london 7.32am 12.7C cloud wednesday 2015
read this in the standard just now, bring back memories, as i go there during the 80s and 90s , those times were my heyday.
i had forgotten them, actually and that might explain why the young dont go there. not many people may realise that u can still get a 3 course meal for less than £10.
the trouble was there is another stock pot near there, and its prices are not as cheap. this stockpot branch in old compton st i dont pass by at all, even though i do go to that street; and so i have not seen its menu, and i was unaware of it. so i thought the old style stockpot was gone. now i hear it exists but only when it is about to close. pity to hear of it only when it is closing.
there is another stockpot in knightsbridge, and one in chelsea,but they might well be long gone, or has gone way upmarket if it has kept the name; so people might well get the impression it has got expensive. i myself was unaware of this old compton st branch still keeping to the old style.
i googled it and find the chelsea menu. it looks like typical prices for eating places (£8 or £9 for a main dish) , certainly u cant get 3courses for less than £10. so u might excuse the public for thinking that the prices in one branch applies to all the stockpots.
now you know it pays to advertise and get people to know of you esp if u dont conform to the others. i wonder who owns the franchise.
it makes me wonder if there is any point in keeping prices low. it is a losing game as price is not a big factor in a bustling city with lots of visitors, tourists, business people, (transients,i call them)with money and are not price sensitive. they are looking for experiences, and willing to pay for it.
in the past eating places cater to locals who dont have kitchens , and have to eat out everyday. people live in bed sits or rooms. it was so in s.e.asia like malaysia, where single people moved to the city , no one cooks . everyone eats out.
when i was a university student in singapore,after graduating, (during studenthood we ate our meals at our residence halls so no need to do this ) but after we graduated, i remember we would get together , a bunch of us, and contract the restaurant to cook dinner for us, giving them a fixed monthly fee and only specify how many dishes, leaving the restaurant to cook what is available that day.
but nowadays i dont think anyone does that anymore. do they?
alifesgayventure 
Cooking can be arranged. But the varieties at hawker zi char stalls makes it easier and more exciting
when we catered at the restaurant in singapore all those years ago, we get simple home cooked dishes, not the usual hawker fare , just veg with pork, or beef, simple steam fish with ginger. or steamed minced pork, sweet and sour pork, or plain chinese cabbage in oyster sauce etc. i think when we were young we just like to have these simple meals and lots of it rather than have hawker fare like char kuey teoh, or soup noodles, or laksa, much as we love them, but those are not something u want to eat day in and day out. also, we dont have to think about what to order, we just let the restaurant decide for us. the usual way is to have one less dish for the numbers of people sharing. eg 4dishes for 5people. the dishes are large though as we have huge appetites. hahah.and any amount of rice.
even now, when i cook at home, those are the simple dishes i do. veg with pork, or soya sauce chicken or just stir fried veg.