Old Raffles Place

My parents took Ethan & I out to Old Raffles Place this evening.  It’s an authentic Singaporean hawker store in Collingwood.  I used to go there all the time so it was quite nostalgic going back and re-tasting all the dishes I used to – and still do – love.

We ordered a few appetisers to start..

Old Killiney Crunchy Calamari – ‘Fried to perfection & served with homemade sweet chilli sauce’ {$9.80}

Here you only see half of the calamari that we were served up!  It was absolutely delicious.  Tender on the inside and deliciously seasoned on the outside – not to mention the divine crispiness of the golden batter.

Homemade Lobak Raffles Way –
‘Minced pork marinated in five spice powder and wrapped in beancurd skin’ {$12}

Despite being very dark on the outside, the pork mixture was so soft and tender within.  Definitely an amazing dish worth ordering over and over and over again..

Whampoa Drive Rojak; Wild Mix Salad –
‘A punchy & piquant salad of fresh fruits & vegetables, tossed with spicy prawn paste & peanut toppings’ {$12}

I have always loved rojak since I was first introduced to it on my very first trip to Malaysia as a young child.  And the fact that the Chinese doughnut had been deep-fried so perfectly allowed the tender sweetness, sourness & crispness of the dish to really resonate.

Geylang Sambal Bee Hoon – ‘Spicy sambal wok fried rice vermicelli & vegetables with choice of seafood, chicken or vegetables’ {$12}

Mum ordered the seafood version.  It wasn’t too spicy but just spicy enough.  Very fresh & tasty with a good amount of seafood.

Old Colonial Chicken Curry – ‘Boneless chicken meat cooked with traditional curry spices & potatoes’ {$18}

We actually got a few chicken bones in this dish but the chicken was extremely tender & the curry sauce nice and dense – jam-packed full of flavour.  Tasted just as good as my Dad’s 😉

Boneless Half Hainanese Chicken – ‘Rice not included’ {$25}

Eric & I usually order the ‘rice’ component as well which is usually amazing.  This is probably due to the fact that the man who owns the joint is actually Hainanese.  But the chicken without the chicken-infused rice was still heavenly.  Oh-so-succulent and definitely the dish of the night…

Old Fatty’s Chicken Fried Rice – ‘An old colonial fried rice with diced chicken, peas, carrots & eggs’ {$12}

This used to be my husband’s favourite dish – so we, naturally, packed him up some leftovers for him to indulge in upon returning home from work… xoxo

Old Raffles is definitely somewhere you should drop into sometime if you haven’t already.  The standard does tend to vary from night to night but we happened to have stumbled upon one of their best chefs so the food was superb…

Don’t expect much from the ambience though.  It’s an amusing place to people watch because it’s on the corner of Johnston & Wellington Streets but it is a Chinese hawker store  so make sure to keep your expectations to a minimum…

68-70 Johnston Street, Collingwood, Victoria, 3066
Phone: (03) 9417 4450; designated takeaway line on (03) 9419 3092
Open 11.30-2.30pm Wed-Sun; 5:30-9:30pm Tue-Sun.