He Couldn’t Find A Decent Job In UK, So China-Born Uni Grad Sold ‘Chinese Burgers’ Instead

Chinese founder biz grad from University of Wales

Murger Han was founded in 2014 by Li Bin, 36, a Xi'an-born entrepreneur who lived in the UK for the past 20 years. Bin completed high school and university in London (he studied business management at the University of Wales). He tells 8days.sg he wanted to expand his business to the Asian market, simply because “I’m Chinese, and prefer to live in an Asian country”. He is now based in Singapore.

Why did he choose Singapore? “When I wanted to bring the business abroad, I thought of opening in other places like Japan, but I don’t speak the language. Communication is important. In Singapore, many people speak Chinese or English,” he reasons. 

Went into F&B as job opportunities “few for a Chinese person in a Western country” 

The path to becoming a restaurateur wasn't what Bin had planned initially. After graduating from university at 23, he landed a job at one of the UK's biggest banks."But they offered me a very low salary, and I wasn't happy to work nine-to-five for low pay,” Bin sighs. Additionally, having moved to London at just 18 years old, he deeply missed his hometown of Xi'an and its cuisine.

"As a Chinese person in a Western country, you don't have many opportunities. Even with proper qualifications you can’t find a good job," he explains candidly. "That’s why most Chinese in Europe or Western countries own restaurant businesses." This combination of factors led him to make a career change: "So, I decided to open my own biz."

Watch chefs assemble rougamo live

Currently, the friendly entrepreneur is stationed at his new Robinson Road outlet, where he’s busy training his team of staff. He tells us he’ll be here for the foreseeable future, depending on how business fares. As the sole owner of both the London and Singapore outlets, Bin has seen some success in the UK market. "It’s doing well," he says of his London business, where the customer demographic varies by location. Some branches attract "60-70 percent Asian" customers, while other locations see a higher proportion of European diners.

In Singapore, the 50-seater self-service eatery has a clean, modern aesthetic. The kitchen is open-concept, so patrons can watch the chefs prep their rougamo (adorably called ‘murgers’ here).

Handmade “crusty” and regular rougamo 

Bin’s specialty items are his regular and ‘crusty’ pork rougamo. Unlike regular rougamo, which is traditionally prepared with toasted flatbread, the crusty version is first grilled in a pan with lots of oil before being toasted in an oven, then toasted again for extra crispiness. He tells us the crusty version is more of a hit with the younger crowd as they prefer crunchier and richer food. 

The flatbread is then stuffed with either stewed pork or spicy chicken. The pork is seasoned with spices like star anise, cao guo (Chinese black cardamom) and cinnamon, while the chicken is cooked with pepper and cumin. 

In Singapore, Bin’s rougamo starts from $5.80 for a classic or crusty Pork Murger, and goes up to $6.80 for a Lean Pork Murger. His Spicy Chicken rougamo is priced at $6.50. This is cheaper than his murgers in the UK – in comparison, a Pork Murger there starts at £6.20 (roughly S$10.60).

Another signature at Murger Han is the hand-pulled biang biang noodles. The five-in-one Biang Biang noodles is a hearty bowl where diners can choose two meat toppings from options like Braised Pork, Dry Beef, Stir Fried Spicy Ox Tripes, or Slow Cooked Lamb. This is served alongside Tomato Egg Sauce, Spring Onion and Chilli Oil, and Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables, all atop signature hand-pulled noodles. The most affordable bowl, Spring Onion and Chilli Oil noodles, costs $7.80 here, versus £12.90 (roughly S$22) in London. 

Mostly chefs from China in Singapore branch

Why the price discrepancy? “I’m here for charity!”, Bin jokes. He clarifies: “I don’t want to sell it too expensive – you learn about the different markets [in different countries]. In London, everything is quite expensive, your travel and living costs are more expensive than in Singapore. In Singapore, transport and food are more affordable,” he explains. 

Despite this, he tells us his rental and investment costs here are still pretty high, and he spent roughly $400K to open his Singapore eatery.

The setup included bringing over specialised equipment from China. "We brought over a toaster, and it's a special one," Bin explains. 

Bin hired mostly Singapore-based Chinese chefs whom he trains personally. This strategy has proven more efficient than his experience in London. "They understand the food and the culture, which makes things much easier," he explains. "In London, our local staff are all non-Chinese people. So they have to try and understand [how things work] from scratch."

Might open more outlets here in future

So far, Bin says business at his Robinson Road outlet has been pretty good: “Some customers say they know us from London, and that they used to eat at our shops when they studied in London”. He adds: “If we can survive, we may open more branches in Singapore”. 

Murger Han is at #01-02, 61 Robinson Rd, S068893. Open Mon - Sat 11am - 10pm. Closed on Sun. Tel: 6970 0286. More info via their website and Instagram.

Additional reporting by Tasha Ting

Photos: Murger Han

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