Situated in a shophouse along Beach Road and a stone’s throw from Arab Street is Prince Coffee House, a throwback to the 1970s with a menu of both Western and local Chinese dishes.
In the past, there was a strong connection between the Hainanese in Singapore and the British army, hence leading to the rise of many Hainanese Western restaurants. Places such as The Ship, Mariners’ Corner and ColBar are some of these establishment that survive to this day. Another old school place which serves up Hainanese Western food is Prince Coffee House.
We paid a visit for lunch and made our way into the narrow shophouse. The tables had red chequered settings, a hallmark of many old school Hainanese eateries.
Hainanese Western at Beach Road
While Prince Coffee House has some Western dishes that you’d expect, like Fish and Chips and Grilled Pork Chop, on the menu, it also has a decent selection of Chinese dishes on the menu. In fact, the number of Western dishes pales in comparison to the Chinese dishes.
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Prices range start from $8.50 for single-dish meals like Fried Beef Hor Fun, Hainanese Pork Chop with Rice, and Fried Rice.
The main entree selection on the menue included Grilled Pork Chop, Trio Lamb Chop, Grilled Chicken Chop and Fried Fish & Chips. These are between $15 to $16. The Grilled Tenderloin Steak is $32 and so is the Prince’s Special Ox-Tail Stew.
We had the Chicken Curry Rice ($8.50), Grilled Pork Chop ($15) and an a la carte order of the Hainanese Pork Chop.
We also had a Set Lunch (available between 11 am to 2 pm) and the menu items for the day was Chicken Cutlet.
The entree items can be “topped up” to a set with soup, drink and dessert for $4.
The food isn’t bad. In fact, the Hainanese Pork Chop, which came on a pile of fries and covered with tomato sauce and onions, was quite tender and crisp on the outside. The Grilled Pork Chop was a decent sized portion and juicy too.
However, perhaps the main draw of Prince Coffee House was the chance to step into an old school, nostalgic establishment, which looks like it hasn’t changed all that much for several decades, for a bite. And that is what Prince Coffee House is.
Prince Coffee House
Where: 249 Beach Rd, #01-249, Singapore 189757
For a selection of other Hainanese western food, you can check out The Ship (especially its Chicken Maryland) and Mariners’ Corner.
