By Cara Van Miriah

The words 'party' and 'auntie' do not usually go hand in hand. But in the competitive, male-dominated nightclub industry, a handful of older women bar operators have been quietly pulling pints and pulling in the customers for decades.

These matronly hosts are nearly 50 or above and own their own establishments. They may not be high-powered operators running a chain of trendy pubs but their joints are cosy, homely places that draw regular customers who like the soft, feminine touch.

And the combination is a success: One owner, Mrs Michelle Poon, who is in her 50s, is this month celebrating the 25th anniversary of her hostelry, The Yard English Pub in River Valley Road.

She serves quiz nights
The Yard English Pub
Where: 294 River Valley Road, tel: 6733-9594

She cooks bar food and pours customers their drinks. But this pub owner also serves up something extra at her 25-year-old establishment: a monthly quiz night.

Mrs Michelle Poon, affectionately known to pub regulars as Mrs P, first introduced quiz nights a few years ago after her customers suggested it.

Held on the last Thursday of every month, the 1 1/2-hour event has grown from 10 players to 25 participants on average.

Gran who feeds her pub family
Pat's Pub
Where: 03-10, Ming Arcade, Cuscaden Road, tel: 6734-7998

It is called Pat's Pub after its owner, Mrs Patricia Morais, 61. And the watering hole is hers in deed as well as name, going by the motherly way she looks after her regulars.

The generous mother of two and grandma of a three-year-old boy, cooks up a storm every fortnight for her 'other' family of bargoers, amounting to about 45 these days. It is something she has done for 15 years. She takes three days to prepare the food - Devil Curry, beef rendang and chicken curry - all by herself, from planning to marketing to cooking.

And, the feast does not cost her guests a cent - they need only pay for drinks. She says: 'I spend $100 each time but it's my way of showing my appreciation to my friends who have supported me through the years.'

Sharp shooter
Crocodile-Rock Pub
Where: 05-29 Far East Plaza, tel: 6738-0535

At 54, pub owner Linda Tan is a die-hard party animal. Dare her to a drink challenge and she will most likely drink you under the table.

She is one party auntie alright - in fact, her 16-year-old Crocodile-Rock Pub is known for its shooter drinks, which are small glasses of spirits. She concocts them herself and there are more than 30 types on the menu.

On a weekend, she sells up to 100 shooters priced from $5 each at her humble but popular 37 sq m watering hole, which can fit up to 30 customers and which plays 1980s music.

From rat race to pub crawl
Lot, Stock & Barrel Pub
Where: 30 Seah Street (Next to Raffles Hotel Singapore), tel: 6338-5540

She was a senior executive in a manufacturing company earning about $60,000 a year. But at 49, the mother of two girls gave it all up to run a pub.

Ms Pauline Lau, 54, who was then a shareholder of Lot, Stock & Barrel Pub in Seah Street, forked out $100,000 to take over the now 16-year-old watering hole five years ago.

The divorcee tells Life!: 'When I was a shareholder, I worked in the day and served drinks at night. But I grew tired of my old job and I needed new challenges. I was confident that I could further improve the business.'

Monkey bar set high
3 Monkeys Cafe
Where: 01-20 Orchard Towers, tel: 6735-3707

Over the last 11 years, Madam Gwen Khoo, 48, has been going to the bus terminal in Queen Street every fortnight. But it is not because she has been making trips to Malaysia.

The owner of 3 Monkeys Cafe waits anxiously each time for an important package - a 20kg bag of belacan from Malacca worth RM$140 (S$59.60).

The Peranakan, who is a mother of two children aged 14 and 12, tells Life!: 'I have not tasted anything better than the belacan in Malacca and I don't compromise when it comes to quality. I make arrangements for a family friend who makes the belacan to deliver it using the Malacca-Singapore coach.' The one-way ticket costs RM$20.

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