Hamzah Alsagoff
What a shame. On so many levels. Firstly, we regret that we only discovered the wonderful classic Hainanese legacy soulfood food & beverage offerings at Colonial Club Signatures too late. They've been around for 6 years at Paragon and we had no idea as we realised we've not been there for nearly a year. I mean the food as we wonderfully acknowledge, tucking happily satiated and impressed, is not only good but truly authentic. When you name your eatery Colonial Club Signatures I had high expectation. Especially when it passed the truth test of the humble basic chicken rice they offer. Suffice to say my daughter ordered another bowl to go with her classic Hainanese Chicken Rice set. And she — being a digital gen not fully clued in on the colonial era which they abhor — love the food too. For us, who looked for halal options of food we previously could not eat, it is not just a treat and delight but a discovery of flavours not necessarily second nature to us and our staple diet. The other frustration and regret is that just as we were planning to add Colonial Club Signatures to our family's goto list in the heart of Orchard Road the friendly man who was at the till shared that they are due to vacate by the end of the first week of next month in November. He explained that someone else is taking over the hidden gem spot. We suspect part of it is cost as rent hike is not uncommon. Nor is the aggressive bidding some would. Truly what a shame. Such a quiet degustation halal Hainanese soulfood treasure and we really hope it will pop up somewhere else in Singapore. So please support them to the end. Not that they are not filling tables - it was fully patronised - but we're about to lose a good one.