largely self-taught. Royce says the brothers spent years experimenting with different woods, marinades, cuts and fire control to develop Laifaba’s style of roasting.
“Wood-fire roasting is very unforgiving because fire is never fully consistent,” he explains. “Even weather and humidity can affect the final result.”
Those long hours of refinement now shape the backbone of the brand – including at New Bahru, where all meats are roasted on-site charcoal and aromatic woods like apple and lychee, using two dedicated roasters in the kitchen.
That setup was non-negotiable for Royce. The brand previously operated a casual outpost at Cluny Food Court in the Botanic Gardens, which closed in 2023 after the food court was shuttered by operator Les Amis Group. At the time, roast meats had to be transported from Bukit Batok, which Royce felt compromised quality.
“The quality was not ideal,” he says candidly. “If we were to open another outlet, it had to be roasted on the spot.”
A new char siew cut
At New Bahru, there’s a key change to the char siew. At their flagship, Royce uses Malaysian and Aussie bu jian tian, a prized tender underarm cut. Here, he switches to pork jowl – specifically Hunan pork, which he finds leaner than Spanish or Mexican alternatives.
“Pork jowl gives us the right fat-to-lean balance… It takes on the fire well, allowing for deeper caramelisation and better glaze development,” he says. “We’re able to render the fat down quite nicely so it doesn’t feel too jelak. It’s supposed to have a melt-in-your-mouth texture.”
Apart from that switch, sourcing remains consistent across both outlets, including their 48-hour dry-aged Irish duck.
New concept focuses on rice and noodle bowls with a mod twist
At New Bahru, the focus shifts to solo-portioned rice and noodle bowls – finished here with youth-coded nori, furikake, crispy shallots and pork lard for layered texture and depth. Prices are largely in line with the Bukit Batok flagship: char siew rice costs $12.80 at both outlets, though the format differs. At Bukit Batok, diners can customise their char siew from lean to fatty cuts (our colleague who’s a regular recommends the fattier ‘armpit’ cut) in larger platters, while the New Bahru version is standardised for speed and consistency.
“The Factory Block has a faster pace and more fluid movement, so we designed something that fits that environment,” says Royce.
The shift also reflects a different crowd. While Bukit Batok draws families – young couples, elderly regulars – Royce expects office workers, shoppers and cafe hoppers at New Bahru. Come evening, the concept loosens up with shareable plates, including a DIY duo pork gua bao platter where diners stuff their own steamed buns with char siew and crispy pork belly, alongside dipping sauces.
“F&B journey much tougher than expected”
Royce says the F&B journey has been far harder than he anticipated. “When people see a full restaurant today, they usually only see the final result,” he says. “They don’t see the uncertainty, operational pressure, staffing challenges, or the number of mistakes behind it.
The brothers’ earlier Cluny Food Court chapter also made them rethink expansion. “The biggest lesson was understanding that growth isn’t just about opening more outlets,” Royce says. “It made us think much more deeply about what kind of brand we actually want Laifaba to become long term.”
The business at Bukit Batok, he adds, has stabilised with a loyal customer base – a position he describes as “quite comfortable”. “Being comfortable in F&B is very different from being comfortable in banking,” he says. “For us, it means having enough stability and repeat customers to focus on improving and building long term instead of just surviving month to month.”
Still, he admits there are moments he wonders what life would’ve looked like if he stayed in banking. “F&B can be mentally and physically exhausting,” he says. “But I don’t think I would’ve had the same sense of purpose or ownership.”
Royce, who is attached, adds with a laugh that the industry “isn’t the easiest for relationships because the hours can be intense and unpredictable”, though he says he’s fortunate to have a supportive partner.
He declined to share the setup costs at New Bahru, but describes it as a “controlled investment given the kiosk format”. These days, he no longer personally roasts daily, instead splitting his time between both kitchens overseeing his team, while Zachary handles backend operations.
Wanton mee hawker grandma “would’ve been very proud”
Food had always been a big part of the brothers’ upbringing, though Royce says he didn’t grow up working at his grandmother’s hawker stall.
“She passed away last year, but before that she got to see how far Laifaba had come from her original recipe, which meant a lot to us,” he says. “Starting a proper restaurant business was always something she dreamed about, so I think she would’ve been very proud seeing how the brand evolved over the years.”
Looking ahead, he hints that the kiosk model could shape Laifaba’s future growth more than full-service restaurants if New Bahru performs well.
For now, Royce is focused on longevity. “We hope to continue building something that feels distinctly Singaporean while still evolving creatively,” he says. “The real goal is building a brand and customer base that can continue growing meaningfully for many years to come.”
What’s on the menu
The New Bahru outlet’s menu centres on rice and noodle bowls for lunch and dinner: Wood-Fired Pork Jowl, Crispy Pork Belly and Whole Chicken Thigh (all $12.80), plus a Signature Wood-Fired Duo Pork Bowl ($14.80) that combines caramelised char siew and deliciously crispy, juicy sio bak. Upgrade to a set (+$3.50) with pork collagen tofu broth and fried wanton strips.
For dinner, the focus shifts to sharing plates. The highlight is a DIY “Gua Bao” Duo Pork Platter (250g, $26.80) with steamed mantou and “Peking duck-style sauce”. Wood-Fired Platters for pork jowl and crispy pork belly (200g, $19.80 each) are also on offer. The 48-hour Dry-Aged Roast Duck is priced from $21.80 for the upper rack to $25.80 for the lower rack, with a half duck at $42.80.
Laifaba’s new outlet opens on May 12 at #02-03 Factory Block, New Bahru, 58 Kim Yam Rd, S239359. Open Tue to Fri 11.30am to 2.30pm & 5.30pm to 8.30pm; Sat & Sun 11.30am to 3.30pm & 5.30pm to 8.30pm. Closed on Mon. More info via website and Instagram.
Photos: Laifaba
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