It’s that time of the year again—Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and we all know that no gathering would be truly complete without the smoky-sweet aroma of bak kwa.
Each year, homegrown bak kwa brands like Lim Chee Guan and Bee Cheng Hiang continue to see long lines of eager customers during the festive season, but newer brands have also popped up in the scene, hoping to disrupt the century-old industry.
One such newcomer is Century Bakkwa, which offers handmade, charcoal-grilled bak kwa crafted from Spanish Iberico pork. The brand is helmed by 34-year-old Simbian Chua, who brings decades of experience in the F&B industry to her craft.
A 37-year-old recipe
Century Bakkwa first opened its doors in 2021. However, Simbian claims that its recipe was created decades ago—in 1988, to be precise.
Initially, I assumed it was a family recipe, but I quickly discovered that wasn’t the case when I first spoke to Simbian. Surprisingly, she and her family do not, and have never, consumed pork—and that includes bak kwa.
I grew up in a staunch Seventh-day Adventist family, which meant that dining out was uncommon due to dietary restrictions. My parents have never eaten pork in their life, and I don’t too.
You can ask my friends and family—they’ve never seen me eating pork, even if I order wanton mee with lard, etc., I remove it from the dish.
Simbian Chua
How, then, did she acquire the bak kwa recipe and start her own business despite not consuming pork herself?
“Century Bakkwa’s master recipe was created by a bak kwa maestro whom I got to know through a mutual friend about four years ago,” Simbian shared.
The duo quickly hit it off, and during Chinese New Year some years back, the “bak kwa maestro” sought her help to cope with the festive period’s rush orders.
After supporting his operations for about two weeks, he approached her with a proposition: he wanted her to take over the business as he was turning 65 and was looking to retire.
In his own words, he said that he would rather bury the recipe with him to his grave, like Apollo char kway teow’s founder, if he did not find a suitable successor to continue his craft.
Simbian Chua
He was no longer willing to continue the business as it was “very manpower-intensive”—finding skilled workers capable of grilling bak kwa over charcoal without burning it proved challenging, ultimately leading him to retire and exit the business.
As the opportunity presented itself, Simbian decided to take the leap and venture into the industry by launching Century Bakkwa at Dunlop Street.
“I want to stick to our DNA”
Soon after starting Century Bakkwa, Simbian faced the same pain points that had troubled her predecessor: producing charcoal-grilled bak kwa was just too laborious.
However, she believes that this is precisely what makes the business unique.
“Most bak kwa businesses use combination ovens to produce their offerings, moving away from traditional methods like charcoal grilling,” she explained. Using combination ovens allows these businesses to produce and sell bak kwa in larger quantities, but for Simbian, this comes second to authenticity.
The reason why I don’t do that is because I want to stick to our DNA—and our DNA is to make bak kwa that is charcoal-grilled. Yes, it is laborious, but the resulting texture and taste are completely different.
Simbian Chua
Due to the demanding production processes, Century Bakkwa produces only a limited quantity of bak kwa each year. This exclusivity, combined with their traditional methods, positions their products among the priciest on the market—even compared to heritage brands.
For example, 500 grammes of Century Bakkwa’s traditional bak kwa starts at S$58, whereas other brands, such as Bee Cheng Hiang, offer the same quantity starting from S$37.50.
Yet, the brand still sees a steady demand. While Simbian remained tight-lipped about Century Bakkwa’s financial figures, she shared that the brand saw a 25% increase in sales during the current festive season compared to the same period last year.
“For the price we’re asking, people recognise they’re paying for the difference,” she stated confidently.
Quality alone isn’t enough
Simbian takes her commitment to quality seriously—despite her religious beliefs of not eating pork, she revealed that she makes an exception to taste her bak kwa, ensuring that it meets her high standards.
However, quality alone isn’t enough to stand out in Singapore’s competitive F&B scene. To stay relevant and attract new customers, the entrepreneur believes that innovation is key.
Consumers are increasingly seeking unique and high-quality culinary experiences in Singapore’s F&B landscape. For aspiring entrepreneurs, I advise focusing on authenticity, understanding your target audience, and being open to innovation while preserving the essence of your offerings.
Simbian Chua
With her extensive background in F&B—having worked as a cook and started her own Indonesian-Chinese food catering business, Indocin Food, before launching Century Bakkwa—Simbian has experimented with new flavours and different offerings to set her brand apart.
Century Bakkwa currently offers five different flavours of bak kwa, including truffle and yuzu osmanthus. Most recently, they’ve also added a sugar-free bak kwa option to cater to health-conscious customers and those with dietary restrictions or health conditions that limit sugar intake.
The brand is also known for its bak kwa croffles—crispy, flaky croissant-waffles topped with their signature bak kwa, which are available in-store.
“We wanted to bring something fresh to show how bak kwa isn’t just ‘Chinese New Year food’ but a treat that can be enjoyed in different ways, all year round,” Simbian said in a 2021 interview with CNA. “It’s now become a crowd favourite.”
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In the near future, Simbian hopes to launch more innovative products and expand Century Bakkwa’s presence within Singapore.
Her long-term vision is to cement the brand as a heritage name, synonymous with both quality and tradition.
And judging by what we’ve tasted, we certainly do hope the brand will succeed. Century Bakkwa’s bak kwa slices are thick, juicy and irresistibly tender—you can check out their offerings here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Century Bakkwa
