Food Outlets Past And Present

[postnew]

My, my, nostalgia is the best ointment for the soul .... like that also 4 pages leow.

Nostalgia - no controversy right , nobody need to kpkb ok ....

I reckon bros like kingrant, johnny333 & halsey02 must be beyond their 50s.

Alhambra is beofre me, but Jubilee lower down the road opposite Odeon, I have impression - showing chinese films in an old colonial pu-ka-lau building.

Now of course, all gone & to commemorate the site, the Raffles Hotel Comlpex name one of its performance halls as 'Jubilee' Hall.

Lower down North Bridge road, the giant National 'N' Neon lights adorn the Bata Building .....

Funan Centre itself was born in the early 80s & undergone at least 3 major renovation & facelift. Remember when Sim Wong Hoo was starting out at Funan, the 6th Floor was where the non-aircon food centre was ....

Connected by overhead bridge to the Hock Lam Hawker Centre next to Central Fire Station .... good food galore....

That pix from Sam showing the night hawker centre opp Cold Storage, notice the only tall longish building in the foreground ?

The Hotal Grand Central is a bloody old old building that lasted to this day, behind the Meridien....

The Old Lido Cinema and the Ship restaurant inside ..... so cosy, atmosphere cannot replicate....

Beach Rd seafood hawker stalls are the best.... went as a kid, now memory foggy, remember it is behind & within the backlanes & an open-air enclosure, like Kingrant mentioned, wide open display of cuttlefish & seafood choices, kerosene lamps, steamboat fumes ..... lovely .... leading me to remember the other seafood nostalgia, those Upp East Coast seafood houses.... Kheng Luck was by the sea, double storey balcony, toilet must go out the long jetty, shit into the open sea below .....

 

[johnny333]

. And yes, SAC girls were great, many were eurasians and much more fun than RGS girls. ALthough, I have to admit the sluttiest school girl I knew was an RGS girl. LOL. Any way, KC girls are for me.

On the left of the picture, if you walk further along the same side of the street as Capitol, there was a row of shop houses with stores such as Seasons Music store, and than end up Peninsula Hotel. Later those shops demolished and a big Bata opened up. That's coleman road.

Which school was SAC?

I remember that at one time it was the CHIJ girls that had a reputation

I can only remember Balbirs Sport store where the current Peninsula Shopping is situated, around where there is now an Airasia office .

 

[johnny333]

It was better under the brits. At least they never took $40 billions and lost it in risky investment. If I recall, much as I like to give credit to the PAP for the destruction of old singapore, Robinsons had a fire and burned down.

I remember that Robinson wanted to rebuild at the same site but the gov't said no to them.

I've seen some of the gov't preservation efforts, buildings are renovated but it then becomes too pricey for the orignal tenants to return :(

 

[johnny333]

Yes, didn't they specialise in Indian rojak? Good stuff there, had lots of good meals there.

It was also cheap. As a student eating at the sarabat stalls was affordable.

I think some of them moved to Farrer Park(opposit the field). Anyone know what happened to the hawkers at Farrer Park? They were forced out when the MRT was being built.

 

[HTOLAS]

St Anthony's Convent.

Which school was SAC?

I remember that at one time it was the CHIJ girls that had a reputation

I can only remember Balbirs Sport store where the current Peninsula Shopping is situated, around where there is now an Airasia office .

 

[HTOLAS]

Farrer Park Food Centre was great. I still don't see why they could not have stayed.

The stall holders have been dispersed. Quite a few went to Cambridge Road Food Centre and the famous No Signboard Chilli Crabs is all over, of course. I'm not sure about the Muslim food stalls though.

It was also cheap. As a student eating at the sarabat stalls was affordable.

I think some of them moved to Farrer Park(opposit the field). Anyone know what happened to the hawkers at Farrer Park? They were forced out when the MRT was being built.

 

[kingrant]

A big fire engulfed Robinsons (can't remember which year). 9 people died. One of them I was acquainted. She was only a young salesgirl there and she went into the elevator to get something for the customer when the power went off due to the fire.

For years the only depatment stores was the long gone Robinsons(at Raffles) and CK Tang(Orchard Rd).


PAP might like to boast about being responsible for modern Spore but they forget the fact that they are also responsible for destroying Spore. Just look at all the parking lots & REITs properties owned by Temasek :(

I've talked to older Sporeans who remember when Spore was under the Brits & they think it was a better under the Brits

 

[postnew]

1972 Nov, Robinson fire.

 

[postnew]

60's Hock Lam Street

 

[postnew]

 

[johnny333]

Farrer Park Food Centre was great. I still don't see why they could not have stayed.

Looks like there's a conspiracy to get rid of cheap & good food :(

I'm also really mad because they closed the Hill St food court(next to the fire station).

Really miss the wanton, kwey tiau, sour plum drink,.. cheap & good

To this day the site is just an empty patch of grass. They took the effort to get rid of the food court & parking lots to replace it with an empty lot Now the only food available in that area is expensive & nothing exceptional.

 

[jw5]

Looks like there's a conspiracy to get rid of cheap & good food :(

I'm also really mad because they closed the Hill St food court(next to the fire station).

Really miss the wanton, kwey tiau, sour plum drink,.. cheap & good

To this day the site is just an empty patch of grass. They took the effort to get rid of the food court & parking lots to replace it with an empty lot Now the only food available in that area is expensive & nothing exceptional.

I wonder where these hawkers went or what they did next.
My guess is that some of them retired, some moved to upmarket food courts or even small coffee shops or restaurants, some moved to other hawker centres.
The ones who "upgraded" would have to charge more in rent and in turn, they would have to raise their prices.
For the ministars, there would be no problem at all, but for the ordinary person, more belt tightening to have the same meal.

 

[xingguy]

Looks like there's a conspiracy to get rid of cheap & good food :(

I'm also really mad because they closed the Hill St food court(next to the fire station).

Really miss the wanton, kwey tiau, sour plum drink,.. cheap & good

To this day the site is just an empty patch of grass. They took the effort to get rid of the food court & parking lots to replace it with an empty lot Now the only food available in that area is expensive & nothing exceptional.

Anybody knows where have the sour plum drink relocated to. Really miss this stall, especially on a hot afternoon. The drink is cheap and good and cold.

 

[ilovechery]

When I visited this hill street food centre back in 1998, the 3rd & 2nd storey food centre were almost empty. Only the 1st storey got stalls selling & they were very popular. I remember ordering the sugarcane juice with lime at the stall facing the road & the bak kut teh inside the food centre. If my memory serves, there was a popular fish ball noodle stall which now moves to Bedok south food centre.

Another place I remincise is the Taman Serasi food centre but the malay satay stalls always never returned change after they served the food...

Looks like there's a conspiracy to get rid of cheap & good food :(

I'm also really mad because they closed the Hill St food court(next to the fire station).

Really miss the wanton, kwey tiau, sour plum drink,.. cheap & good

To this day the site is just an empty patch of grass. They took the effort to get rid of the food court & parking lots to replace it with an empty lot Now the only food available in that area is expensive & nothing exceptional.

 

[johnny333]

I wonder where these hawkers went or what they did next.
.

The char kway teow was featured in one of the food shows. They moved to Bedok.


I like the kway teow but for me Bedok is quite far :(

 

[johnny333]

When I visited this hill street food centre back in 1998, the 3rd & 2nd storey food centre were almost empty. Only the 1st storey got stalls selling & they were very popular. I remember ordering the sugarcane juice with lime at the stall facing the road & the bak kut teh inside the food centre. If my memory serves, there was a popular fish ball noodle stall which now moves to Bedok south food centre.

That area has always been pretty quiet , the only attraction is Funan centre.

I would make visits there specifically for the food

I suspect the authorities killed the Hill St food court to get rid of the cheap competition :( Now that the food court is gone I no longer visit the that area.

 

[jim007jimmyboy]

Orchard Car park ( Next to Specialist Centre) Hawker Centre. Most of the stalls were good and the parking attendant was a cowboy.

Our Saturday night ritual involved a movie at Jurong Drive-in followed by supper at the Orchard carpark. We then proceeded to burn rubber up and down Orchard Road in our race tuned Mini Cooper Ss and BMW 2002tiis. The night ended with coffee at the Chatterbox at about 5 am.

yup i remember this car park hawker center...my uncle used to ask me go tar pow hokkien mee or fried oyster for him

after that i get to keep the change

 

[jim007jimmyboy]

A &W Bukit Timah

also remember this!!!

Tuesday is Coney Dog Day...near my school ACS

 

[krafty]

And yes, SAC girls were great, many were eurasians and much more fun than RGS girls. ALthough, I have to admit the sluttiest school girl I knew was an RGS girl. LOL. Any way, KC girls are for me.

My puppy love was with an SAC girl and lasted for 2 years plus. sigh...still miss those days. Very sweet memories!

I also have a story to tell abt this RGS girl during my time - 14 years of age.
This RGS girl invited my classmate to her house, then my friend came back to class telling us how horny she was and the fingering...ha...ha...

 

[Papsmearer]

I remember that Robinson wanted to rebuild at the same site but the gov't said no to them.

I've seen some of the gov't preservation efforts, buildings are renovated but it then becomes too pricey for the orignal tenants to return :(

Yes, whoever was in charge of urban planning was a real screw up. I remember in Chinatown, they tore down all the old row shophouses that served food, and took over the road at night by placing tables and chairs on the road. There was a famous hum (cockles) store with the chilli and lime on Sago Lane. After tore down, STB and PAP realise the whole place became too sanitised and lost its tourist charms. So, rebuild the old shophouses and simulate the old buildings. They should have just left well alone.