Alhambra Satay: A 60-yr-old Satay Stall
A brief history of the Satay Club (and Alhambra Satay)
The very first Satay Club was formed in the late 1940s, and could be found just off Beach Road. It was there that Encik Saiful’s father opened what would come to be known as Alhambra Satay. Encik Saiful himself worked alongside his father, learning all the tricks of the trade in the process. “Beach Road got 26 stalls, some selling mee rebus, some selling drinks, but most selling satay,” Encik Saiful noted. “Customers sit on wooden stools. We charged them by how many sticks they had left. Eat first, count later.”
Encik Saiful’s somewhat frail appearance belied his bubbly personality. But when talking about the Beach Road site, he was even more animated than usual. Perhaps this was because it was in a particularly memorable location—it was close to a restless bus terminal and the Alhambra, a popular movie theatre that eventually made way for the Shaw Towers. “I liked to go to Alhambra after work,” Encik Saiful recalled. “They show old Hollywood and Chinese movies there. My favourite was The Ten Commandments.” Since he was friends with the ticket attendant there, he was often allowed to sneak in for screenings. “Of course, when he (the ticket attendant) come to my stall, I have to let him eat satay for free also!”
The Satay Club and Alhambra benefitted one another. After screenings, cinemagoers would often walk down the street to have some satay with their friends, and those who were there for satay might be drawn to the larger-than-life allure of the movies. The third element of this equation, however, was troubling—being situated near a bus terminal meant that accidents occurred one too many times. And so in the mid-1950s, the Satay Club moved to a field between Dhoby Ghaut and Prinsep Street, before relocating for the final time to its Esplanade location in 1971. While there were several spin-offs after its dissolution in 1995, this would be the last true Satay Club with all 26 long-time members. The site where the Esplanade Satay Club once stood is now wholly unrecognisable. In its place, the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and the Nicoll Highway extension were built, depriving us of an iconic piece of cultural history.
Original Alhambra Satay: The Last Survivor Of Singapore’s Historical Satay Club
The year is 1962. You’ve just seen a Technicolor film at the Alhambra theatre. You find yourself walking along the bustling Beach Road, where a band of food vendors have set up shop. Most of them sell only one thing: satay. Before long, the noise and fumes from the adjacent bus terminal fade into the background. The scent of grilled meat hijacks your senses. Seated on a low wooden stool, you take a bite of a glistening, lightly charred satay. Life is good. I’ve never been to the historical Satay Club—I wasn’t yet born when its last true incarnation, the one at the Esplanade, was demolished in 1995. What I’ve just described was my own imagining of the place, cobbled together from stories I’ve heard from my older relatives. And though there were varying details in these stories, all of them had one throughline: 26 hawkers, coming together to offer affordable yet delicious satay in an open-air food centre. It was the precursor to the likes of our present day Lau Pa Sat Satay Street and Satay by the Bay. It was the stuff of legends, allowing satay to make an indelible mark on Singapore’s street food scene.
It saddens me that I will never experience the real Satay Club, but my research helped me discover a remnant of it: Original Alhambra Satay, its only surviving member. Located at Changi Road and Geylang Serai, Alhambra Satay is currently run by Saiful bin Haji Juwahir, 69, its second-generation owner who continues to make satay the traditional way. That means, unlike many of his competitors, Encik Saiful creates his satay without the use of machines—they are entirely handmade. The Satay Club and Alhambra benefitted one another. After screenings, cinemagoers would often walk down the street to have some satay with their friends, and those who were there for satay might be drawn to the larger-than-life allure of the movies. The third element of this equation, however, was troubling—being situated near a bus terminal meant that accidents occurred one too many times. And so in the mid-1950s, the Satay Club moved to a field between Dhoby Ghaut and Prinsep Street, before relocating for the final time to its Esplanade location in 1971. While there were several spin-offs after its dissolution in 1995, this would be the last true Satay Club with all 26 long-time members. The site where the Esplanade Satay Club once stood is now wholly unrecognisable. In its place, the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and the Nicoll Highway extension were built, depriving us of an iconic piece of cultural history.
After inheriting the stall from his father in 1980, Encik Saiful had to steer it through many tumultuous moments. There was the end of the Esplanade Satay Club, which forced him and the other 25 members to either retire or set up shop elsewhere, often with much higher rental costs. “After the Satay Club closed, I got offers from those who want to create similar concept—like the one at Clarke Quay. I rejected because the rental costs too expensive already,” Encik Saiful lamented. That Clarke Quay reboot closed its doors in 2005. Encik Saiful then oversaw several struggling ventures that couldn’t recapture the magic of the old stall at the Satay Club. It was only after the openings of his two current Alhambra Satay outlets that stability was finally brought to the business. But through it all, he remained steadfast in his belief that satay should be sculpted by hand.
Alhambra Satay: Last Man Standing
Singapore had one legendary Satay Club. It was probably the best thing that ever happened for satay in the history of satay. Unfortunately, it had to make way for the new Nicholl Highway and Esplanade Theatres by the Bay, and a piece of Singapore’s Culinary History was lost forever.
Over the years, there have been attempts to rekindle the spirit of Satay Club, but they have all but fizzled out. I don’t think there will ever be another Satay Club. Having 26 Satay stalls by the sea where patrons sit on low stools to enjoy satay is something that we will never be able to revive in our modern age. Of the 26 stalls that used to constitute the soul of Satay Club, there is all but one stall that remains and you can find them at the Mr Teh Tarik Coffeeshop at Geylang Serai Market and Food Centre. There are many other stalls that call themselves Alhambra Satay, but this one is the original which can trace its roots all the way to the original satay club located beside the defunct Alhambra Cinema along Beach Road. Its current owner is 2nd generation Encik Saiful bin Haji Juwahir, 68, who faithfully continues his father’s legacy. Encik Saiful grew up helping his father at the stall and is determined to preserve the original taste which has made Alhambra satay famous.
If you happen to visit the stall during the off-peak hours, you may spot Encik Saiful slicing up the meats and skewering the satay by hand. He still insists on hand skewering the satay even as many other stalls are employing machines to do the laborious work. The secret spices are also still all made in-house to safeguard the heirloom recipe. It’s great that we still have a stall from the legendary satay club left that is keeping the Satay club spirit alive. It is a shame that they are located in a coffee shop rather than somewhere where one can enjoy the satay under the stars and by the sea. Those elements definitely play a big role in the overall satay experience!
Satay Club
The Satay Club was the name of three open-air hawker centres in Singapore, all of which are no longer operating as of 2005. The first Satay Club (1940–1970) was located at Hoi How Road, near Beach Road; the second and third were located at the Esplanade (1970–1995) and Clarke Quay (1995–2005) respectively. Food sold at the Satay Club was predominantly satay. According to one source, Satay Club sold the "best satay in the region of Southeast Asia".
History of the Satay Club:
- 1940–1970: Hoi How Road - The first incarnation of the Satay Club was located alongside Hoi How Street, near Beach Road. It was flanked by two theatres, one of them being the Alhambra Cinema.
- 1970–1995: The Esplanade - During its time at the Esplanade, it was described as a "romantic spot for many courting couples", as well as an "iconic waterfront hawker haven". Located opposite was the Raffles Hotel, and nearby were the Singapore River and Queen Elizabeth Walk. Selling mostly chicken and beef satay, the first stall there was Fatman Satay, reviewed as the top stall in general.
- 1995–2005: Clarke Quay - The Clarke Quay Satay Club operated from 1995 to towards the end of 2005. Situated alongside the River Valley Road in Clarke Quay, it opened its stalls from 7 p.m. onwards, selling mostly chicken and mutton satay.
- 2013–present: Satay by the Bay - Stylised after the Satay Club, Satay by the Bay was opened on January 15, 2013, at the Gardens by the Bay tourist attraction. It was described as "reminiscent of the old Satay Club".
