Old-School Coffee House On Beach Road Affected By Covid-19 Downturn, S’poreans Urged To Support Them

43-Year-Old Prince Coffee House Is A Traditional Hainanese Eatery Owned By Warm & Friendly Uncle

A few small local businesses have managed to withstand many trials and the test of time to serve Singaporeans for decades.

However, Covid-19 is proving to be an extra tough obstacle, as some are struggling to avoid the challenges posed by the ‘Circuit Breaker’ period.

On Wednesday (10 June), a netizen shared the predicament of the 43-year-old Prince Coffee House managed by the elderly Uncle Lim.

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Locals encouraged to patronise Prince Coffee House

Upon learning that the business is struggling, he encouraged locals to patronise the cafe in a Facebook post. 

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Here’s the story of one of Singapore’s traditional coffee houses, and how you can help it.

Name inspired by a cinema

Prince Coffee House is best known for its Hainanese western food. Its name is inspired by the now-defunct Prince Cinema — formerly located at the nearby Shaw Towers.

Uncle Lim – the current owner – used to be the store’s head waiter. He later took over the coffee house and ran the business in Shaw Tower for 13 years.

After that, he moved to Coronation Plaza in Bukit Timah for 21 years.

For the past decade, the eatery has been located at 249 Beach Road, opposite the Parkroyal on Beach Road Hotel.

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Cafe affected by Covid-19

During the netizen’s recent trip to Prince Coffee House, he learnt that the cafe was badly affected by the restrictions due to Covid-19, including the banning of dine-in customers.

However, he said Uncle Lim’s passion for serving his customers remained undiminished.

A very warm and friendly fatherly figure, he welcomes customers warmly, especially those that speak Hainanese.

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Signature items include chicken pie & oxtail stew

To help out the Uncle Lim, the netizen encouraged locals to support his bestselling chicken pie and oxtail stew

Their chicken pie consists of a flaky pastry filled with chunky pieces of potato cubes and bits of carrots. It can bring back warm childhood memories for fans of traditional Hainanese style food.

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The oxtail is marinated, deep-fried then slowly roasted in the oven for 4 hours.

They say good things take time, and you’ll surely believe it after tasting the succulent meat and juicy fats.

Those who love saucy dishes can dip the meat in the rich brown gravy, and munch on the boiled potatoes and blanched vegetables on the side.

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Besides these 2 signature dishes, the establishment also sells local favourites like beef hor fun and yam cake, as well as Western food like fish and chips, chicken chop, and cakes that you can easily dabao home and enjoy with your family.

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How you can help

The Prince Coffee House is an 8-minute walk from Bugis MRT station, near the hole-in-the-wall boutiques and bars of Haji Lane.

Here’s the eatery’s precise location:
Address: 249 Beach Rd, #01-249, Singapore 189757
Opening Hours: 11am to 9.30pm daily
Contact Number: +65 6468 2088

Locals planning to visit the area should consider stopping by for Uncle Lim’s traditional dishes.

Many local businesses and restaurants are struggling during this time, so try to do your part by supporting them. By working together, we can help one another survive.

Featured images adapted from Makansutra and Facebook.