Mama Curry Review: Nana Curry-inspired Curry Fish Head At Golden Mile

Mama Curry has curry fish head at Golden Mile Food Centre

You might be familiar with Nana Curry, a household name when it comes to curry fish head. They’ve even been awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, holding this accolade from 2016 to 2020. New to town is Mama Curry, a hawker store that has been serving up curry dishes at Golden Mile Food Centre since last September, using the same curry paste as the OG Na Na Curry. 

Helming this store is Mr Lin Weisheng, a 27-year-old chef who decided to embark on his culinary journey after dabbling in several industries. He was inspired to start his own business after learning the recipes from his mother, who currently runs a Nana Curry outlet at Bedok North with a business partner. While his business is not affiliated with Nana Curry, his curry recipes are similar to those at his mother’s outlet.

Food at Mama Curry

We started with Mama Curry’s signature dish, the Curry Fish Head ($20/$26/$30). Instead of leaning sweet or spicy, the curry had a good balance of both, with subtle notes of tanginess. Prepared upon order, we found it packed with lady’s finger, tau pok and brinjal to go with the fish head. In addition, the curry had just the right consistency—neither too thick nor too runny—which made it a delight to slurp on. 

We learnt that the fish head is cooked in the curry itself, infusing the moreish gravy with natural sweetness. Mama Curry also uses white snapper, procured fresh each day, so there’s no fishiness at all.

We also tried their Curry Mutton ($6.50), another one of their popular items. While I felt that the robust flavours of mutton and curry together were slightly overwhelming, I was pleasantly surprised by how the chunks of meat were well-cooked, without much of the gaminess that usually puts people off eating it.

We also had Mama Curry’s Curry Chicken ($5.50/$7.50), which featured the same curry gravy full of chicken pieces and a large drumstick. Here, the chicken is cooked separately before being added to the curry just before serving. This prevents the chicken from being overcooked till it’s dry, while still boasting the rich flavour of the curry. 

The only non-meat dish offered here is Curry Vegetables ($4.50), which comes with cabbage, long beans, glass noodles and tau pok. Whilst a simple dish, it was well-executed, with the curry imbuing the vegetables with plenty of flavour, giving every bite an aromatic burst of savouriness. 

Ambience at Mama Curry

Mama Curry is located in Golden Mile Food Centre, which can get rather crowded during the lunch hours due to the offices nearby. Nonetheless, the hawker centre itself is spacious and well-ventilated, so you don’t have to be overly concerned about the crowd or the heat. 

Golden Mile Food Centre is a five-minute walk from Nicoll Highway MRT Station.

The verdict

While Mama Curry is still an up-and-coming hawker store, I was impressed by the superb quality of the homely curry dishes that they serve up. Another plus point is that Mr Lin and his wife treat their customers like friends, so feel free to chat with them if they’re free! If you’re looking for a hearty bowl of curry fish head, Mama Curry is just the right place to visit. 

Also at Golden Mile Food Centre is Braise Lu Zhi Jia, where you can get lu rou fan and braised pork bowls from $3.50. Alternatively, if you’re looking to try more curry fish head, check out our curry fish head guide!

Address: 505 Beach Road, #01-82, Golden Mile Food Centre, Singapore 199583
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Tel: 8742 5596
Website
Mama Curry is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Tan Jia Hui.
This was a media tasting at Mama Curry.