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

[Sammael]

You know I really miss some old restaurants/coffee houses during my childhood and youth days like:

Troika, Tivoli, Copper Kettle, Magnolia Bar, Pavillion Restaurant at the old Specialist Centre , coffee house at the old Robinsons in the old Specialist Centre (served very tasty local pepper chicken curry hailam style!), coffee house at the old Ladyhill Hotel, coffee house at the old YMCA along stevens road (tasty Malay/Indonesian food), Mont D'or (loved their milkshakes served in those aluminium containers!), original Polar Cafe along High Street...aiyo getting hungry just thinking about those old days!!

What you guys/gals out there? What were your favs?

Boy you are older than Fred Flinstone!

 

[johnny333]

The salad bowl...there was one cafe/coffee house in Orchard Cinema, where one have a bird's eye view of the bowling lanes, at Jackie's bowl..food, so, so...but you have free entertainment...of watching people, throwing gutter balls...and in one point or the other. see the Singapore National Bowlers, starting their careers there!..

Ah yes Jackies Bowl, would often go there often for the hamburger. I think it was better than MacDonalds. The one at the car park was also also ok.

 

[i_am_belle]

wahh ... sunday evening, reading this thread, listening to FM97.2 old songs ... so nostalgic ... :p

feng fei fei 'qiao qiao men' ...

knock knock door !
are u at home ?
someone said u havent come home !

hahaha ...

was there a baron's table ? rem my classmates were going but i didnt have enuff pocket money so couldnt join them :o

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

That is why I like Wilma and bronto burgers

Boy you are older than Fred Flinstone!

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

That was located at Royal Plaza Hotel in Scotts Road, well the old hotel before this one, I think. Only went there once donkey years ago, so so cooking, don't think you missed much my dear

PS. Come to think of it may have been at the old ANA Hotel instead??

was there a baron's table ?

 

[angie II]

any grandpas, grandmas here hands up!

 

[i_am_belle]

those yellow weighing machines often located outside coffehouses & emporiums ... u put in a coin, stand on it, & weigh yourself

was too young to use them but i rem seeing adults using them ...

 

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

If I am not mistaken some even gave out tickets! Can't recall what it said though

those yellow weighing machines often located outside coffehouses & emporiums ... u put in a coin, stand on it, & weigh yourself

was too young to use them but i rem seeing adults using them ...

 

[snrcitizen]

I loved going on dates to Red House cafe!! :p:p:p I loved the glass cups in saucers and the hainanese style cakes!3 The old style booth seats, the low rotating fans, the glass counters where the cakes are placed. WOW!

I remember Mont D'or's kway tiao soup and chicken pie. So yummy!

And silver spoon at Supreme House... TGIF had the best brownie and ice cream. :p:p

There was the original Old Chang Kee at the old Rex cinema, the old uncle frying the curry puffs. :p

Remember Country Manna in Far East Plaza and the flaming baked alaska dessert? The filo puff pastry over the bowl of soup was yums.

There was this Indonesian restaurant at the old Plaza Singapura which had the yummiest satay even though I don't eat satay.

The old satay club at what is now Esplanade, just sitting by the river. Along the same road, Empress place had a hawker centre, also just beside the river.

Handicraft Centre at Tanglin, at what is now the Tudor Court. Tuckshop Foodcourt at the current HPL house.

Some other places full of memories but ooh too secret. :p

Glad to hear that the Red House brought back good memories of your romantic dating days.

Whenever I am around Rex cinema, never failed to grab some freshly made curry puffs to bring home. The original satay club was next to the now torn down Pavilion cinema. A pity though, as the facade of the cinema was full of character. The malay satay men would carry their wares to their usual spot every evening and lit their kerosene lamps there. Quite often we would challenge each other to see who can eat the most sticks of satay.

Do you know that Tudor court was occupied with residents in the earlier days? The govt later told them that the place is too old, unfit for occupation and was to be pulled down. After the residents left, the govt renovated the place and made a bundle selling/renting the units to commercial enterprises.

 

[snrcitizen]

Why never remebered Merlin as Merlin...I have always called it "min gar"...as in Cantonese for noodle shop..always with the "ngau lam min", "tow far sui with han yan"....that will be, Beef bisket noodle with, soya bean milk with almond flavour..

Pavilion cinema yes...the old satay club & all the BBQ chicken wings along beach rd...I miss No1 Store Satay..especially his satay 'berut'..at the esplanade...

Remember, Woh Hup in Chinatown...for their noodles?, 'gai cha min' with...& their oyster sauce....and they were the one who introduced us to "Tong Chee Kai"...ahhh.."Virgin Chicken", something like that..ha ha ha..ok!, it is deep fried chicken...like the ones we get from the so-called western food shops in the coffee shop...

Woh Hup...moved to Kitchener Rd in 1982...and thereafter..it closed I think...

Tropicana...I do remember...not for the nightclub, but for the resturant...wasn't into topless ahem!....

Kasbah...ontop of Mandarin hotel...Neptune on OUB Building...I missed Neptune most.....

ah, what memories..

I surrender to you. You have memory skills better than an elephant. I remember Woh Hup when it was in Chinatown. Never followed it to Kitchener Road.

On the subject of chicken, my late mother (she's cantonese) once told me off when I ordered "pak chum kai". She says it could also mean a girl before puberty. Hahaha! :o Instead, I was told to order "pak chit kai".

Ah, now that you mentione "ngau lam min", I remember the Merlin. Thanks.

 

[Kuailan]

Remember RASA SINGAPURA, after St. Regis today?...where St.Regis is, there used to be a small restn call Tangle Inn...

At Rasa Singapura:
1. Lau Goh ( not wooden), Chinese Carrot Cake
2. Chee Cheong Fun, steamed on the spot with prawns or shitake mushrooms
3. Poh Piah, Kueh Pati
4. Indian Rojak from Bencoleen Street
5. Drinks stall with their lime jusice, soya bean drinls etc...yummy
.....and so forth...
.....

Rasa Singapura is now Tanglin Shopping Mall not St. Regis lah..St. Regis location the last time was INformatic Building with a few car park in front of the building..

oppposite was 2 storey shop house. One of them was William Phua Realty they were sued till their pants dropped for evading tax, they were in Property biz. Believe the whole family has migrated to OZie land!

I have driving pass this place for umpteen years already. Can still remember the scenery..
cheers

 

[snrcitizen]

Some times spotted eye candy SYT chiobus in bikinis having a dip in the pool while I munched away on satay and char kway teow, also ice karchang with ice cream scoop on top!

That was part of the reason why I said I enjoyed the ambience at LadyHill. :p

 

[snrcitizen]

Ooooo....... jogging down memory lane.....
18 Standard price, Mee goreng 30cts, mee rebus 20cts, carot cake 10 cts bring your own egg. Rojak 10cts, ice cream potong 10cts big chunk! satay 5cts. Look at today's price??

Those prices are what most of us would miss most in addition to good food. :(

 

[snrcitizen]

Well if Locke can entice Michelle Chia and Fiona Xie to join the makan search then kindly count me in, I shall be happy to sponsor such a 'hunt' but please exclude the 2 twits Gurmit and Seetoh

Hee hee! With Michelle Chia and Fiona Xie, we wonder if you are on a makan search.

Congratulations on starting a good thread.

cheers!

 

[snrcitizen]

Hey what Neptune?

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought topless dancing started at Tropicana and then later was introduced to Neptune. Anyway, found later that those at Las Vegas were much better in quantity and quality.

 

[snrcitizen]

The cafe in Cold Storage, wasn't it the Salad Bowl?

In those days there weren't that many cafe/restaurants along Orchard Rd. You would often bump into friends when going out because Spore wasn't that big

Bingo! You have such good memory, too. Thanks.

Orchard Road was lined with car show rooms before they moved off to Leng Kee Rd. Remember my late father bought his car there and he drove off without the road tax disc as soon as you paid up because in those days LTA was not computerised. It takes a few weeks before the road tax disc arrive in the mail. No ARF and COE to contend with. Remembered I bought my first car at Orchard Rd this way, too. Just settle the insurance, pay up (inclusive of road tax) then collect your car.

 

[snrcitizen]

The salad bowl...there was one cafe/coffee house in Orchard Cinema, where one have a bird's eye view of the bowling lanes, at Jackie's bowl..food, so, so...but you have free entertainment...of watching people, throwing gutter balls...and in one point or the other. see the Singapore National Bowlers, starting their careers there!..

That coffee house overlooking Jackie's bowl at Orchard cinema was filled with gamblers betting on scores or nbr of gutter balls of bowlers.

 

[snrcitizen]

That was located at Royal Plaza Hotel in Scotts Road, well the old hotel before this one, I think. Only went there once donkey years ago, so so cooking, don't think you missed much my dear

PS. Come to think of it may have been at the old ANA Hotel instead??

Yes, Baron's Table was located at old ANA Hotel.

 

[snrcitizen]

any grandpas, grandmas here hands up!

Guilty as charged.

 

[kuntakinte]

Yes, I had been to Medo at Outram Park. It was slightly out of the way and I discovered it when I was wondering away from Pearl Center. There was also a dim sum outlet just below Medo - I think. I wonder where has it gone to ??

And, YES, you are definitely right about those sarong kebaya clad waitresses..... :p

The Medo coffee house directly opposite Plaza Singapura was a 2nd outlet. The main shop of Medo was at Outram Park (now demolished and has since became a turfed vacant land).

Besides Medo, the other coffee house at Outram Park was Bali Hut. Those were the two very famous coffee houses then.

The young, pretty & sexy waitresses of Bali Hut were dressed in body hugging sarong kebaya - similar to those worn by SIA girls. It was quite an attraction then. Many tiko customers liked to patronize the coffee house partly because of that.