JUMBO Seafood is where it all began. Our most prominent brand had humble beginnings in 1987, operating from a single outlet (now our flagship restaurant) in East Coast Seafood Centre. The restaurant soon gained a loyal following, garnering a reputation for serving only the freshest seafood cooked to perfection, with iconic dishes such as the Singapore Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab capturing the hearts of local and overseas gastronomes. As its reputation grew, so did the number of outlets.
Today, JUMBO Seafood comprises multiple restaurants in 12 cities in Asia – Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Fuzhou, Taipei, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok.
In addition to serving its JUMBO Award-winning Chilli Crab, JUMBO Signature Black Pepper Crab, Golden Salted Egg Prawns and Crispy Fried Baby Squid, the chain of restaurants offer other innovative and distinctive menu items, including special seasonal dishes.
JUMBO Seafood has garnered many prestigious culinary and service accolades over the years. These include Best Taste of Singapore Award by Singapore Tatler in 2020 and 2021, Food Choice Awards 2020 by Klook and Diners’ Choice 2020 – Restaurant of the Year (Runner-up). JUMBO Seafood outlet at Riverside Point received the Diner’s Choice 2021 and Singapore River Top 20 Signatures – Singapore River Signatures awards, while JUMBO Seafood was recommended as a “Must-Try Restaurant 2019” by Meituan-Dianping (美团点评) and has secured the Superbrands Award (Singapore’s Choice), just to name a few.
Underpinning its success is a simple philosophy. JUMBO Seafood thrives on doing what it does best – bringing diners the best seafood cuisine Singapore has to offer.
NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh
One of the only few truly Singaporean culinary heritage dishes, Bak Kut Teh remains a firm local favourite. It is believed that it was the early settlers who came to Singapore; young godown workers, who were the first to brew this dish for nourishment and strength.
Mr Ng Ah Sio’s father started selling this savoury, pork-based, peppery soup cooked in distinct Teochew style in the 1950s, around the present-day River Valley and Hill Street vicinity. These early servings of the Bak Kut Teh were accompanied by Chinese donuts (You tiao) and a strong brew of Chinese tea.
On 1 December 1977, Mr Ng Ah Sio took over the business after his father’s retirement and began serving the crowds at New World Amusement Park (current Kitchener Road) with 7 staff. He named his restaurant NG AH SIO Pork Ribs Soup Eating House. Gradually, his staff strength increased to 18 to cope with the growing number of customers looking to satisfy their cravings for this invigorating dish.
The fame of NG AH SIO’s Bak Kut Teh spread far and wide and soon political dignitaries, celebrities and corporate bigwigs were joining the queues for a taste of this wonderfully uncomplicated but nourishing dish.
Today, not only NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh has grown locally, we have also expanded our footprints to Taipei and Shanghai.
Kok Kee Wonton Noodle
Established in 1985, Kok Kee Wonton Noodle was founded by Hong Choy Ing and her elder sister, Hong Choy Chan, and is famous for its springy noodles mixed in secret sauce.
At the age of 13, Hong started working at a wonton noodle stall and soon fell in love with the heritage dish. With her years of experience, she decided to concoct her very own wonton noodle sauce. Coupled with her strong beliefs in traditional cooking methods, authentic flavour and fresh ingredients, they created Kok Kee Wonton Noodle.
Her first humble store located in Lavender Food Square soon gained its popularity for its authentic, truly old – school Singapore wonton noodles. Serving food from the heart, the dish also gained the loyalty of many Singaporeans, with different generations of customers traveling from island wide for a taste of the traditional dish and their signature handmade wontons.
Since moving to Foch Road in 2019, Hong, together with her two sisters and daughter, continues her daily preparation using the freshest ingredients and serving their simple yet delectable wonton noodles to familiar faces. Today, Kok Kee Wonton Noodle has been acknowledged as “One of the Best Wonton Noodle in Singapore” by various local food critics and mainstream news and media outlets.
The brand was acquired by the Group in December 2020, the flagship store at Foch Road continues to draw hundreds of supporters daily. Standardisation of processes and centralising production of certain products at the Central Kitchen have facilitated the Group in extending the operating hours at the flagship store, and the opening of three new outlets in Marina Bay Sands, Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio within five months of one another, with consistent food quality maintained across all outlets.
JUMBO’s Desire
JUMBO Group Franchise Programme engages established companies or committed individuals, passion and confident of running a food and beverage business and joining the rapidly growing family as franchisees.
JUMBO’s continual desire is to share the iconic taste of Singapore heritage dishes such as Chilli Crab, Teochew-style Bak Kut Teh and authentic Singapore Wonton Noodles beyond its local shores. Our burgeoning presence in Asia has garnered resounding success, and we continue to seek new partnerships around the world. If you would like to bring the best of Singapore’s cuisine to your country, contact us to see how we can work together!
About JUMBO Group
JUMBO Group Limited (“JUMBO”, or the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries and subsidiary entities, the “Group”) JUMBO is one of Singapore’s leading multi-dining concept F&B establishments. It has a portfolio of 7 F&B brands – JUMBO Seafood, HACK IT, NG AH SIO Bak Kut Teh, Zui Teochew Cuisine, Chao Ting Pao Fan, Kok Kee Wonton Noodle and XINYAO Hainanese Chicken Rice, operates four Tsui Wah Hong Kong-style “Cha Chaan Teng” outlets as a franchisee in Singapore and co-owns the Singapore Seafood Republic brand which has three outlets, operated under the franchise model in Japan.
JUMBO also has a Central Kitchen in Singapore, which helps to maintain stringent quality standards and the consistency in the taste of its dishes served across outlets worldwide, resulting in an increased productivity at lower cost. JUMBO’s Research and Development Kitchen facilitates the creation of new dishes and improvement of food preparation processes which is shared among our principle and franchisee outlets.
