Going down Food Memory Lane, Old Restaurants/Coffehouses of yesteryear

[halsey02]

comrade senior citizen,

hotel malaysia was a public company listed in the ses, and after the late tan sri khoo teck puat, the real estate wizard sold hotel malaysia to wheelock hk, he bought cuscaden house for $30m, a block of private apartments to retrofit it into a hotel. He then named it hotel malaysia and injected it into the listed company as required by the ses rules.

The cuscaden apartment block was owned by mr kirkham senior, the founder of s'pore carrier air-condition co.

Do you recall the disco club in the 80's, called my place located at hotel malaysia? Well that was our hunting ground cos the owners were our business associates, and we were at my place club almost every night of the week for 5-6 years.

In the early 90's, the late tan sri khoo delisted hotel malaysia and renamed it hotel boulevard. During the previous property boom in 1996, he sold it to city development for $280m and to-date city dev is still holding on to it.

you must be property tycoon....:d

 

[scroobal]

Honestly I don't understand what happened to A&W's management in S'pore? They had really good products and had a lead time over all their fast food rivals because this franchise was amongst the first to open here. Perhaps a good case study for MBA?

Franchise owned by the Jumabhoy family, first outlet at Cathay near Tat Chuan and the 2nd at old Uni at Bt Timah Road Divider.

Family into too many things to concentrate and then falling out.

 

[scroobal]

A&W lost it mass appeal esp to children during the late 80s where the influx of McDonalds, KFC n Burger King. Even though they serve some nice food drinks n desserts, Mcdonalds took over their popularity. I did foresee A&W will definitely nid cut down the number of restaurants due to dwindling sales but i din know they would completely ceased their operation, could be due to too huge financial loss during the yrs of competition wif other fast food chains.

A&W failure had nothing to do with Macs or Burger King. Family that owned did not bother as they had too many things. Not interested. Do agree that it worth looking into. Their products have a different taste and appeal.

Burger King started by Liat Towers owners who orginally leased the premises to the 1st Mac and saw how it became the most profitable outlet in the world at that time.

 

[scroobal]

Bobby Yeo is the owner, younger brother of old radio DJ Belinda Sunshine Yeo. Use to borrow latest UK 'top of the pops' videos from him, those days betamax and vhs Also heard from Belinda about stories of her time spinning vinyl at Xanadu (Shang) and Barbarella (Ming Court).

Ah yes "Book him Danno"

Some interesting sideline stories from Barberella and Xanadu.

The name Barbarella is now permanently banned for entertainment / niteclub etc. I believe there were 2 reincarnation with the last at Holiday Inn. It became the number 1 hot spot for drug trafficers and pushers. Despite closures, they returned everytime the name surfaced.Tree Tops took over from Barberalla and ended up having its first hanging case for drug trafficking. Weird as they had different owners but the name seems to be magnet.

Joe Chandran & the Experiments use to rule supreme at Lost Horizon, now Xanadu. Joe is now part of a religious christian cult which his wife set up and involves a number of families that live together in shared properties. The dress up in Turqoise blue. They sued SPH for defamation and lost for calling it a cult.

 

[scroobal]

Team up with Toh Paik Choo and that Uncle Chap in sunday's TNP.

Not sure if you are aware. Paik Choo now covers political beat in a freelance manner for SPH. She covered Reform Party and last PAP Cadre Meeting.

 

[Merl Haggard]

Some interesting sideline stories from Barberella and Xanadu.

The name Barbarella is now permanently banned for entertainment / niteclub etc. I believe there were 2 reincarnation with the last at Holiday Inn. It became the number 1 hot spot for drug trafficers and pushers. Despite closures, they returned everytime the name surfaced.Tree Tops took over from Barberalla and ended up having its first hanging case for drug trafficking. Weird as they had different owners but the name seems to be magnet.

Joe Chandran & the Experiments use to rule supreme at Lost Horizon, now Xanadu. Joe is now part of a religious christian cult which his wife set up and involves a number of families that live together in shared properties. The dress up in Turqoise blue. They sued SPH for defamation and lost for calling it a cult.

I remember Babarella at the Ming Court Hotel when they had The Pitiful Souls (a black group from the US) who was performing there for 6 months. The Pitiful Soul drew in the crowds big-time and it was packed every night.

Very fond memories from those were the days

 

[yinyang]

..Do you recall the disco club in the 80's, called My Place located at Hotel Malaysia? Well that was our hunting ground cos the owners were our business associates, and we were at My Place Club almost every night of the week for 5-6 years.

Pls excuse my trespassing yours with snrcitizen, wasn't there a disco in basement called London Club (just b4 turnaround of 80's)?

..no ABS, electrical window winding, reverse sensors and power/power-assisted steering. The average engines were 4-cylinders with no fuel injection. Aircon and car radio were optional extras those days. Some models come with conventional ply tires and some with radial plied

Beyond my means then to have own wheels (to my detriment, as my potential dates vrooomed out:o). Yeah, AC was not standard.. so much so that next car generation told me predecessors had nothing between their ears to leave out same (no big, no small leh!!). C'mon, not even radio? Can understand cassette stereo extra PS: Was it Datsun 120Y, coke shaped model popular then? Oops, maybe yours was Toyota Mark III or Celica

Also, ALS sticker > multi entry. And those who jump in (near Cuppage entrance) to make 4. Short of making some dummy cut outs in car hehehe:p

 

[DrPanacea]

Babyboomers would recall a cafe called Cosy Corner at the site of the old CK Tang Departmental Store along Orchard.
For S$1.80 you can have a set lunch with soup/bread and buter/main course/coffee or tea/ice cream dessert.

Today for that price it is difficult to get just a cup of coffee in a cafe.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Pat now has quite beautiful kids too, married to a french chap and resides in france. Yes her dad David was with SPH for many years and long since retired.

Interesting side story on her brother Michael who is a lawyer. Years ago when Michael was apparently a local 'Rick Springfield teen idol' with the girlies:p, he was dating a vivacious sassy hawaiian looking gal called Winnifred Teo. Both of them were attending CJC at that time, anyways tragedy struck when one day Winnie was raped and murdered along the Old Holland Road track off Wilby Road while she was jogging, this was in the days when that area was not yet developed and there was a gravesite and secluded tracks. To this day the rapist/murderer has never been caught and rumours went around in the early days that it was 'hit job' of sorts to send a signal to her buisnessman father. Sad tragic story.

I think Pat Kraal is beautiful. Her dad's a journalist right?

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Hey was that about a boy who used the power of magic (really logic/maths) to defeat some evil being? If so it left an impression on me all those years ago, think I saw it on the old RTM channel during a holiday period.

Oh and yes O'dell was a legend in his own right. Kenneth Tan wrote a nice piece on him in Weekend Today sometime back.

Mr O'dell was something else.
'It's called Flight of Dragons...'

He looked up at me for the first time. 'Come....'
.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Fondue cooking was all the rage then If I am bot mistaken, Ladyhill Hotel also had a kinda of Swiss Restaurant, can't recall the name though.

Also got Chesa (wrong spell?), swiss restaurant with romantic trimmings. Broke my bank account once though.

Not sure Bro, haven't been to see Bobby @ Attic for many years now.

Was her hubby then dj Bernard Selosa? Popped by their holland road once (not sure if they now splitsville)..

Yes, yes and yes.

Omg, Barbarella was ard Boiler Room days (Mandarin)? Kasbah too, upstairs. .

Scroll up if you have the time these places have been mentioned before. Coincidentally this very thread emerged from a side discussion viz Shashilik, when some other chap started a thread on Borsch soup

What about the Shaslik restaurants, another hainanese joint with russian on the menu? The hainanese forte was western food, with likes of Ship etc.

 

[HTOLAS]

Hey was that about a boy who used the power of magic (really logic/maths) to defeat some evil being? If so it left an impression on me all those years ago, think I saw it on the old RTM channel during a holiday period.

Oh and yes O'dell was a legend in his own right. Kenneth Tan wrote a nice piece on him in Weekend Today sometime back.

Flight of Dragons is about the need to balance the power of logic with the wonder of magic and about how when the world loses one (magic in this case) it becomes susceptible to evil. The boy (Gordon, I think) is drawn from the world of logic (ours) into the equation because of his fascination with dragons (magical creatures of course) - he becomes a dragon and takes on the task to restore the balance.

I've tried to get it on DVD but apparently there're no legal versions available.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Don't worry Pops, you are in good company on this.

If you are referring to subject on guys holding onto ladies' handbags. No, I don't remember seeing this phenomenon in my younger days. Speaking for myself, I did not and will never. Don't ask me why but could be a male thing. Perhaps bordering on MCP?

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

That is true. Not only more, but a huge diverse variety and quite afew upmarket ones as well. I too one wonder where all the demand is coming from. Been observing this new upmarket joint that recently opened along bukit timah road just before the corner of sixth avenue, TinHill (i think), have never seen it packed not even once and most of the time just a few tables occupied sometimes no tables occupied and we are talking 7.30-8pm!

Sinkees are still the main spenders and there are more restaurants now than it was in the late 80s. But the true blue sinkee population still remains the same as it was in the late 80s and early 90s.

I won't be surprised at all if countless of restaurants and retail stores close next year. It is more convenient to just blame their failure on the recession than stating that they overestimated on the demand of their services in peesai which means they won't blame themselves. Just like whats happening in the states.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Can you recall the registration plate number?

I am old but definitely not ancient. No, the first car I owned was very much similar to today's, except there was no ABS, electrical window winding, reverse sensors and power/power-assisted steering.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Nowadays difficult to find them 'well trained' though, not my style to 'break them in':p

Do Why not just go for SYT's on ONS? That's more practical these days.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Yes I think so.

Talking about Shang, I use to really like their old coffee house, bread and butter pudding with pistacchio ice cream was my fav. Now not quite sure about The Line though, also I think the dim sum at Shang Palace has gone downhill even though the prices are even more expensive then before.:(

Wasn't the Xanadu's previous name "The Lost Horizon" at Shangrilah?

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Good history lesson Bro.

So the present SICC President Kirkham is junior?

Comrade Senior Citizen,

Hotel Malaysia was a public company listed in the SES, and after the late Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, the real estate wizard sold Hotel Malaysia to Wheelock HK, he bought Cuscaden House for $30m, a block of private apartments to retrofit it into a hotel. He then named it Hotel Malaysia and injected it into the listed company as required by the SES rules.

The Cuscaden apartment block was owned by Mr Kirkham Senior, the founder of S'pore Carrier Air-condition Co.

Do you recall the disco club in the 80's, called My Place located at Hotel Malaysia? Well that was our hunting ground cos the owners were our business associates, and we were at My Place Club almost every night of the week for 5-6 years.

In the early 90's, the late Tan Sri Khoo delisted Hotel Malaysia and renamed it Hotel Boulevard. During the previous property boom in 1996, he sold it to City Development for $280m and to-date City Dev is still holding on to it.

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

Looks like they lost out on their jewel in the crown Scotts as well.

Franchise owned by the Jumabhoy family, first outlet at Cathay near Tat Chuan and the 2nd at old Uni at Bt Timah Road Divider.

Family into too many things to concentrate and then falling out.

 

[Merl Haggard]

Pls excuse my trespassing yours with snrcitizen, wasn't there a disco in basement called London Club (just b4 turnaround of 80's)?

The London Club was at the basement of the Marco Polo Hotel (the former Hotel Malaysia), and now The Grange.

Used to dine at the Marco Polo French restaurant (later renamed The San Marco) and then adjourned to the London Club.