Mobile Food Sellers of Yesteryear

[halsey02]

I remembered Troika from Far East Shopping Ctr, also this restaurant Chicko N Charlie.

Troika..where are they now?, Chico N Charlie?... C N C, had my first magarita there, wow!...could not stand up for a while..powerful stuff, later on...one too many...the body got use to it!!

 

[halsey02]

yo..The Exorcist! watched it in 1974 with a classmate called Martin, this movie really freak me out...hahaha. And after many years heard from friends that Martin had became Martina..sex change :

Was Martin effeminate at that time?...The Excorcist is tame now, if you compare it with all movies out today...but I remembered the ambulance & news of people fainting....

Saw both the censored ( heavily) & uncensored version...

Was The Ship at Shaw House?, I thought they were at Robinson Rd?, they closed for many years..and recently I saw their advertisement..

There is The Ship at Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur for many years..never tried it..though I have beeen up there often...

 

[makapaaa]

True Prosperity =>

<TABLE class=desctable><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>Source:</TD><TD>SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS (SPH)</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD align=left>Unedited Description Supplied by Depositing Agency:</TD><TD>WHEN IT COMES TO SHOPPING FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR, PEOPLE STILL GO BACK TO CHINATOWN AND ITS HAWKERS, DESPITE THE MODERN SHOPPING CENTRES MUSHROOMING ALL OVER THE ISLAND. AND JUDGING FROM THE BIRGHT-LIT SCENE IN PAGODA STREET, PEOPLE ARE MAKING SURE THEIR PANTRIES ARE WELL STOCKED UP FOR THE YEAR OF THE PIG (DESCRIPTION BY EVENT PROVIDED BY TRANSFERRING AGENCY)</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD align=left>Description Edited By NAS:</TD><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Date:</TD><TD>24/01/1971</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Medium:</TD><TD>CD/DVD </TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Media Number - Image Number:</TD><TD>PCD0385 - 0017 </TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Negative Number:</TD><TD>2003,0517/6/15A</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Access:</TD><TD><!-- B,REPRODUCTION REQUIRES WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM DEPOSITING AGENCY/DONOR -->REPRODUCTION REQUIRES WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM DEPOSITING AGENCY/DONOR </TD></TR><!-- --><!-- --></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=screentable border=0 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=#000000 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff borderColor=#ffffff width="100%"> Do you have more information on this record? <TABLE border=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="60%">

</TD><TD width="40%"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Equalisation]

yo..The Exorcist! watched it in 1974 with a classmate called Martin, this movie really freak me out...hahaha. And after many years heard from friends that Martin had became Martina..sex change :

I heard Martina migrated some years back?:o

 

[postnew]

[Above: Mr Tan Boon Thye (right), 59, with Mr Han Tong Juan, 70, remember their ex-boss, Mr Tang, who was found murdered in his flat in Sydney, Australia, on Friday. Mr Tang used to be the owner of the now-defunct Russian restaurant Troika.]

Fri, Mar 19, 2010
The New Paper
By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

THEY ran a Russian restaurant so popular, you had to book well in advance for a table. Mr Tang Ching Yung, 98, and his wife Clara, 92, were restaurateurs who ran the now defunct Russian restaurant Troika.

It first opened in Bras Basah Road in 1963 and became an overnight success.

The restaurant was very popular with British army personnel stationed here in the early 1960s. From then on, the clientele was made up of mostly Singaporeans and American sailors who loved the fancy, fine-dining experience.

Here, the rich and famous mingled over Russian dishes like borscht and shashlik.

The business ran until 1983 when Mr Tang sold it, complaining that at 71, he was too old to manage the restaurant.

In 1983, they moved to Australia. Their last home was an exclusive district in Sydney. But now Mrs Tang has been charged with her husband's murder. He was found on Friday night with head injuries. His wife is believed to be suffering from dementia.

Former employees described the pair as a loving couple.

Mr Tang was like a father-figure to staff, said a former employee Mr Tan Boon Thye, 59.

Several former employees of Mr Tang's had pooled their money together to open Shashlik, a Russian restaurant in Far East Shopping Centre, after Troika closed down.

Mr Tan said that Mr Tang and his wife would often have their lunches and dinners at Troika.

He was a gracious man, said Mr Tan.

The now defunct Russian restaurant Troika

Customers always first

"When he was having his dinner, he would give up his table when he saw more customers coming into the restaurant for their evening meals," added Mr Tan. "He didn't need to do that but he believed that the customer always comes first."

The couple used to live at Cairnhill Mansion where Mr Tan would occasionally fix Mr Tang's lightbulbs in his home.

Mr Tan added: "Like any normal couple, they had their arguments... But they were usually over small things.

"His wife would complain that she did not like to eat a particular dish or she would tell her husband not to eat too much of a certain dish because of his health."

Another of their former employees Mr Han Tong Juan, 70, found it hard to accept the news when interviewed last night at Shashlik.

He said Mr Tang and his wife made a "nice couple".

But when it came to work, Mrs Tang was strictly business.

Mr Han said: "He (Mr Tang) was easy-going. His wife was a little fierce and paid a lot of attention to details, which kept most of the staff on their toes whenever she was around."

Mr Han first worked at Troika when he was 24, and like some of Mr Tang's former employees, stayed in the business and remained close to him even after they moved to Australia.

Former staff didn't want the legacy of their famous Russian fare to die out.

So when Troika went out of business in 1985, the staff pooled money together and opened Shashlik in 1986.

Mr Tan, who was originally hired by Mr Tang as a clerk, said: "He (Mr Tang) was like a grandfather to many of us who used to work for him (at Troika).

"The 12 staff members (at Shashlik), who knew Mr Tang, are surprised that his wife has become the suspect. Nothing in the past would suggest Mrs Tang would be capable of such a thing."

When Mr Han first heard the news, he thought his ex-employer's death was due to an attempted robbery.

Other than a daughter, Mr Tan said he was not aware that the couple had other children or relatives in Singapore.

Sadly, the daughter died of cancer in 1985 after the family moved to Australia, said Mr Tan.

From then on, it was Mr Tang's two grandchildren who looked after the couple.

But Mr Tang still kept in touch with his friends in Singapore.

Whenever he visited China or Hong Kong, Mr Tang would make it a point to stop over in Singapore.

His wife would accompany him on his annual visits here starting from 1988.

Said Mr Tan: "Even in their 80s, they were still travelling on their own. They had more energy than your average senior citizens."

Mr Tang, who was a graduate of St John's University in Shanghai, China, would return to Shanghai to attend his university's alumni gatherings.

However, in the last 10 years, Mr Tang stopped visiting Singapore. But he kept in touch with Mr Tan through letters and telephone calls.

More recently, Mr Tang preferred to write letters because his hearing was deteriorating, said Mr Tan.

The last time he spoke to Mr Tang was in January this year. Mr Tang had requested his former employee to buy medicated ointment for him.

He sounded fine, and there was no hint that anything was amiss with Mr Tang's 70-year marriage, Mr Tan said.

In the years after leaving Singapore, Mr Tang would confide in Mr Tan and disclose some of the regrets he had.

Said Mr Tan: "His (Mr Tang's) biggest regret was that he could not hold on to Troika any longer. He had to sell his business because he felt that his age was catching up with him."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr Tang found with head injuries

THE Australian police found Mr Tang's body in his flat after relatives had contacted them last Friday night (Sydney local time 9.40pm).
The victim was found with head injuries. Police then arrested Mrs Tang, who apparently suffers from dementia, said Mr George Tsoi, a family friend quoted in The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Tsoi described Mrs Tang as a "very, very gentle person who loved her husband very much" and "wouldn't hurt a chicken".
Mr Tsoi first learnt a week ago that Mrs Tang had been suffering from dementia when she went missing from home.
Later, she had tried to check into a hotel using her bank card.
Mr Tsoi added that the couple's granddaughter took her home to stay with her for the weekend.
She then sent Mrs Tang home last Monday, Mr Tsoi told reporters.
Earlier on the night of the murder, Mrs Tang had asked Mr Tsoi to help look for a retirement village for the couple.
Mrs Tang is now in police custody. Her lawyer is trying to get her hospitalised.
He told reporters that "she has serious medical problems and is in a poor and confused state".

[email protected]

 

[HTOLAS]

Actually, I don't think The Exorcist was more tame compared to today's fare. The nature of the fear it evokes is different. I re-watched it about two years back and was as scared as ever.

The Exorcist is more complex than most horror films today. There was the usual shock and gore, i.e. green bile and head turning, but there was also constant attack on the underpinning Christian notion of redemption, e.g. masturbating with crucifix; and the safety of the home.

The portrayal of Father Damian's own doubts about his faith was also worthy of a Graham Greene novel. And his final redemption occurs only with his death. This very physical portrayal of the fight between good and evil must have won over many Asian movie fans too.

But for me the most scary thing about The Exorcist was the fact that the nasties happen to an ordinary household, and an innocent looking Regan (Linda Blair). It gets even scarier when we realise that ordinary is not nice, e.g. Regan's mother's nasty phone call to her father, etc.

So many (including sceptics) began to wonder if there is safety in faith or deed.

That was what sets The Exorcist apart from the rest, including most of today's horror movies. One other slightly later film that was scary like hell was The Changeling (George C Scott) and that didn't even show mush gore, unless you were afraid of a wooden wheel chair at the top of a staricase, which I was, by the end of that movie.

Was Martin effeminate at that time?...The Excorcist is tame now, if you compare it with all movies out today...but I remembered the ambulance & news of people fainting....

Saw both the censored ( heavily) & uncensored version...

Was The Ship at Shaw House?, I thought they were at Robinson Rd?, they closed for many years..and recently I saw their advertisement..

There is The Ship at Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur for many years..never tried it..though I have beeen up there often...

 

[postnew]

Victim was a cultured gentleman
ALICIA WOOD
March 21, 2010

Tragic story … husband and wife Ching Yung and Clara Tang.

AN ELDERLY man whose 91-year-old wife has been charged with his murder was highly educated and cultured, a friend has said.

Ching Yung Tang, 98, and his wife, Clara, had left China before the country fell to Mao Zedong in 1949 and settled in Singapore, where they opened six restaurants.

Mr Tang graduated with an economics degree from Shanghai University in 1939, and was described as a talented soccer player and president of the student association by fellow alumnus Lee Tsi Chen.

''He was a most respected gentleman; a man of great culture,'' Mr Chen said.
Their niece, Jackie Wong, said the couple moved to Sydney more than a decade ago.
Their only daughter died of cancer about 20 years ago, and the elderly couple was visited often by their granddaughter, who helped care for them.
Mr Chen visited them at their apartment in the Connaught building three weeks ago, when Mr Tang was nursing injuries from a fall in the bath.
''[Mrs Tang] was so loving; when I saw him that last time she was touching him like a baby son. She always had one hand holding her husband's hand, or around his shoulder,'' Mr Chen said.
On that visit, Mr Tang showed Mr Chen a Chinese painting of his ancestor, a high-ranking official in the Qing dynasty.
Mr Chen said the Shanghai University Alumni Association in Sydney was in shock that Mrs Tang was charged with her husband's murder.
The couple hosted a Christmas dinner for the association each year, and spared no expense. ''They were a model couple. It is a tragic story; she has lost her lifetime companion,'' Mr Chen said. He is worried about Mrs Tang's condition, as she cannot speak English and was reliant on her husband of 70 years.
Mrs Tang was granted conditional bail on Friday and taken from Central Local Court to St Vincent's Hospital.
Magistrate Kevin Flack was told in Parramatta Bail Court on March 13 that Mrs Tang has severe dementia.
Surry Hills police went to the Tangs' apartment in the Connaught building in Liverpool Street on March 12 after receiving a phone call from a relative who was concerned for their welfare.
Mr Tang was found dead and Mrs Tang, allegedly wearing bloodstained clothes, was arrested.

WHO'S WHO OF A HIGH-RISE

THE Connaught has been home to a long list of identities, some famous, others infamous.
It opened in 1984 as the first high-rise apartment block in Sydney with a 24-hour concierge service. Singers Michael Hutchence and Kylie Minogue lived there, as did film critic Margaret Pomeranz, TV presenter Richard Wilkins, and actor Barry Crocker. In 1985, one of its residents, hitman Christopher Dale Flannery mysteriously disappeared.
Tony Byrne was living there in 1995 when he got the news his daughter, model Caroline Byrne, was found dead at the bottom of The Gap.
The same year, Shari-Lea Hitchcock met now-late billionaire Richard Pratt, becoming his mistress in the Connaught.

In 2003, building manager Kerry Killorn was dismissed after allegedly telling media that journalist Jana Wendt lived there.

 

[postnew]

Tears ... family friend George Tsoi.
Picture: Tracee Lea
Source: The Daily Telegraph
By Larissa Cummings / The Daily Telegraph / March 15, 2010

The couple's good friend, George Tsoi, told reporters outside Central Local Court, where Tang was due to appear this morning, she was not a violent woman and was "a lady's lady".
" She is 100 per cent love Mr Tang. Even go out, look after Mr Tang. Hold hands with Mr Tang,'' Mr Tsoi said.
"She is a lady... She won't be able, if I give her a chicken, to help me to kill.''
Mr Tsoi, who met the couple through their Shanghai university alumni club in Sydney, said he thought of them like "parents".
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Earlier on Friday night, he said Mrs Tang asked him to help them look for a retirement village.
"She said, `George come, I don't think we can live in the Connaught any more. Can you help us to find a retirement village?'," he said.
"I said, 'It's Friday night, can you give me a couple of days. I will find something suitable for you'."
Mr Tsoi broke down in tears describing his old friends.
"You won't find any other couple better than this couple,'' he said.
Although both were "fragile", Mr Tsoi said he first knew Mrs Tang had dementia was a week ago when she went missing from home and used her bank card to check into a hotel.
He said the couple's grandaughter took her home to stay with her family for the weekend and then dropped her back with Mr Tang last Monday.
"Why did she suddenly walk away? Because of snap. Some reason of the snap,'' he said.
"I feel very, very sorrowful to Mrs Tang. She never lived alone by herself...She never go anywhere without Mr Tang. They were so lovely couple.
"She is a decent, good, very, very good lady."
Mr Tsoi said the Tangs, who migrated to Sydney from Singapore, are both from "good families" well known in Shanghai and Singapore.
He said Mr Tang was a senior elder at St John's University and was the first general manager of the Park Hotel in Shanghai.
When they moved to Singapore, they established six successful restaurants, he said.
Mrs Tang's court appearance has been adjourned until tomorrow.

 

[postnew]

U got hold his hand during the scaring parts or not?

hello, I am not gay.

 

[Papsmearer]

I was an OJT then and remember watching these shows in Astro (or Astral) Cinema. All along I thought they borrowed the film from the NZ troops stationed inside there.

They probably rented it from Dhanabalan's hum sup collection.

 

[postnew]

Was The Ship at Shaw House?, I thought they were at Robinson Rd?, they closed for many years..and recently I saw their advertisement..

There is The Ship at Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur for many years..never tried it..though I have beeen up there often...

after some checks.. yes..

The restaurant: The Ship Restaurant & Bar (#04-34/36 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Rd., 6235-2235). Established in 1989.
The history: Started as a motel in Malaysia in the early ‘60s by director John Wang’s sailor father, it slowly moved into F&B over time. The Ship opened here on Robinson Road in the ‘70s, moved to Bukit Timah Shopping Centre in 1986 and finally to its present location in 1989.
The vibe: The wood-paneling, twinkling blue lights, cozy red leather booth seats, antiquated gas lights, red-and-white ship floats and, of course, a huge wooden ship’s steering wheel in the middle of the restaurant is delightfully cheesy.

 

[lee6100]

after some checks.. yes..

The restaurant: The Ship Restaurant & Bar (#04-34/36 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Rd., 6235-2235). Established in 1989.
The history: Started as a motel in Malaysia in the early ‘60s by director John Wang’s sailor father, it slowly moved into F&B over time. The Ship opened here on Robinson Road in the ‘70s, moved to Bukit Timah Shopping Centre in 1986 and finally to its present location in 1989.
The vibe: The wood-paneling, twinkling blue lights, cozy red leather booth seats, antiquated gas lights, red-and-white ship floats and, of course, a huge wooden ship’s steering wheel in the middle of the restaurant is delightfully cheesy.

Yes, I remember having a Bomb Alaska dessert at their BTSC outlet around 1987.

 

[johnny333]

To the right or back entrance of Lido, was a cafe, that sells very good western food & pizza...

Probably the Copper Kettle, as I remember they had nice pizza,

 

[johnny333]

It's always nice to read about what happened to ex-Sporeans, even if its tragic.

Never understood why Troika which was a sucessful restaurant closed down.

[Above: Mr Tan Boon Thye (right), 59, with Mr Han Tong Juan, 70, remember their ex-boss, Mr Tang, who was found murdered in his flat in Sydney, Australia, on Friday. Mr Tang used to be the owner of the now-defunct Russian restaurant Troika.]

 

[johnny333]

There is The Ship at Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur for many years..never tried it..though I have beeen up there often...

The place with those cannons outside

I've passed that place but never tried eating there. Looked like a place more for drinking than eating, but if its an old time business must have good food.

 

[johnny333]

Also Gino's A-Go-Go, Barbarella, Pink Pussycat, and the alfresco coffee joint outside Fitzpatrick's - forgot the name. Hope someone can remember.

Are you refering to the Tivoli which was next to Fitzpatick?

I think Barbarella, Pink Pussycat was at the hotel at the Bidford/Orchard Rd junction. There's still a hotel there.

 

[Equalisation]

Three Top Bar also good place to hang out !!

 

[johnny333]

The picture of this building is really old. Back then there was a large parking lot at the back Eventually this building was demolished to make way for the new Shaw centre.

It was demolished around the same time that they were building the Tropicana at the back, now the site of Pacific Plaza.

Initially Lido & Shaw Centre were separate but they demolished the old theatre & replaced it with an annex to Shaw Centre

Ship Restaurant here already? those days silver spoon , hans (western food coffee house) run by hainanese.
Dine there in the 80's with gf, but did'nt marry her.

 

[moolightaffairs]

I also remember a Kelong converted into a seafood restaurant somewhere in Ponggol. You had to take a boat to reach the restaurant.

Looking back now, I can appreciate that these were very novel experiences

You kidding with KUSU month....the place will be jammed packed with devotees, mostly the ah sors, the ah ma's the....Queuing up at the metal barriades...it will be hot, noisy...and when the day wear on...plus those returning from Kusu with the joss sticks, still lighted in their hands..add sweaty, smokey...I avoid Clifford Pier at that month...

It was lovely sitting on the bench facing the sea, getting the sea breeze in your face & hair, with then Cassete Walkman in ear, later CD walkman...it was most relaxing..IT WAS FREE SPACE to walk...

now it is PAy & Pay territory....

anyone remember the real ponggol seafood by the sea? and the seafood restaurant at pulau ubin facing malaysia? i think even tourism board and sia went there to take pic for calendar. i remember having a calendar during that time with the seafood restaurant pic at ubin from sia.

bro halsey, kusu festival we have here is authentically uniquely sinagapore! it even have pilgrims from as far as hong kong and taiwan during that time! pilgrims from malaysia and indonesia needless to say also alot! normal weekdays will have around 10 to 20k. weekends ever hit 100k! you can imagine what kind of impact it has for tourism! i was with the marine police during that time, it was chaotic but fun. that temple is 100 over yrs old, the owner was an old lady who passed away last year. now the son is taking care of the place. sentosa ever tried to take over the temple and even went to court. but the court rule in favour of the owner and the owner got to keep the temple.

 

[lee6100]

Are you refering to the Tivoli which was next to Fitzpatick?

Ah, yes! Tivoli! You've got a great memory!