There are future plans for nasi padang catering services for Chopstix & Rice, though Mdm Loij and Neo Group are currently getting the newly relocated restaurant on track first. They also run a nasi padang hawker stall at The Dining Avenue food court in NUH, though under the generic name of “Ayam Goreng”.
BUSINESS HAS BEEN SLOW DURING DINNERTIME
The Suntec City restaurant can seat 60 pax, similar to Chopstix & Rice’s previous space. Mdm Loij is getting it halal-certified, like her Orchard Towers eatery. The Neo Group rep shared that “business comes from the lunch crowd”, with some of Chopstix & Rice’s regulars following the eatery to the new location.
But the dinnertime crowd is still rather sluggish. The rep pointed out that the shop is located in a quiet corner of Suntec City’s Tower 4, and F&B competition is fierce in the mall with many food options available there.
PRICE INCREASE FOR MENU
A couple of significant changes at Chopstix & Rice after the move: Instead of a full array of dishes, customers can now only choose from around 12 a la carte nasi padang dishes at lunchtime.
This is supplemented by a selection of fuss-free quick service meal sets like the ayam lemak set (S$10.90) and beef rendang set (S$12.90) to cater to the CBD office crowd. Each set comes with a side each of meat and veggies, plus an egg.