THE OLD, grumpy waiters carrying sizzling steaks, the antique furniture and the smoky room – these will now fade into memory with the permanent closure of the historic Coliseum Café in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.

The iconic restaurant, which has dished out Hainanese western-style cooking and colonial-era nostalgia since 1921, served its last customer in March last year, never to celebrate its 100th anniversary planned for this year. Its other outlets, however, remain open.

Many other eateries in the federal capital may have suffered the same fate due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Coliseum Café’s closure will be mourned for the loss of a part of Kuala Lumpur’s heart and soul.– Jun 9, 2021.