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5 Charming Old-School Cafes to Hang Out At
Best Eats5 minutes read
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4227 views
In the years before 7-Eleven and NTUC FairPrice flocked into our neighbourhood and transformed grocery shopping into a seamless experience, our mums and dads had to settle for grungy mama shops. What these shops lacked in organisation, however, they made up for it in character. What was it like for our parents? To find out, we visit these time-frozen cafés that aren’t afraid to heap on the old-school charm.
Old Habits
Photos: Loh Yong Jian
Where:
38 Telok Blangah Rise, #01-315
Open:
Mon | Closed
Tues to Thurs | 11am - 3pm & 6pm - 10pm
Fri to Sat | 11am - 10.30pm
Sun | 11am - 9pm
The brainchild of husband-and-wife team Don and Selena, both 34, this quaint hangout tucked in the sleepy estate of Telok Blangah is a showcase for the couple’s growing collection of vintage knick-knacks. Among the curios: a coin-operated payphone, a Hao Gong Min (Good Citizen) textbook and Nintendo Game Boy Advance devices. These items, which Don says are amassed over the past 8 years, hug a cosy dining space teeming with restored furniture. Sweet.
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Get that look! Smitten with Don’s and Selena’s collection? If you ask nicely, the couple will let you take home a piece of heritage for a small sum. |
Tian Kee & Co.
Photos: Loh Yong Jian
Where:
12 Dakota Crescent, #01-48
Open:
Mon | Closed
Tues to Thurs | 10am - 10pm
Fri | 10am - 11pm
Sat | 9am - 11pm
Sun | 9am - 10pm
A trend bucker in every sense of the word, owner Vincent pounced on this idyllic space at the foot of a two-storey building when he learnt that the provision shop which had been occupying the spot for the last 54 years was moving out. He left the aging look largely untouched, only interrupting it with naked lamps, which add to the gritty vibe. Extra brownie points for a disused wire rack given a new lease of life as a no-frills condiment station.
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Take it or leave it! In 2014, the HDB earmarked Dakota Crescent for redevelopment. Residents and tenants were issued an ultimatum to vacate the estate by the end of 2016. A staff member tells us that the café is still looking for a new place to call home. Here’s hoping that they will stay true to their roots and unearth another spot as bucolic as this! |
My Awesome Café
Photos: My Awesome Cafe
Where:
202 Telok Ayer Street
Open:
Daily | 9.30am - 12 mn
Burly Frenchman Franck Hardy, who used to work in the hotel industry, decided to take up this space formerly occupied by a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic after he was introduced to it by his friends. Ironically, the antique look here wasn’t part of his original plans. A meeting with the landlord and the URA, however, swayed him. The result is a café that’s all about giving “second chances” to items, including an old medicine box that’s been remodelled into a cutlery cabinet and pipes that are now table legs.
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Same same but different – and gone!? The Dispensary, located at Tiong Bahru, also took over a space of a TCM hall. It was every part as charming as it looked. Unfortunately, the café has quietly disappeared from the scene. The loss of an icon? |
Old School Delights
Where:
215M Upper Thomson Road
Open:
Mon | Closed
Tues to Fri | 11.30am - 10.30pm
Sat to Sun | 11am - 10.30pm
Barely minutes into our visit, we were already enamoured with the ceiling-high chalkboards splashed with the café’s fuss-free menu of local fare such as Chicken Macaroni Soup, Kueh Pie Tie and Chendol. We also appreciate a cheeky ‘Top 10 List’ emblazoned across one side of the space, which had our memories back-pedalling to the days where movie tickets cost $3.50. Indeed, the aim was to create an ambience evocative of the yesteryear, which the frugal layout also does well to protect.
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Playing is believing! Remember Five Stones or the Happy Family card game or … you know, the game where you try to top your friends’ country-flag erasers with your own? These classic games and more are available for loan, so you can relive your childhood in full! |
Kombi Rocks
Where:
66 Yio Chu Kang Road
Open:
Daily | 12nn - 11pm
Founder Lim Tiam Hai, a self-professed collector of ‘rare’ items, got his hands on his first Volkswagen Kombi minivan over 30 years ago. Today, his garage has mushroomed into a contingent of eight such classic rides, all restored to roadworthiness and parked outside the café (when they aren’t rented for events and weddings). Inside, Lim, who took over the premises of the zi char restaurant his father ran, keeps the nostalgia-tinged tiles while sweetening the dated décor with 60’s memorabilia aplenty.
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Time travel Why settle for a snapshot of the Kombi when you can ride in it – and eat your food too? Request for a chauffeur to whisk you away on a 30 to 40 mins-long joyride in a Kombi. For an additional cost, the café also offers in-vehicle dining. |
Know of any cool places to hang out at or good food in your neighbourhood? Let us know in the Comments section below or head over to our forum to share your finds!
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