Pub Hopping at Mohamad Sultan

Posted by Simply Jean under Lifestyle
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Madam Wong, Next Page and The Eastside are just some of the names that ring through the minds of many pub-goers at the peak of the Mohamed Sultan appeal. I visited the place again last week, only to find it to be just a fraction of what it used to be. Perhaps the pubs have lost their appeal, perhaps it’s because of the new zig-zag lines that forbid drivers to park their vehicles at the entrances of the pubs, or perhaps it’s just how the opening of newer pubs down at Clarke Quay has pulled the crowd away; but whatever it is, it’s no longer the same.

“Pub-going friends” would usually be spread all over various pubs and moving from one pub to another to meet up was usual. For some reason or another, we sometimes managed to avoid paying the cover charges while at other times, we just met them outside the pubs. The continuous moving from one pub to another somewhat coined the term “pub hopping”, and while it sounds nice, paying for it is another matter altogether.

However, a visit to the place last week showed a slow, but sure decline of the usual crowds that we used to find along the stretch of Mohamed Sultan. For the first time, there was actually a restaurant whose interior can be seen from the outside! This is definitely a first because pubs used to be dimly lit, if not blocked from view by a partition at the entrances.

After a long night of pub hopping, getting something to eat would be a good idea to either refresh ourselves from all the alcohol, or to fill our stomach for the long sleep ahead. Teh halia (ginger tea) was a popular drink amongst pub-goers because it was believed to freshen up a person from the effects of alcohol. Bak kut teh was also a favourite meal for the night – consisting of pork ribs in a broth of herbs and pork bones, boiled to (almost) perfection from the afternoon. This is usually served with rice and other small portions of Teochew, Hokkien or Cantonese dishes.

If the coffee shops that lined River Valley Road is filled, some pub goers would zoom off with their friends to nearby hawker centres or coffee shops along Havelock Road or Zion Road in their flashy and suspiciously illegally-modified Subaru WRX or other makes that can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. These, while thrilling to the passengers, is down-right irritating to the nearby crowd as the engines rattled noisily in the night.

However, there were no signs of these last week. The streets were quiet, although some drivers tried to pull a fast one by parking along the zig-zag-lined roads and turning on their hazard lights. This was usually resolved by the presence of red-and-blue light-flashing patrol cars that threatened to book any vehicles parked illegally along the roads. What seemed familiar though, was the long queue that was spotted outside Dbl-O, which had since downsized their space to half of what it used to be.

The landscape along Mohamed Sultan is definitely changing with newer shops, restaurants and residential spaces. However, the familiar crowds that used to patronize the pubs and restaurants in the area can no longer be seen. The silver lining, if any, is perhaps the peace that it brings to the residents in that area.

Do you remember your “clubbing” days?