50 Years Of Restaurant Case Study

50+ YEARS OF COOKING: A SINGAPURA FLAVOUR
For our special SG50 issue, we place the spotlight on old-time foodie favourites as well as some of our well-known local restaurants that have been operating for 50 years and more. Bon apétit or as we say in Singapore, tuck in, lah!

By Wong Casandra

Singapore is known by many names — “The Lion City”, “The Little Red Dot” — but one that harkens back to our rich heritage is “Food Paradise”. Fortunately for us, eclectic cultural influences from our multi-racial immigrant ancestors have made our sunny island a treasure trove of culinary delights!

Rendezvous Restaurant Hock Lock Kee (1950s)
Singapore in the roaring ‘50s is perfectly encapsulated by Rendezvous Restaurant Hock Lock Kee’s old-school
Soon, word spread and business flourished. Since then, it has moved twice, from Bedok Beach along Upper East Coast Road to its current place at Marine Parade Central. While the business has since been taken over by their son, the restaurant stays true to their roots by continuing to serve the five speciality dishes they were originally known for back in the old days, including black sauce prawns, fried baby squids, Teochew-style steamed fish and cockles with chilli. Block 89, Marine Parade Central, #06-750, (S) 440089;
Part of the Jalan Besar Community Trail, the restaurant has retained a nostalgic old-school charm that’s popular with the local crowd, tourists and even celebrities alike. Its operating hours (6pm to 6am), unusual for a dim sum eatery, mean that there is always a crowd at all five units of its shophouses any time of the day or night. For those looking for early supper options, they can choose to try their freshly prepared xiao long baos, big paos and Portuguese egg tarts. 191 Jalan Besar Road, (S) 208882;