The Satay Club at the Esplanade was a popular open-air hawker centre famous for its satay – a local delicacy consisting of skewered meat grilled over a charcoal fire, usually served with onions, ‘ketupat’ rice cakes and a spicy peanut dip. The first Satay Club started in the late 1940s on a now defunct lane known as Hoi How Road situated off Beach Road. The Club was relocated to a field between Dhoby Ghaut and Prinsep Street in the mid 1950s before shifting once more to the Esplanade area in 1970. The Club was a popular place for people strolling along the nearby Queen Elizabeth Walk seafront promenade to have their dinner. In 1995, the Club was demolished to make way for the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay complex and the Nicoll Highway extension. Of the Club’s 28 stallholders, eight relocated to the new Clarke Quay Satay Club that same year while the rest dispersed. One stallholder attempted to revive the spirit of the old Esplanade Satay Club by opening the D'Original Satay Club under the Esplanade Bridge in 2005.
