Chinatown Spice Shop Since 1986: Anthony The Spice Maker

Anthony The Spice Maker, at Blk 32 New Market Road #03-1120, Singapore 050032, is the Chinatown spice shop most home cooks are pointed to when they ask where to buy a proper curry powder. The main outlet sits on the third floor of People's Park Food Centre, right beside Chinatown MRT, and it trades Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm. If you searched for a spice shop near me while walking around Chinatown, this is the counter worth climbing the escalator for.

The shop's own history page explains that Anthony grew up helping at his parents' spice stall in a wet market in the 1970s. His parents were first-generation spice makers, and he worked as a design draftsman at a shipbuilding company before leaving to mix spices full time. He started a brand called Liao Jia Xiang in 1986, supplying spice blends to several major Singapore supermarkets, which is why the shop describes its flavours as crafted since 1986.

Things did not always run smoothly. Anthony took a break, then came back in 2009 with a new name, Anthony The Spice Maker, and a humble stall in the basement wet market at Chinatown Complex. His daughter Min Ling joined the business in 2016 after university as a third-generation spice maker. She grew up watching her grandmother cook Nonya chicken curry and sambal asam fish, and those same dishes now appear as packaged blends on the shelf.

The about page makes a point that explains the whole shop. When Anthony started out, ready-made premixes were rare because every household had its own curry recipe, and grandmothers of every race would come to the stall to customise their rempah, the spice paste at the base of Malay, Peranakan and Indian cooking. Years of those requests taught him to tell good spice from mediocre spice, and to blend for the iconic dishes of Singapore the old-fashioned way.

That background shows in the range. The online catalogue lists about 75 products, split into single herbs and spices, Grandpa's Seasoning Rubs, and a line called Traditional Flavours of Singapore. The shop says it uses ethically sourced, unadulterated spices and aims its modern packaging at younger cooks who want to start making curry at home instead of buying a jar of sauce. The website also hosts video tutorials for dishes such as chicken curry, mixed vegetable curry, sambal asam fish and asam prawn.

Start with Curry Powder Singapura, which the shop calls its signature product and lists at S$14.30. It was formerly named Supreme Curry Powder, and the website has a tutorial on turning it into a paste, which is the step most beginners skip. Turmeric is one of its main components, so the colour is deep and the aroma warm rather than harsh. Buy one bag, cook one chicken curry, and you will understand why regulars keep coming back for refills.

Next, choose one dish blend from the Traditional Flavours of Singapore shelf. The Nonya Chicken Curry Spice Blend, the Singapore Chilli Crab Spice Blend, the Traditional Laksa Spice Blend and the Meat Rendang Spice Blend are each listed at S$11.90. The Bak Kut Teh Spice Mix is S$10.50 and is the easiest of all to use: drop it into a pot with pork ribs and garlic, simmer, and dinner is done. Ask the counter which blend suits your heat tolerance.

Single spices are cheap enough to experiment with. Szechuan peppercorns cost S$6.50 and come with tasting notes on the label: pungent, citrusy, floral. Star anise, kaffir lime leaf powder and sand ginger, which the shop describes as part of the galangal family and different from regular Chinese ginger, are all in the range. If you want a gift, the Masala Chai blend at S$19.60 and the Golden Turmeric blend at S$18.50 are packed attractively enough to carry home.

The People's Park Food Centre outlet is the main shop, marked as new on the retail page, and it keeps the longer schedule: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm, closed on Sundays and public holidays. The original Chinatown Complex stall, at Blk 335 Smith Street #B1-169, has shorter hours. It opens Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 1pm only, and the official notice asks shoppers to visit the People's Park outlet after 1pm.

That difference catches out visitors who rely on old blog posts, many of which still send people to the basement stall in the afternoon. Go to the People's Park counter if you are coming after lunch or on a Saturday. Go to Chinatown Complex if you want the atmosphere of a working wet market, where the stall sits near the dried goods and flower sellers.

Mornings are the calmest time to visit, before the hawker centre fills with lunch crowds and the escalators get busy. Bring a clear idea of what you plan to cook this week: the staff are far more helpful when you say you are making laksa for six than when you ask what is good. Buy three or four blends rather than ten, because ground spices lose their punch within months once opened.

The family also runs tours. In May 2026 the shop hosted Spice to Meet You, a spice shop tour and sharing session at the People's Park outlet, as part of the Singapore HeritageFest programme. If you are curious about how rempah is built, keep an eye on the Masterclasses and Events page on the official site. And if you live in Europe, note that the shop lists a separate Swiss partner for shipping within Europe and Switzerland.

Leave People's Park Food Centre and cross toward Pagoda Street, where rows of restored shophouses sell souvenirs, dried goods and herbal remedies. Walk on to Smith Street, known locally for its food street, and to the Chinatown Complex market, where you can peek at the original stall in the basement. Lunch upstairs at the Chinatown Complex hawker centre is a natural stop before heading home.

The main entrance of Chinatown Complex faces the back door of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, so the temple makes an easy next stop and a quiet place to rest. Continue to the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, and you will finish the loop near Telok Ayer in about an hour. Carry spice packs in a closed bag, because Singapore humidity can make ground powders clump quickly.

Main outlet: Anthony The Spice Maker, Blk 32 New Market Road #03-1120, People's Park Food Centre, Singapore 050032, open Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm and closed Sundays and public holidays. Second outlet: Blk 335 Smith Street #B1-169, Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335, open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 1pm. Getting there: Chinatown MRT, Exit C, and take the escalator up to the food centre. Parking is at the Blk 33 Park Crescent multi-storey car park.