Singaporean rapper Sheikh Haikel opens halal version of popular Hwa Heng Beef Noodle in Yishun
After countless taste tests with his Chinese pals to get the flavour of the Hainanese beef noodles right at his new eatery Hai Ge Ji Beef Noodles, the rapper says: “We all look like beef balls now.”
Singaporean rapper Sheikh Haikel and his wife Anna Belle Francis have opened opened Hai Ge Ji Beef Noodles in Yishun. (Photo: Hai Ge Ji Hainanese Beef Noodles)
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Following the success of their halal Hainanese chicken rice eatery Hai Ge Ji at North Bridge Road, local rapper Sheikh Haikel, 50, and his wife Anna Belle Francis, 47, have now ventured into halal Hainanese-style beef noodles.
The couple opened Hai Ge Ji Beef Noodles in Yishun last October, a 30-seat, air-conditioned eatery.
The couple collaborated with beef noodle chain Hwa Heng Group, owned by Eric Lim, in partnership with Kiang Kin Nam – son of the original founder of Odeon Beef Noodle (later renamed Hwa Heng Beef Noodle) at Scotts Road. The brand owns nine outlets, and Haikel and Francis took over its existing Yishun outlet.
“Kiang’s younger brother runs a separate [unaffiliated] hawker stall at Upper Boon Keng Hawker Centre, also called Hwa Heng Beef Noodle,” Lim told 8days.sg.
Haikel later renovated the Yishun unit and renamed it Hai Ge Ji Beef Noodles. All recipes and dishes remain the same, but with halal ingredients.
The couple’s love for Hainanese beef noodles goes way back. It was the original Hwa Heng Beef Noodle (formerly known as Odeon Beef Noodles) stall at the now-defunct Scotts Picnic food court that started it all.
“[In the past], there were two makciks serving at the stall, and the meat and ingredients used were all halal,” Haikel told 8days.sg. “It’s just that Odeon Beef Noodles (rebranded to Hwa Heng) was never [officially] halal-certified.”
“I ate there and thought it was the best beef noodles I’ve ever had, and I wanted it again,” he added.
Francis said she, too, grew up around Hwa Heng’s beef noodle at the same Scotts Picnic spot. It was her go-to meal after secondary school classes.
Haikel had been meaning to open a Hainanese beef noodle spot following his chicken rice restaurant, but it was only when a friend suggested a collaboration with this brand that the idea really took shape.
Since most of Hwa Heng’s ingredients are already halal, there aren't many changes to the recipe other than the type of vinegar or beef balls, to meet MUIS’ halal-certification standards. “It had to be the same,” Haikel exclaimed. “Or better!”
But how do they know their dishes were identical to the original Hwa Heng's? The couple had brought Chinese friends for a taste test before opening the eatery.
“We trialled it so many times, that’s why we all look like beef balls now,” Haikel joked.
Their customers are a mix of both Muslims or non-Muslims, with the non-Muslims often telling them, “It tastes just like the real [Hwa Heng’s noodles]”.
“The non-Muslims can eat at Hwa Heng’s outlets anytime,” Haikel added, “but we hope that Hei Ge Ji Beef Noodles will be a place where Muslims and non-Muslims can eat together.”
At the Yishun beef noodle outlet, they hired a few Chinese cooks from Hwa Heng, and trained their Muslim staff as well. “It’s to maintain the authenticity,” Haikel said. “We hardly see non-Malays serving nasi padang. It’s the same for Hainanese food.”
Both the chicken rice and beef noodle restaurants have been profitable, though they declined to share how much they invested in their new partnership with Hwa Heng.
Haikel, who previously co-owned halal yakiniku joint, Wakuwaku Yakiniku (which he sold off to focus on Hai Ge Ji) and the now-defunct burger joint, FatPapas, is the “mastermind” behind the food.
Fun fact: the restaurant is named after the rapper. “Hai Ge” for Haikel and “Ji” for chicken.
Neither Francis nor Haikel do the cooking, but the dishes are all tweaked based on Haikel's tastebuds.
Despite announcing his retirement from the music industry a few years ago, Haikel is now working on a new hip-hop album (this is truly likely his last, he told 8days.sg).
Francis handles everything at the front of the house, from serving to inventory – anything but cooking.
“I go to each outlet so often that I have to update my location status to my family, friends and staff with: ‘I am ‘chicken’ or I am ‘beef’’,” she joked.
“I became a chicken rice aunty,” she joked.
Why doesn’t Haikel help out at the restaurants too? His wife says every time he shows up, it gets [too] crowded fast. “Our staff will playfully tell him to leave,” she laughed.
His fans-turned-customers also make her job fulfilling. “It’s moments like these that keep me going,” she added.
As we spoke to them separately over the phone, the couple – who have three children – were gushing about each other.
What’s the secret? “Love,” Haikel said. “For each other, for the food.”
The couple have been together for 26 years, and have worked together as artistes for even longer. “We were from different management teams, but we respected each other as workers from the start,” the local rapper shared.
He added that they don’t bring work home, nor do they argue in front of their kids. “She’s a beautiful girl, and I’m working with the right person,” he said fondly.
“We’re looking for any other businesses to partner or collaborate with us to open new eateries,” Francis shared.
The couple are looking to venture outside the country to “bring the beauty of Singapore to others”, Haikel added.
While the family of five are foodies, it’s unclear if the couple’s kids plan to take over the business. Their three children – Triqka, 22, Abbra, 21, and Juz, 11 – had been helping out at their eateries since they were little. “[Abbra], who studied app development in ITE helped set up the technical stuff,” Francis said.
The couple say they serve big portions. “What do you expect from a Sheikh Haikel restaurant?,” Francis giggled.
Signature dishes include the Beef Ball Noodles (S$6.90 dry or soup), Sliced Beef Noodles (S$6.90) and Sliced Beef and Beef Balls (S$8.90 dry or soup). The dishes are customisable, so you can pick your type of beef and noodles.
Francis and Haikel's go-to combo is the mixed beef (sliced beef, tendon, tripe and beef balls) with soup and thick bee hoon.
The beef noodles are also available at Hai Ge Ji Chicken Rice restaurant every Tuesday.
Hai Ge Ji Hainanese Beef Noodles is at #01-01, 461 Yishun Ave 6, Singapore 760461. Open daily 9am–9pm; till 7pm on 18 Feb. More info via website and Instagram.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
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