Mark Lee brings famous Ipoh food chain Nam Heong to 313@Somerset’s food court
Craving some Malaysian dim sum but unable to get your fix over the past year due to COVID-19’s travel restrictions? Head down to 313@Somerset’s food court and enjoy affordable dishes at Nam Heong Ipoh, thanks to actor Mark Lee.
With over 60 years of history in Malaysia, Nam Heong Ipoh has 15 outlets across Malaysia, with the closest one to Singapore being at The Mall Mid Valley Southkey in Johor Bahru.
According to 8days, Nam Heong Ipoh had reached out to Lee and asked if he was interested in bringing the brand to Singapore. The actor agreed, and the brand started operations in Singapore in 2019, stopping during the circuit breaker period and then resuming business again in June 2020.
Lee promoted the brand on his Facebook Live on 27 March, which piqued the interest of his many fans.
On its menu are affordable dim sum offerings, such as Ipoh Kaya Puff, which sells at S$1.50, siew mai, Ipoh crispy turnips, and beancurd skin rolls for S$3.50. The brand’s signature egg tarts are sold at S$1.80 per piece, and their popular chicken puffs at $2.20.
Nam Heong Ipoh Singapore also offers a variety of dipping for chee cheong fun, including the classic Ipoh style at $3.50 a plate, chicken carry, minced meat and mushroom, mild ginger, and homemade Assam flavours at S$3.90 a plate.
The decision to set shop in a food court instead of a standalone restaurant is mainly due to a lower operating cost. “We don’t need to spend too much on renovations, furniture, crockery and kitchen equipment.”
While there are no concrete plans for expansions, Lee is interested in opening another food court outlet later in 2021. “We may open in another Food Republic food court, but we’re still looking at locations like Ion Orchard and Isetan [at Shaw House],” he shares.
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