Canteen 398 @ Piccadilly Road

I lament the fact that Singapore is a fast changing society, ever striving for value adds, ever looking to replace the old with the new.

I lament the fact that I can hardly find things now that I can identify my childhood with.

Ok….ok, that’s a little harsh. They do preserve the old and they do it quite well but only if it can blend in with the new and maybe if it makes commercial sense.

Canteen 398 @ Piccadilly Road.

With a name like that, I would have thought that its some Michelin starred restaurant serving up some Jamie Oliver or Heston Blumenthal – inspired nosh.

Boy, how wrong was I.

It could be the last of its kind, kampong styled canteen in Singapore. If this is in Malaysia, Thailand or Indonesia, its no big deal, you see this everywhere. But its in Singapore……

And finding out from him that they have to clear out by Dec 2012 to make way for new buildings, saddens me a little.

Mark, Jimmy, David and I had to see this place before it goes. Mark, you already know, he contributes photos to the blog, Jimmy may self direct some videos and David is a high authority in Hong Kong when it comes to food, will write about him the next time.

This place reeks of the 70s. Aluminium roofs,, stray cats, self made doors, stone tables. Check out the Al Fresco outdoor sitting…… Love it! Trust me, having a Kopi-O (Its black coffee in local lingo) under the trees, avoiding bird droppings from the overhanging trees gives a very “zen” moment.

Mr Toh Ee Cheng the place, he makes the coffee, serves, washes the cups and direct the traffic in the parking lot. The place also has 2 food stalls that serves grandma-styled home cooked taste food.

1st Generation Milo Dinosaur (Name of the chocolaty drink), without whipped cream and without berry sauce. Its a meal on its own….:)

Check out grandma, she’s happy we like her food.

Its just sad that Canteen 398 will be gone in a few months. Grandma says she will probably retire, Mr says he’s here for so long that he has no idea what he’s going to do next, probably also retire to spend more time with his grandchildren.