Miss Noor Ahaddiyah, 40, a single mother of five, first embarked on her business venture in 2010. Her previous home-based business was known as The Hangry Corner, which has evolved into The Food Junkies Club today. She opened her first physical stall in RP with countless praises and support from families and friends. Her unique boneless chicken rice with a variety of sauces stood out as a bold new dish, giving customers food for thought!
On Oct 17, I saw a bouquet of flowers placed in front of the stall, celebrating its grand opening at the start of the Academic Year on Oct 14, 2024 . Miss Noor then called out to me to try out their food. The menu was masterfully crafted, with striking flavours of Western, Japanese, Korean, and local delights such as sambal and salted-egg.
(Photo: Nurhelman)
“We are proud of our sister who has bravely decided to open up her own physical stall at RP. We feel that it is a big move for her as it is very challenging with the competitors, costing and high rental. We cannot help much, we can only wish her the best and the greatest,” said Miss Aisha.
Miss Noor found it “funny and cute” that both of them would actually come down every day to spray the flowers and keep them fresh. They asked Miss Noor to water the flowers but she would claim: “no time lah”.
BEST-SELLING: SALTED EGG CHICKEN RICE
When I asked Miss Noor where the inspiration for her sauces came from, she told me that she had brainstormed all of them herself, with the idea,“I want different flavours and something exciting”.
“What goes well with chicken? My kids like salted egg chicken, so I started with that one, and then eventually came the lemon garlic butter chicken,” said Miss Noor.
Her eldest son’s favourite sauce turned out to be the best-selling. Salted egg sauce is also one of the main sauces for her ‘shellout’ bucket. All of her sauces are created with her personal touch, modified with care and love. Her son was also responsible for taste-testing all the sauces before she introduced it to the menu.
RP North canteen.
(Photo: Noor)
My first taste of their menu was Korean Chicken Rice. The spiciness instantly hit the roof of my tongue, similar to eating Samyang Buldak noodles. Samyang Buldak is instant spicy korean ramen for reference.
I will not recommend this to anyone who eats mild spicy Mala, with a low tolerance for spiciness. But anyone else daring to embrace the heat, go for it, and enjoy it to your heart’s content!
According to Miss Noor, the black pepper flavour is also quite spicy, but still has a nice, manageable heat. The salted egg is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying flavours I’ve tried from the menu. Lemon garlic butter was also enjoyable, a close second to the salted egg, but not quite having that same “oomph” factor.
The sambal chicken rice felt like a home-cooked Malay dish. It is how sambal should be, and the spicy level is just about right. I have yet to try the other flavours but with the strong impression of the first few, I am looking forward to trying the rest throughout the semester.
For the price of $5 for most of the flavours except salted egg, the portion is more than reasonable, with a balanced plate of chicken rice, vegetables, and boneless chicken karaage. The upsize of $1.50 is also worth it if you are feeling particularly hungry that day.
So what do the other RP students think?
(Photo: Nurhelman)
A FRIENDLY EXPERIENCE: EMBRACING RP STUDENTS
A final-year pharmaceutical science student, Nor Alhoda Sabri Omar, 19, shared her thoughts on her first plate of Food Junkie’s chicken rice. She chose an upsized sambal chicken rice which costs $7. Ms. Noor even offered her a few sauces to try for free.
“I would give it five out of five stars for the sambal, as it is one of the best foods in school I’ve tried! The boneless chicken is a good idea especially for those of us who need to rush back to class. The chicken is tender and crispy, leaving no fishy and oily aftertaste,” said Nor Alhoda.
Nor Alhoda also recommended her friend to try it next time, highlighting an overall positive experience of the chicken rice being filling and satisfying. However, she also voiced her concerns of the upsize being a little too pricey for her, but for a $5 meal, she felt that it was worth it.
Miss Noor also had other encounters with students appreciating her food. It has been a welcoming experience so far. According to her, they would give her a thumbs up, complimenting that her stall is good and interesting. Some are even excited upon knowing the chicken is boneless. She also had students who would come back twice a day.
For Miss Noor: “When you serve people food and know that they are happy, that’s the biggest satisfaction.”
As Food Junkies Club started as a home-based business, I decided to ask Miss Noor what were some of her challenges in opening her first stall in RP and her future plans.
FUTURE: PUTTING RP FIRST
quickly and efficiently.
(Photo: Nurhelman)
“Since we have just started, we might as well just concentrate here first. I can understand if I try franchising and the franchises take the sauces from me,” stated Miss Noor with a determined conviction.
She understands that RP is a strategic location for her at the moment as she stays nearby at Blk 802, and her five children can also come here to help her out if needed. Transporting her ingredients to the stall has also been convenient so Miss Noor is definitely here to stay.
Rental may be a challenge for her but for now, she is confident of her sales revenue from this stall on top of the home-based orders. She also intends to find a cheaper supplier for her ingredients. On top of that, Mr Leon is only a part-timer and Miss Elly is currently seeking a new job. Though the stall has lost some manpower, Miss Noor perseveres to serve the best chicken to all.
Being a single mother of five, Miss Noor Ahaddiyah is a true representation of a hard-working Singaporean and her passion for cooking is inspirational. The joy she brings through her cooking hopefully translates into success in the future, where she can expand her business even further.
“If you’re a food junkie, you’ve got to try, because this is where food junkies get high.”
You can also follow her on IG @foodjunkiesclub and Facebook for more information.
