Back in Time - The Colbar

Had been hearing about the Colonial Bar and has been wanting to go there. AND SO Moi finally went there...Why so much buzz and stir about this little rundown eatery which serves pretty basic local western and chinese food like chicken and pork chops, fish and chips, curries etc?



The Colonial bar, abbreviated Colbar came a looooooooong way. It was opened in 1953 as a canteen for British military personnel of nearby army barracks. After the British left, expatriates and locals continued to patronise the eatery, as much for the food as for its laidback and bygone ambience.

It was closed down in 2003 to make way for a new road, but after a successful petition by regulars initiated by JTC, the original bar was moved, brick by brick (minus the asbestos roof), to its present location in Whitchurch Road, just 5 minutes' walk away from its previous location. AMAZING, right?

I visited the Colbar with much anticipation and I was not a bit disappointed. In fact, I like it so much that I want to come back again purely for nostalgia feeling. Upon entering Colbar, I felt myself behind transformed back in time. Time seems to be locked in this little restaurant... laidback, peaceful, quiet and slow.

The interior is painted blue and cream and the walls are adorned with old posters and photos of English football clubs and military regiments. The table found inside the rooms are those of olden days with those wooden like folding chairs scattered about. The tables are not botled to the floor and one can step in and rearrange as to where you want to sit. I noticed that most people prefer to eat outside and they are free to carry a table outside, place it in the grass, or the open balcony for their meal.

Inside there is no air conditioning, only ceiling fans, and hot air escapes via the old style grills located where the ceiling meets the walls, a feature common in most colonial-era buildings. To add on the nostalgia, at the entrance of Colbar is a very old weighing scale which seems to be some kind of mascot of Colbar together with this old, old tv set.



The service - no-frills but fairly efficient and polite. After checking through the menu and deciding your food, you will need to go to the cashier counter to order and make payments. Twinny's dearie got a little thrill to find that Colbar offers Sinalco which is the oldest softdrink brand in Europe and hardly served in Singapore now.

But the double surprise for Moi was to discover that Uncle Giant is working at Colbar. I was so excited when I saw him. Hahahahahaha! And of course I am so proud of him too. I know in family hearts, Grandfather and Uncle Giant will and always be the World Best Chef. ^_-) And that's also the reason why Mummy dearest got such wonderful culinary genes.

So we ordered .....

In clockwise starting Top left corner : (1) Menu (2) Pork Chop (3) Pork Cutlet and Mushroom (4) Steak (5) Beef Curry (6) Egg Curry

The western food is nothing to really shout about but the curries are nice. I tried their vegetable curry and the taste was really great, not too spicy, not too sweet, just nice. The food is reasonable though not hawker centre price, more skew towards family restaurant price but the ambience and the nostalgia feeling - Priceless.

The Colbar
9A Whitchurch Road,
off Portsdown Road
Tel: 6779 4859

Opening hours
Tues-Sat, 11am-10pm (last order 8:30pm)
Closes on Mondays

Getting there - From the City center take the 14, 97, 166, 521 buses to the Normanton Park bus stop. From there walk across the bridge crossing the Ayer Rajah Expressway, walk along the edge of the soccer fields and archery field and you will find yourself at the corner of Jalan Hang Jebat and Portsdown Road. Turn right at that corner and the Colbar will be the first establishment on the left.