What The Puff: Modern curry puff brand opens 4 outlets in just 8 months

While many of us in our early 20s are still finding their footing, 23-year-old Yuan Ming, co-founder of What The Puff! is already juggling school, examinations, and the rapid expansion of a homegrown F&B brand. 

Together with his older brother Brandon Lim, 29, and their friend Oh Chin Jie, 30, Yuan Ming co-founded the modern curry puff concept in 2024. While all three are equally involved in the business, Yuan Ming has naturally stepped into the role of spokesperson — often speaking on behalf of the team at interviews and public engagements.

So far, he says the brand has grown faster than any of them expected.

What started as a single stall in Changi Village Hawker Centre has quickly snowballed into four outlets — with Bedok, Tai Seng, and the recently opened Punggol Coast Hawker Centre following in rapid succession. Each store opened just a few months after the other, in December 2024, then February, May, and July 2025 respectively.

“It was a pretty fast-paced journey. You could even say that we rushed into it,” says Yuan Ming. Beyond the current four outlets, the trio has no further plans for expansion, choosing instead to focus on stabilising operations and refining their recipes. 

When we visited the Punggol outlet before 9am, just days after its opening, queues were already forming. This is a daily sight, with puffs typically selling out by 2.30pm. 

The first three outlets move about 500 to 600 puffs a day, but Yuan Ming expects the Punggol stall to outperform the rest by about 40%. 

A hawker legacy in the making

The Lim brothers are no strangers to the hawker trade. Their parents have been running Lao Er, a Teochew porridge stall in Bedok, since 2015. 

The former owner had decided to retire — the Lim family took over the reins to continue his legacy.

“I’d consider myself their spare tire,” Yuan Ming jokes. “Whenever there’s a manpower shortage, I get called down to help.” 

Growing up in that environment gave him a strong sense of the hawker hustle. But Teochew porridge, he admits, wasn’t his thing. 

“It’s a different ball-game. You’ve got to cook 20 to 30 dishes daily,” he says, laughing. “I’d rather stick to my own lane.”

Having watched his parents try their hand at a couple of other F&B ventures over the years, Yuan Ming saw firsthand that F&B was all they knew — and slowly, that mindset rubbed off on him.

“They’ve kind of convinced me that it’s something viable,” he says. “I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular when I started it, but F&B is something that I feel like we have in our blood.”

Still, those early mornings helping his parents gave him a taste of what the job demands — from prepping ingredients at dawn, to dealing with the steady flow of customers. It’s not so different from his current day-to-day, except this time, the business is his own.

Today, he’s swapped porridge for puffs — golden, flaky ones filled with playful, unconventional flavours that have quickly become What The Puff’s signature.

The birth of What The Puff!

The business started with a shared love for curry puffs. It’s a nostalgic snack the trio grew up eating, so when they decided to start a food venture together, curry puffs felt like a natural fit.

There was just one issue: The Lim brothers didn’t know how to make them.

That’s where Brandon’s friend from National Service, Chin Jie, came in. Having previously worked in F&B, at spots such as salad bar The Daily Cut, he naturally took the lead on developing the recipe.

The trio pooled together S$10,000 to open their very first outlet at Changi Village Hawker Centre in 2024.

As for the name, the trio wanted something fun, bold, and memorable. “Powerpuff Boys” was briefly on the table, before they landed on What The Puff! — a playful nod to their product, and the kind of name that makes people do a double take.

Trial and error 

Curry puffs were a childhood favourite for Yuan Ming — but even back then, he would start to feel jelak if he had too many — that familiar heaviness that comes with eating too much rich food. 

It became one of the reasons he wanted to reimagine the humble curry puff with bolder, modern flavours, and more variety across the board, so that consumers could choose from different flavour profiles.

During the research and development phase, the trio spent weeks experimenting with recipes and perfecting their wrapping technique. Back in the early days, at the first stall, it took them an average of 30 to 45 seconds to wrap a puff. These days, they can do it in under 20 seconds. 

“We just ate a lot of curry puffs — to the point we got a little sick of them,” he laughs.

Friends and family became their unofficial taste-testers, giving feedback on each iteration. Drawing on their years in the F&B scene, his parents also helped with fine-tuning the flavours. 

Of course, not every experiment was a success. A limited-edition hae bee hiam chicken puff that launched during Chinese New Year didn’t quite take off — possibly due to their limited experience at the time — but for Yuan Ming, it was just part of the learning curve.

Their experiments didn’t end there. After opening three outlets, the team brought What The Puff! to the GastroBeats food and music festival earlier this year, as a way to step beyond the hawker scene.

The pop-up gave them room to be even more playful with their menu, introducing festival-only flavours such as chilli crab, mentaiko tuna, and truffle mushroom. 

The reception was encouraging, but the experience wasn’t without its challenges.

They ended up taking a financial hit, to the tune of S$8,000, but Yuan Ming doesn’t see it as a failure. 

“It gave us the chance to figure out if events are something we want to pursue,” he says. The experience also pushed them to reflect on what could be improved — from operations and logistics, to understanding what sells in a festival setting. More importantly, the experience connected them with other entrepreneurs who were further along in their journey, and offering valuable advice and perspective.

So good, people go: “What The XXXX!”

All the curry puffs are made fresh in batches each morning — with dough prepared from scratch, then fried. And thanks to the steady stream of customers, they’re almost always served hot and crispy. 

At any outlet, you’ll find five flavours — a mix of beloved classics and modern twists. The puff shells are crisp, buttery, and satisfyingly flaky — without being greasy.

Of the classics, there’s the original puff (S$2) — filled with soft potatoes, tender chunks of chicken, and a mild curry blend that some say tastes even better than big-name brands. Then there’s the sardine puff (S$2), packed with a slightly spicy kick that hits just right for those who love a bit of heat. 

And alongside these traditional staples, you’ll find these flavour-packed, innovative favourites.

“Cheese was actually my dad’s idea,” Yuan Ming says. “As for black pepper chicken — I just really like meat, so I wanted a puff that was extra meaty.”

The cheesy curry puff (S$2.50) is perfect for cheese lovers — melty and savoury, without being overly rich. It’s just the right amount of cheese to keep you going without feeling jelak.

Another favourite of mine is the black pepper chicken puff (S$2.50). This one’s bold and peppery, with enough meat to feel like a full meal in snack form — a hearty pick with a bit of kick.

Last but not least, there’s the char siew chicken puff (S$2.50) — a well-loved favourite across all outlets. It’s generously packed with tender char siew chicken that’s sweet and smoky, and wrapped in its signature flaky pastry.

Balancing books and bakes 

Juggling university and running a business hasn’t been easy, but for Yuan Ming, it felt like the right time to start.

“Once you graduate, there’s going to be a lot of pressure from family, friends, and society to get a stable job and settle down,” he adds.

As a second-year finance undergraduate at SUSS, he plans his school schedule around the stall’s busiest days — often switching between lectures and back-end operations. During the school holidays, he heads down almost daily to help out.

He recalls a period when both his co-founders were away on reservist, leaving him to handle most of the operations solo. 

“I’d wake up at 4 or 5am to deliver supplies and help set up, rush home for a quick shower, then head to campus,” he says. “After class, I’d have lunch, go home, and work on backend stuff such as accounting, bookkeeping, and even handling customer messages. It’s intense.”

With that kind of schedule, his social life — and time with his girlfriend — has understandably taken a hit. Still, he stays committed. 

What keeps him going, he says, is seeing people enjoy the puffs he worked so hard to create. 

He recalls a customer who came by, bought one puff, and returned shortly after, to buy even more to bring home. 

Simple gestures like that, and the occasional glowing review, are what fuels him through the grind.

Yuan Ming believes What The Puff! stands out, not just for its bold flavours, but for the value it offers. “We get a lot of feedback that our fillings are generous and the puffs are big, so people feel it’s really value for money,” he says.

Beyond portion size, it’s the variety that keeps people coming back — with five distinct flavours, there’s something for everyone. 

“Just like how unique it is to them, it’s unique to us too,” he says.

Looking ahead, he hopes to build What The Puff! into something with staying power. “Hopefully by the time I graduate, we’ll have grown it into a sustainable brand — one that I can run full-time,” he says.

For now, he’s focused on keeping things steady: Improving operations, refining flavours, and learning along the way. It’s still early days, but Yuan Ming’s more than ready to take things step by step as the brand continues to grow.

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