ON A busy weekend night, up to 2,000 people could sit around tables strewn in the open air, feasting on crabs and mee goreng.

Nearby, anglers fished on the jetty, enjoying the gentle sea breeze.

This was a typical scene at Punggol Point in the 1970s and 1980s, when four seafood restaurants operated from that corner.

They were resettled in the mid-1990s. Only two remain in business: Ponggol Choon Seng and Ponggol Hock Kee.

Although the laidback, kampung feel of the old Punggol is gone, both restaurants boast original chefs and long-serving waitresses.

But Choon Seng's manager William Lai admits that "business is tough" as there are many more seafood restaurants now compared to the old days.

To stay competitive, it has opened branches in housing estates in Bukit Timah, Changi and Hougang to capture a different crowd. It also limits its seating capacity at each outlet to about 60 to keep overheads low.

"We will do just one round of business so that our customers can have a relaxed meal without being rushed," Mr Lai says.

In comparison, Hock Kee, which used to be at the former World Trade Centre, Hougang Mall and later East Coast Park chalet, has just one outlet which can accommodate about 350 people.

It moved to its present premises at Marina Country Club in Punggol in January last year.

"The regulars who used to dine at the old Punggol Point are slowly coming back," says Hock Kee's manager Ting Cheng Ping. "I'm optimistic that as more people move to this area, the F&B business will definitely pick up."

» Ponggol seafood (old Ponggol Hock Kee)
» Ponggol Choon Seng Seafood Restaurant (Greenwood)