ST×NLB Cross-References: Former Capitol haunt named after a milk brand
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The interior of Magnolia Snack Bar at Capitol on July 11, 1988. It would close for good the following day.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – This week’s ST×NLB Crossword was co-constructed by NLB’s John Choo and Sasha Tan, who are part of a team of 40 volunteers from both organisations.
Our title clue for this week references the MAGNOLIA (18D) Snack Bar, the [former Capitol haunt named after a milk brand].
The iconic hang-out spot first opened in 1937 as the Creameries Milk Bar, serving ice cream and milkshakes that used Magnolia milk, which was then produced by the dairy arm of supermarket chain Cold Storage.
In its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, there were about 20 Magnolia Snack Bar outlets across Singapore, including where Centrepoint stands today.
PHOTO: ST FILE
It later became the Magnolia Milk Bar and then the Magnolia Snack Bar, when it started serving light meals. In its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, there were about 20 outlets across Singapore.
The final outlet at the Capitol building, which was a beloved dating spot for teenage couples, closed in 1988 when the Urban Redevelopment Authority decided to redevelop the area.
The Magnolia Snack Bar was a cultural touchstone for the baby-boomer generation.
In a 2001 interview with The Straits Times, then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong fondly recalled how his grandmother would take him and his siblings to the outlet where Centrepoint stands today for ice cream when they were young.
“In those days, it was something special,” he had said.
Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew speaking at a PAP rally in 1980 held at Fullerton Square.
PHOTO: ST FILE
3A. “Whoever GOVERNS Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up! This is not a game of cards! This is your life and mine,” said then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in his iconic 1980 Fullerton lunchtime rally speech. After the elder statesman died in 2015, his son, noted Magnolia Snack Bar visitor Lee Hsien Loong, invoked the famous words in his own lunchtime rally speech amid the 2015 General Election campaign period.
20A. As its name suggests, ORCHARD ROAD is the [Former plantation site turned local high street]. Following its agricultural phase, which ended after the last nutmeg plantations failed in the 1860s, it was developed as a residential area before evolving into the commercial district it is today.
22A. The [Educational scheme for high-ability learners, in brief] is the GEP, or the Gifted Education Programme. The programme in its current form will end in 2028. From 2027, primary school pupils with high academic potential, identified using a new test, will attend advanced modules after school or during school holidays instead.
32A. The [Channel 5 family drama named after an upscale neighbourhood] is TANGLIN, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2018. The series centres on the lives of several middle-income families living in Holland Village, Commonwealth and Tanglin, including the Tongs, the Bhaskars, the Rahmans and the Lims.
Book recommendations
Let the week’s clues inspire your next read, courtesy of NLB. Follow the links to borrow.
26A. “Desire is an odd thing. As soon as it’s SATED, it transmutes. If we receive golden thread, we desire the golden needle.” – The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
2D. “I eat, I PERSPIRE, I sleep, I excrete, I regret my choices, I yearn for the past. I have a very full schedule.” – The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
5D. “Doesn’t REINCARNATION strike you as just another form of procrastination?” – Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Don’t have the NLB mobile app? Download it now on the App Store or Google Play to enjoy more great reads.
Across
1. Gymnast Amanda, or actor Noah (3): YAP
3. “Whoever _______ Singapore must have that iron in him” (7): GOVERNS
8. Lengthy stretch (3): ERA
9. Home of tteokbokki (5): KOREA
10. Tangential remark (5): ASIDE
12. Beethoven’s final symphony (5): NINTH
13. Deliver a static shock, perhaps (3): ZAP
15. Piece of tech (6): DEVICE
17. Tuna type (3): AHI
18. One of 60 in 1 hr (3): MIN
20. Former plantation site turned local high street (7,4): ORCHARD ROAD
21. Parliamentarian’s assent (3): AYE
22. Educational scheme for high-ability learners, in brief (3): GEP
24. So-called fourth state of matter (6): PLASMA
25. “I’ll give it a miss” (3): NAH
26. Full after a meal (5): SATED
28. It’s tied up in the kitchen (5): APRON
30. Layabout (5): IDLER
31. List-ending catch-all, for short (3): ETC
32. Channel 5 family drama named after an upscale neighbourhood (7): TANGLIN
33. Otherwise called (3): AKA
Down
1. Japanese mafia (6): YAKUZA
2. Pour from the pores (8): PERSPIRE
3. Kids’ kids (13): GRANDCHILDREN
4. By way of (3): VIA
5. One way of starting life anew (13): REINCARNATION
6. Read but not replied to, over text (4): SEEN
7. S R ______ (sixth president) (6): NATHAN
11. Thrown component of a board game (3): DIE
14. Matey’s call (4): AHOY
16. Bit of malware (5): VIRUS
18. ________ Snack Bar (former Capitol haunt named after a milk brand) (8): MAGNOLIA
19. “Wake up your ____!” (army encik’s admonition) (4): IDEA
21. What you’re figuring out right now (6): ANSWER
23. Big ______ (drug industry) (6): PHARMA
24. Verve (3): PEP
27. Conversational discretion (4): TACT
29. Route to take between Buangkok and Boon Keng, in short (3): NEL
If you have any feedback, feel free to write to us at stgames@sph.com.sg. See you next week!