THE iconic Coliseum Café, closed since the movement control order was enforced in mid-March, is set to come back with a bang next year for its 100th anniversary celebration.

For now the restaurant, in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur, remains closed for renovation works to prepare for its centennial.

Shuttered for months now, its patrons have been wondering about the fate if the city’s oldest surviving restaurant.

“We’re definitely not shutting the place down permanently,” said Azrain Azman, marketing manager at the restaurant franchise.

He told The Malaysian Insight most of the original outlet’s workers have been relocated to its branches in Petaling Jaya and the Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur.  

The company has decided to undertake a major makeover to commemorate its 100th year next year, hopefully completed in time for the Merdeka celebrations, said Azrain.

The first floor will be converted into an open bar overlooking the patio, he said. The restaurant itself on the ground floor will be renovated.

“We’re refurbishing the wood panelling and some of the older furniture. We’re going for a modern classic look. It will be both familiar and new,” Azrain said, adding that the heritage building will also undergo structural upgrades.

Located less than a kilometre from the historic Dataran Merdeka, the holdover from the British colonial era has served its signature sizzling steaks to royalty and workmen alike.

It counts among its patrons English writer Somerset Maugham in the 1920s and planters and tin miners in the 1950s.

Even at the height of the communist insurgency, British officers continued to frequent the restaurant bar, known for its trademark “cham”, or “setengah” that was equal parts Guinness Stout and pale lager.

Another colonial favourite was gunner – equal parts gingerbeer and ginger ale.

Its most famous dishes are the tomato sauce-based Hainanese chicken chop and wet-aged steaks, which are a favourite of visiting royals, which recently includes Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak, said branch manager L. Srigannth, who works for now at the Petaling Jaya outlet.

Another famous patron is cartoonist Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat, whose favourite dish was the steak served on a hot plate.

Prime ministers have also dined at the restaurant, including Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who last visited with friends in 2013.

“He had roasted chicken,” Srigannth recalled.

Many of the staff have served at the restaurant for decades and their welfare was assured, said Azrain.

However, some might opt not to return to work next year.

“Whoever returns, their workload may not be as big as before. We are looking into maybe making them brand ambassadors,” he said.

The longest serving staff member at the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman branch is 84-year-old Foo Meng Kai, who lives in a room on the top floor of the building. He is also the building caretaker.

When The Malaysian Insight met him recently, he was in the midst of auctioning off the possessions he had collected during his three decades working with Coliseum Cafe.

“I’ve got my things upstairs,” he said.

Prior to Coliseum Cafe, Foo had worked with his wife at The Merlin Hotel in what was known then as Treacher Road. His wife died many years ago and they have had no children.

Save for a 80-year-old brother, all his siblings have died.

“He (his living brother) cannot do anything. I’m also 84. That’s why I’m selling my things. If someone can help, that is good,” Foo said.

Foo pointed to the walls where pictures used to hang. He said he was in a few of them.  

“The British High Commissioner used to hold parties here. Christmas and New Year,” he said.

“The Englishmen, they came to eat pork chop and pork sausage,” he said, recalling the era before the cafe certified halal.

“Sometimes they would drink on way past the closing time.

“They would say, ‘sorry uncle’ when I opened the door for them to leave. Sometimes they would slip me RM10 or RM5. They always came back,” Foo said.

The Coliseum Cafe management said Foo receives a stipend and cooked meals are brought to him by other workers also residing in the building. – July 7, 2020.