29 Jul 2007, ST
Hotel Phoenix is closing, but there's hope its signature food will return
By Boon Chan
THE Phoenix Garden Cafe is the only place that Mrs Tan Set Yun goes to for roti prata. She describes the prata as 'nice and crisp, not so oily, nice size, not too big'.
But the cafe, located in the basement of Hotel Phoenix, will be shut down from Wednesday, and the 66-year-old will just have to 'survive without it', she says.
The 392-room hotel, which sits in the heart of the Orchard Road area, will be closing down after 35 years.
Owner OCBC Bank has said that 'major refurbishment' of the hotel and the adjoining Specialists' Shopping Centre is in the pipeline.
Roti prata, the cafe's signature dish, has been offered in its lunch and dinner buffets for 11 years. About 1,300 pratas are served on weekdays and over 2,000 on weekends.
Back in 1996, it was voted as one of the top five items in the My Favourite Dish poll in the Singapore Food Festival. The buffet, at $24.80+++ per person for weekday lunch, also offers other local dishes like chicken rice, laksa and mee siam.
The hotel's general manager Noel Hawkes, 54, says that the original idea for the buffet was 'to bring hawkers into the hotel' so that tourists could have a taste of local fare in comfortable surroundings. But it turned out to be a hit among Singaporeans too, with them making up 80 per cent of the clientele.
Executive chef Andy Yeo, 41, who has been with the hotel for 61/2 years, says the secret to its roti prata lies in how the prata goes very well with the curry, which is made from an inhouse recipe that's more than 10 years old.
After the cafe closes, chef Yeo says he will be taking a break overseas but intends to continue working in the hotel industry.
He might continue to serve roti prata, 'depending on the hotel, and if there is demand', he adds.
Also drawing its shutters for good is the hotel's wildly popular takeaway counter, The Food Shop, which offers pastries, sandwiches and cakes at 40 per cent discount from 6pm to 7pm daily.
Gone will be the cheesecake, kueh lapis, chicken pie, chocolate truffle cake as well as its most popular item, the plain sugar doughnut ($1.40), of which 200 pieces are sold each day.
Office administrator Christina Chan, 40, who is a fan of the cheesecake, laments that after the shop closes, she might be able to find something similar, 'but not at the same price'.
Pastry chef Simon Tan, 46, says most of the pastry items are made inhouse, while others like the famous ang ku kueh and other nonya kueh are supplied by a vendor.
So fans of the various kueh can still find them at the original bakery, Borobudur Nonya Delights, in Block 537, Bedok North Street 3.
As for the future, chef Tan is exploring job opportunities at a few hotels, even the possibility of opening his own cafe. If the latter materialises, he promises to offer the same kueh lapis and durian cake, along with some of his newer creations, like healthier low-fat pastries.
Phoenix Hotel might be closing down, but there's hope that its signature dishes will resurface.
Hotel Phoenix is closing, but there's hope its signature food will return
By Boon Chan
THE Phoenix Garden Cafe is the only place that Mrs Tan Set Yun goes to for roti prata. She describes the prata as 'nice and crisp, not so oily, nice size, not too big'.
But the cafe, located in the basement of Hotel Phoenix, will be shut down from Wednesday, and the 66-year-old will just have to 'survive without it', she says.
The 392-room hotel, which sits in the heart of the Orchard Road area, will be closing down after 35 years.
Owner OCBC Bank has said that 'major refurbishment' of the hotel and the adjoining Specialists' Shopping Centre is in the pipeline.
Roti prata, the cafe's signature dish, has been offered in its lunch and dinner buffets for 11 years. About 1,300 pratas are served on weekdays and over 2,000 on weekends.
Back in 1996, it was voted as one of the top five items in the My Favourite Dish poll in the Singapore Food Festival. The buffet, at $24.80+++ per person for weekday lunch, also offers other local dishes like chicken rice, laksa and mee siam.
The hotel's general manager Noel Hawkes, 54, says that the original idea for the buffet was 'to bring hawkers into the hotel' so that tourists could have a taste of local fare in comfortable surroundings. But it turned out to be a hit among Singaporeans too, with them making up 80 per cent of the clientele.
Executive chef Andy Yeo, 41, who has been with the hotel for 61/2 years, says the secret to its roti prata lies in how the prata goes very well with the curry, which is made from an inhouse recipe that's more than 10 years old.
After the cafe closes, chef Yeo says he will be taking a break overseas but intends to continue working in the hotel industry.
He might continue to serve roti prata, 'depending on the hotel, and if there is demand', he adds.
Also drawing its shutters for good is the hotel's wildly popular takeaway counter, The Food Shop, which offers pastries, sandwiches and cakes at 40 per cent discount from 6pm to 7pm daily.
Gone will be the cheesecake, kueh lapis, chicken pie, chocolate truffle cake as well as its most popular item, the plain sugar doughnut ($1.40), of which 200 pieces are sold each day.
Office administrator Christina Chan, 40, who is a fan of the cheesecake, laments that after the shop closes, she might be able to find something similar, 'but not at the same price'.
Pastry chef Simon Tan, 46, says most of the pastry items are made inhouse, while others like the famous ang ku kueh and other nonya kueh are supplied by a vendor.
So fans of the various kueh can still find them at the original bakery, Borobudur Nonya Delights, in Block 537, Bedok North Street 3.
As for the future, chef Tan is exploring job opportunities at a few hotels, even the possibility of opening his own cafe. If the latter materialises, he promises to offer the same kueh lapis and durian cake, along with some of his newer creations, like healthier low-fat pastries.
Phoenix Hotel might be closing down, but there's hope that its signature dishes will resurface.
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