Thursday 13 August 2015

Tea trolleys

Red Star Restaurant Outram still
dishes out dim-sum on trolleys
ONE of the few perks I had when I was working as a daily rated temp at the Ministry for National Development, long ago in the 70s, at Maxwell Road, were those trolleys which came around 10am and 4pm each day (if I remember rightly).  I was working on the fifth floor and my friend on the 2nd floor. Sometimes, my friend would join us on the 5th floor when the trolleys came around.

You can take your picks from the trolleys -- fares like curry puffs, kueh-kueh, coffee and tea. Simple fares -- but it meant that staff could take a short break and yak around the trolley. Staff bonding in those days was simple but effective :) It was those trolley sessions where I learnt about how one pretty colleague avoided a die-hard admirer by taking long routes home; how one knew her boyfriend and was getting married (she even invited me to her wedding though I was a temp, and a newbie!) You got a feeling of being in a family.

I am not sure whether such trolleys still make their rounds at work places. (Certainly not at mine!) But I know for sure you can still find them loaded with dim-sum, at Red Star Restaurant at Outram (Chin See Road, near Manhattan House). This restaurant was founded by the "four heavenly kings" (in cuisine), one of them being Lau Yoke Pui who had passed away. They are probably among the very few which still have such trolleys.

I give five stars for such trolleys of joy.

5 comments:

streetsing said...

Yes I vaguely recalled eating at this resturant with my sis and bro-in-law. Is the outram road branch still there? Trolley get together are mostly replaced by watercooler ones. I enjoyed the coffe breaks at the canteen though :)

Lo Tien Yin said...

Oh yes, the Outram Road branch is still there (Chin Swee Rd). I didn't know it has another branch? Cooler get together is not very cool :) Before smoking was banned in the workplace,the smokers used to gather round the cooler to smoke.

streetsing said...

I think they do not hv another branch, there is a eatery at Chinatown square ...the waiters and waitresses dressed in Mao attire, momentarily I sort of linked up "Hung Sing" with this place. Once when the cancer stick was not banned at working places, many were smoking liked a chimney, certainly its not cool. Breathed in second hand smoke for years :(

Lo Tien Yin said...

Does the other restaurant at China Square serve dim sun too? :) Haven't been there before.

streetsing said...

That was many years ago, have not patronize the restaurant, only walked pass when I was working in the area, don't know whether it still exist either:)