It is no secret that we Singaporeans love our spicy food. When Monster Curry first launched in 2012, it quickly took Singaporeans by storm with their signature house-made Japanese curry, large white plates and monstrous servings. 

Big on size and even bigger on taste, Monster Curry offers five levels of spiciness for their dishes – starting with Normal Spicy and increasing the heat all the way until Monster Spicy – giving their curry sauce an extra kick. This has also ignited the competitive spirit among Singaporeans, with many customers competing the level of spiciness they could tolerate. This competitive streak even extended to Monster Curry having their very own Monster Level 100 Spicy Challenge!

For those who can’t take the spice, Monster Curry has also expanded its menu beyond curry dishes to include pastas, salads and honey toasts, as well as a wide selection of frappes and Matcha beverages. Now, 13 outlets island wide and many more curry plates served later, Monster Curry is rolling out a new Halal-certified concept, Monster Planet, at Causeway Point to spread the spicy love to our Muslim friends in Singapore. 

We caught up with Assistant General Manager Peter Tan, to find out more about the brand’s latest concept and how Monster Planet hopes to continue meeting Singaporeans’ endless thirst for spicy food.

1. Why did Monster Curry decide to open a halal-certified arm – Monster Planet?

Monster Curry has been around since 2012 and we are humbled to have had the constant support of Singaporeans since then. As a country that embraces different races, cultures and religions, we wanted Monster Curry to be more inclusive as well so that everyone, including our Muslim friends, can enjoy our signature Japanese curry dishes. Hence, we decided to create a separate concept – Monster Planet – so that the Muslim community can also enjoy our Japanese curry.

2. What is it that makes your curry so unique and delicious? Will the same signature curry be served at Monster Planet? 

Our curry is specially made with 14 different vegetables and spices and cooked by our chefs over two days to achieve that smooth and fragrant texture so many of our customers love. Our curry rice dishes are served in our iconic 35cm and 41cm white plates, and these monstrous servings give us a good reason to call ourselves Monster Curry.

This signature demi-glace curry will be recreated for Monster Planet but with Halal-certified ingredients. Similar to Monster Curry, customers at Monster Planet will have the option of choosing from five different levels of spiciness and enjoy their meal with just the right level of spice.

3. Will the same menu items be served at Monster Planet? How was the thought process like behind creating the menu for Monster Planet? 

Most of our menu items at Monster Curry will be served at Monster Planet as well, with the exception of non-Halal items. In creating Monster Planet’s menu, we were focused on sharing the love for our Japanese curry with our Muslim friends. Hence, we created a variety of curry rice options ranging from shrimp to beef, giving our Muslim friends a wide array of options to choose from. Should you be craving noodles instead of rice, we offer curry ramen bowls as well! 

4. What special tweaks did you make to your original menu and recipes for Monster Planet?

While Monster Planet is targeting the Muslim community, we are also launching a few special dishes for everyone to enjoy. These include the all-new Lemongrass Chicken Curry, Supreme Beef Burger and Churros Parfait series to continue treating our customers to new creations. 

5. Were there any challenges you faced in making the menu Halal?

Since this is our first Halal Japanese curry concept, we definitely faced a couple of challenges in revamping our menu. Many months were spent searching for Halal-certified ingredients and we went through many iterations and fine-tuning before finally recreating the right flavour for the curry. It was incredibly satisfying for the team when all our hard work paid off and we cannot wait for our customers to try this recreation!

6. What are some new must-try items at Monster Planet?

A new must-try would definitely be the Monster Combo Curry which comes with four different types of meats – chicken, beef, shrimp and fish. This huge plate of goodness is ideal for sharing between two to three individuals; but if you are really hungry, you can gobble it down all by yourself too!

If you’re feeling a little less adventurous, our Signature Chicken Katsu Curry – rice topped with crispy chicken cutlet accompanied by a generous serving of our Japanese curry – is another must-try to satisfy all your curry cravings. 

7. What are the future plans installed for Monster Curry and Monster Planet? Will we be expecting any new outlets or menu items? 

In the coming months, we are planning to set up more Monster Planet outlets at different regions of Singapore so as to increase our accessibility to the Muslim community. 

We are also creating new menu items so our customers can expect to indulge in new dishes on their next visit. 

Recently, we have just launched our Combo Curry Ramen series, which is the ramen version of our Combo Curry Rice series. This new series features generous servings of different types of meats accompanied with springy ramen noodles in curry. Like the Combo Curry Rice series, the ramen series portions are pretty large and good for sharing among friends.

8. What are some of the challenges you faced through COVID-19, and what are your plans moving forth?

We definitely faced the challenge of limited seating capacity due to current safe distancing measures. As large gatherings are not allowed, we have observed a dip in birthday celebrations in our restaurants as well. 

To counter these challenges, Monster Planet is on Frasers Makan Master on the Frasers Experience (FRx) app where our customers will be able to opt for delivery or pre-order and pick up at our outlet. This added convenience through Makan Master allows our customers to enjoy our well-loved dishes in the comfort of their own homes. 

9. What are some measures you've put in place to ensure the safety of your customers?

We take the health and safety of our customers and staff very seriously. At Monster Planet, we ensure that the temperatures of all our staff and customers are taken and that each customer checks in via safe-entry before entering our restaurant. Our staff also actively ensure that a one metre safe distancing is maintained between different groups of customers at all times. 

To give our customers a peace of mind when dining in, we also take care to thoroughly sanitise each table after every turnover and common areas of our outlets as well, such as the cashier counter. For an added assurance, we have also invested in installing air ionizers within our outlets to filter and improve air circulation.

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To get a taste of Monster Planet, head down to their brand-new outlet at Causeway Point (#05-13) or opt for takeaway or delivery on Frasers Makan Master.