The Adelphi at Coleman Street is a sleepy mall that sees more shopkeepers than customers, most of the time. But come noon, people working in the surrounding areas start streaming in, most of them heading for Tony Cafe, an old school eating house that sells simple and affordable local food.

Before there were food courts and Michelin starred restaurants, food in the shopping centres came mostly from these independent eateries that, often, sit randomly next to boutiques or salons.

As the newer shopping centres no longer have such eateries, and also the fact that some of these old shopping centres are less frequented by people recently, these eateries are quietly fading into history.

Usually found in shopping centres which are at least 30 years old, they are small businesses, owned and operated by individuals like the stalls in hawker centres, yet, they are also big enough to have their own enclosed kitchen and seating areas like a small restaurant.

Although not as widely known like the chain stalls and restaurants in the newer malls, these eateries have a cult following. In fact, some of them have such a big fanbase that their seating areas spillover to the walkways.

This has much to do with their food, which resembles homecooked fare. Tony Café offers Chap Chye Peng (mixed vegetables with rice) comprising of dishes that the lady boss prepares at home. Morning Coffee Cafe at Sultan Plaza whips up braised pig trotters and soy sauce chicken. Doris Tan of Dor’s Nonya Place at International Plaza, offers Penang-style Peranakan food that has been eaten by the her family for generations.

“Coming here to eat is like going home to my mother’s cooking,” says Magaret Lee, a beautician who works in The Adelphi. Another regular of Tony Cafe, Thomas Ong says, “These are food that we can eat everyday and not get tired of.”

The reason these eateries can provide the same emotional satisfaction as homecooked fare is because they are family-run businesses. Even if some no longer helm the kitchen, they run a tight ship to keep the taste and quality consistent.

“We cook like we are cooking for our family. We pull no punches on our sauces, which is what many will do to keep their cost low,” says Larry Gan in Mandarin. Larry, whose father owns Tony Cafe, helps out at the shop.

The food courts that have replaced them in the newer malls, on other hand, are unable to deliver similar sentiments with their food. Professor Chua Beng Huat, a leading cultural studies expert from the National University of Singapore said, “Food culture in shopping malls is getting very boring, with the food courts filled with chain stalls that serve industrially-produced dishes instead of home-made food.”

Quality aside, such eateries also offer a wide variety. At Far East Plaza, Puncak Muslim Food boasts over 70 Chinese halal dishes in their menu. It is one reason why owner Alan Tan has stayed independent despite being courted by food court operators. “At food courts, I may not even get to sell 10 (dishes)! They would fix the number and type of food that I can sell, so that the other tenants can offer the rest,” he says.

These eateries also have flexible menus, offering weekly specials usually known only to regulars. Twice a week, Doris whips up Rickshaw Noodles, a Hokkien stewed yellow noodle that was once a de-rigeur lunch for the rickshaw riders. Tony Café also offers fried chicken rice three times a week, on top of the usual spread of chap chye peng.

Air pollution may be one reason why they have been left out of the newer shopping centres. Smoke from the kitchen tends to travel out of the eatery’s open-space, affecting other tenants.

But even if the new malls had incorporated the old eatery model, the rent would be prohibitive. Furthermore, it is common these days for the developers to peg the rent to the tenant’s profit, making it hard for the small establishments to survive.

On the other hand, old shopping centres are co-owned by individual landlords, whom many of these eateries rent their stalls from. Larry says, “We have a personal relationship with our landlord. He does not anyhow raise our rent and we do our part by paying on time.”

Mr Tan has a similar experience. In the last 20 years, his rent has only increased 20 to 30 per cent, which he thinks is “more than reasonable”.

In turn, such affordable rent has allowed these eateries to keep prices low for consumers, matching coffeeshops and hawker centres, despite being air-conditioned and often located in the city centre.

Yet the future of these eateries is not as rosy as their peers, which are perpetually everywhere due to stronger demand, coupled with government’s policy. Furthermore, many of these stallholders, who have no successor for their businesses, are facing retirement.

Regarding these culinary gems, it doesn’t matter if you are in the know or not, we think they deserve to be visited before fading away in our food culture. .

Look out for our list of fave five old shopping mall eateries in the following day.