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Bye to famous restaurant
By Carolyn Quek
THE economic crisis has sunk another victim. Well-known Cantonese restaurant Harbour City closed its doors on 23 years of business after serving its last meal on March 31.
Hit by a drop in patronage, the business was no longer viable, said the restaurant's spokesman, who did not want to be named.
The restaurant, known for its sugarless mooncakes and dim sum buffets, had occupied half of the third floor of the PSA Building at Alexandra Road since 1986.
'When we first opened here, customers thought we wouldn't last for six months because this was such an isolated area. But we saw potential in the business and defied all odds,' the spokesman said.
In its heyday during the 1990s, the restaurant also hosted as many as 26 wedding banquets every month.
The restaurant had also seen its share of tough times, having weathered several financial crises over the years.
'Although we lost good money in those years, we survived and persevered,' the spokesman said.
But the current downturn was one battle it just could not overcome. With few diners, it saw regular business grind to a halt.
Shopkeepers in the building said the eatery would usually be packed to the brim with families having their reunion dinners during the Chinese New Year period, with tables even extending out of the restaurant.
But there was no such scene this year.
By Carolyn Quek
THE economic crisis has sunk another victim. Well-known Cantonese restaurant Harbour City closed its doors on 23 years of business after serving its last meal on March 31.
Hit by a drop in patronage, the business was no longer viable, said the restaurant's spokesman, who did not want to be named.
The restaurant, known for its sugarless mooncakes and dim sum buffets, had occupied half of the third floor of the PSA Building at Alexandra Road since 1986.
'When we first opened here, customers thought we wouldn't last for six months because this was such an isolated area. But we saw potential in the business and defied all odds,' the spokesman said.
In its heyday during the 1990s, the restaurant also hosted as many as 26 wedding banquets every month.
The restaurant had also seen its share of tough times, having weathered several financial crises over the years.
'Although we lost good money in those years, we survived and persevered,' the spokesman said.
But the current downturn was one battle it just could not overcome. With few diners, it saw regular business grind to a halt.
Shopkeepers in the building said the eatery would usually be packed to the brim with families having their reunion dinners during the Chinese New Year period, with tables even extending out of the restaurant.
But there was no such scene this year.
