In Chengdu

IN a hip and trendy section of downtown Chengdu on Wednesday morning, some 500 screaming fans of Singapore pop star JJ Lin - many waving posters and placards - clamoured to see him sing.

JJ had been invited by curry puff chain Old Chang Kee - known as OCK in China to make it easier for locals to pronounce the name - to perform at the opening ceremony of its first curry restaurant in Chengdu - and in China.

Of course, JJ - who is very popular in China - did not forget to tell his fans that OCK curry puff has been one of his favourite snacks for more than a decade.

"My child likes JJ, I was here yesterday with my child, and I'm here again today. We ordered Ice Kachang and curry puffs today, said Ms Chen, a businesswoman in her 40s, who took her friend to the restaurant a day after OCK's opening.

"I also love the curries here, although the beef rendang is very spicy, We Sichuanese are used to spicy food," she gushed. "And I like the plush and cozy décor here."

There were 10 customers on the Wednesday afternoon I visited the restaurant, located in the modern YY Sports Mall along Chunxi Road, equivalent to Singapore's Orchard Road.

People in Chengdu, which is Sichuan's provincial capital, are well-known for their easy-going attitude and their openness towards foreigners and things foreign.

It is exactly these traits of Chengdu people that prompted Mr Han Keen Juan, Chairman of Old Chang Kee, to give Chengdu a second try.

His first foray into Chengdu in 2006 did not go well and he had to shut down all his three curry puff outlets.

Apparently, the kiosk system - which works for Singaporeans who are always on the go - did not appeal to Chengdu residents, who lead a more leisurely lifestyle and prefer a restaurant where they can relax and dine.

Old Chang Kee first entered the Chinese market in Qingdao in eastern Shandong province in 1994, but pulled out three years later following  business conflicts between its Singapore's franchise holder and the Qingdao partner.

At the Chengdu restaurant, the curries - in Chinese-style, Malay-style, Indian-style and Peranakan-style - are whipped up by a main chef from Singapore, and Mr Han is insistent that they taste authentic, and are not modified to suit local taste buds.

Keen to test out if that is true, I ordered the Chinese-style curry chicken and roti prata, as well as teh tarik - which cost me 79 yuan (S$17.30).

The conclusion: they taste authentic enough though I find the curry a tad too blend.

Still, out of the five customers I talked to, only one - a 22-year-old student - said she found the food not 'mala'  enough, and she did not like the taste of papadum dipped in Thai-style sweet sour sauce.

A couple of Singapore businessmen told me that while the easy-going, easily-contented and willing-to spend attitude of the Chengdu locals may be good for those in the food and beverage or retail sector, it is not so good for those engaged in other businesses.

One of them said that when a task is given to Chengdu people and they could not meet the requirements, their attitude is: take it or leave it.

The other said that come five o'clock sharp every day, the workers would stop work, pull out the mahjong tables and start their game - a "provincial" past time.

One official in the Sichuan investment promotion bureau quipped: "Chengdu people are happy when they are rich, they can also be happy when they are poor. Come what may, the mahjong games must go on, just that the stakes may be smaller."