Review The Old Raffles Place - Collingwood

Wow! The dining experience there was great! It's a cosy place that serves yummy Singaporean food. The fish curry was the best curry I have tried in Melbourne and the Lor 29 Fried Hokkien Noodles was just like the ones I ate in Singapore! We also loved the Char Kway Teow, Toa Payoh Char Tao Kway and Loh Bak. The entire dinner was more than scrumptious! Thank you for the yummilicious food.

A cozy restaurant ran by a couple. Loved the ambience and all the old photos that were up on the wall. We ordered a variety of our local Singaporean food like char kway teow, carrot cake, hor fun, tau goreng and hokkien mee. I would rate the black carrot cake the best among all the dishes. Their hor fun is nice too. The sambal chilli was power for the hokkien mee. Found their char kway teow to be a little sweet, their tau goreng isn't the malay style kind and teh tarik was diluted and can be improved. They charged an additional $14 plus for service charge which I wasn't sure why. But that shouldnt be the case.

Great place, delicious food. The Old Raffles Place has a wide varieties of food and the overall food will make you salivating. Hainanese Chicken Rice is a must try dish here. Really great place to eat in. Eat in here will give you a feeling that you eat in Singapore, even though you are in Melbourne. Pictured here are Hainanese Chicken Rice set, and Old Raffles Lobak.

AMAZING!! It was impossible to find authentic KL Hokkien Mee until I found out about this place! The taste is so on point and correct! I haven't had this in years, this really brings me home. The Racecourse Char Kuey Teow was also super delicious! There are other places that serve a good CKT but this tastes the absolute best to me. The Fried Carrot Cake was great, although I'm used to the version where the cake is more chopped up. The SG Hokkien Mee was good, but I'm not a fan of the SG variant since I grew up with KL Hokkien Mee ❤️ At first glance it seems a bit pricey, but the portions turned out to be huge!

Singapore dishes . Fantastic,been there a many times. Friendly atmosphere .

This place is 100% legit. Classic Singaporean Hawker style cuisine.

It’s been in Collingwood for over 20years. Quite a selection of enjoyable dishes. Should try, pricing slightly on the dearer side but not unreasonable. Service was good.

Great authentic Singapore style local dishes, had black Chai Tow Kway, with delicious and smooth carrot cake and lots of sweet black sauce. Also had Singapore style Hokkien mee, the prawn stock was flavorsome and delicious with generous portions of large freshly cooked prawns. The place to go to for great local Singapore dishes when you miss Singapore local food. Had bandung and ice lemon tea too, which was both delicious and refreshing with just the right balance for both. Worth a visit. Char Kway teow is great Singapore style with rich black sauce and spicy with lots of ingredients. East Coast road Laksa was fabulous with flavorsome sauce and coconut spicy authentic laksa gravy, definitely very authentic Singapore Laksa, highly recommend. Indian murtabak is also very good and authentic with delicious curry gravy and beautifully cooked beef inside.

Very good Singaporean! We ordered for takeaway:<br/>- Hainanese chicken rice set: tasty rice and chicken, the accompanying chilli sauce definitely packed a punch! Generous servings and nice broth<br/>- racecourse CKT: lots of prawns and squid, great flavours<br/>- vegetarian spring rolls: tasty<br/>- satay chicken: loved the satay sauce, chicken a bit firm/dry<br/>- lobak: nice<br/>- calamari: not bad<br/>Really friendly service, recommended.

Emperor pork spare ribs , colonial beef curry, lobak rice and Balinese spare ribs <br/>All excellent and good portions <br/>The food is better than the appearance of the venue and that is a compliment, a Collingwood grunge with great food though the prices are on the high side<br/>Great seating potential for one in a milk bar type indeistrial cafe decor<br/>Like the old black cat cafe<br/>Service is prompt pert and friendly<br/>Nice place for the solo diner parking is ok and it is relaxing to be there<br/>Well done excellent food spicy and varied and authentic <br/>

The food is AMAZING! Probably the tastiest laksa i’ve ever tried, also absolutely love the basil fried rice, the racecourse char kway teow, and the chicken claypot dish. 100% recommend! Also love how big the serves are 👌🏼

The most authentic char kway teow in Melb! I've unfortunately never visited the place myself but I've ordered their food through Doordash plenty of times and the food never ceased to amaze me. <br/>The kway teow they used is a bit on the thicker side but still delicious all the same. Really great value for money, portion is quite big but still of good quality. Really generous with the seafood too!

This place looks like it’s been around for ages. The place isn’t flash but the food is consistently good and authentically Singaporean. The servings are generous and their radish cake is really good. Highly recommend!

This place is soo old school I felt like I was going back in time lol. The service was excellent, friendly and helpful.<br/><br/>Starting w a Ayer Bandung which is a popular Indonesian drink w rose syrup, w evaporated milk. This was like a glass of strawberry milk. This wasn’t the best lol<br/><br/>For starters the Old Raffles Lobak was crispy fried bean curd skin rolls w minced pork, fresh chives, coriander,<br/>yam beans and spring onion. They were amazing and full of flavour with out being greasy. Soo good.<br/><br/>The Bugis Street Chicken Mah Mee w Hokkiwn noodles, chicken, seasonal greens in a delicious sauce hahaha and it was really good lol.<br/><br/>The rendezvous beef rendang was amaaazing. By far the best one I’ve ever eaten. They use a heirloom recipe and the meat was so soft, flavoursome and the curry, well it had some spice, it was creamy and it yummy!!<br/><br/>The roti bread was crispy and like flat bread only tastier. <br/><br/>The hainanese chicken was good, but it lacked the chicken broth so it was missing some flavour. But in saying that I tried the chicken the next day and it was delicious and still really moist. Just perfect.<br/><br/>This place is excellent. If you haven’t been there go there lol.

4.5<br/>Been meaning to try this for ages. Best char kuey teow in Melbourne. Generous amount of prawns and flavour with a nice gravy holding it altogether. Teh Tarik was superb as was the roti prata with curry sauce. A little bit pricier than the pretenders, but a great meal and I’m already craving my next visit!

First time review. Lunch with family today, ordered singapore hokkien prawn noodles, fried carrot cakes, chicken rice and char Kwan teow ( Singapore style). Place is small and packed, luckily we made reservation. Food is really authentic, chicken rice is fluffy and chicken is tender; hokkien prawn noodles is full of flavour with sambal on the side; Customer services is great too, Alan and his team has done a great job. We Will back

Visited this place recently. Booked through the Zomato app and that was a pleasant experience. Fast confirmation. I would describe the decor as rustic. Reminds me of a coffee shop type of place I would encounter in Singapore. I liked the vintage photographs lining the walls. This appears to be a family run business and the older couple and younger lady were polite and friendly. Had the Hainanese chicken rice and was not disappointed. It doesn’t come with ginger sauce but I’m not too fussed on that. Will be coming back.

Finally got the chance to try this restaurant. The interior design and the photos on the wall really brought me back to the old times of the streets and shophouses in Singapore. Chicken rice is fantastic, especially the rice which is soft and fluffy and not too oily.

Amazing food that def reminded me of home. The hokkien noodles is a def must have. We thought the cha kway teow was a tad too sweet but has the wok fragrance to it so that made it up. We were disappointed that the chicken rice and rojak wasnt available that night as we were totally wanting them! The nasi goreng was a complete miss but we will def be back for the hokkien me and try our luck for the hainanese chicken rice again!

The old raffles place in Collingwood. It is a 4.5 out 5 experience for my lunch. I ordered the hainanese chicken rice set. It was nicely presented and came with the ginger chilli source. Apart from the a bit dry rice, the chicken was nice tender and juicy. Good place to try the Singapore and Malaysian cuisine. Definitely recommended.

I adore Old Raffles Place. Not for the food, which is good albeit a bit overpriced, but for the aesthetic, ambiance and charm of dining in a culinary institution. As for dishes, the Penang Char Kuo Kay and Tao Payoh Chye Tow Kueh (both radish cake dishes) always strike my fancy, although the super saucy Gado Gado is also nice.<br/><br/>http://innercirclemagazine.com.au/food/old-raffles-place-an-heirloom-of-the-collingwood-dining-scene/

I spent meany years in Asia, specially Malaysia and Singapore,  this place is without  any doubt la Crème de la Crème, the very best one can find in Melbourne to eat outstanding Singapore / Malay food!  Bravo!  Furthermore this is one of the few places where one can still experience the personal, familial touch! Is now my favourite one! Compliments to the Chef!

I love this place. A cosy homely place which lives up to the hype. I was introduced there by a coworker and apparently it’s always packed. Quality of the food was great, authentic. The tiny downside is you might need to wait approx 30mins or more for the order to come

I came back to The Old Raffles Place after a year of having been and Allan welcomed my big group of 20 with open arms. Some of us had the $45 banquet and it certainly did not disappoint with most people taking leftovers home! The rest of us chose from the a la carte. Pictured above is the Singaporean Raddish Toa Payoh Chye Tow Kueh, Kallang Roti Beef with curry dipping sauce, emperor pork ribs, salt & pepper calamari, duck fried rice and hainanese chicken! Ended up spending $30 each in my group and left very full :) Thanks Old Raffles! Until next time :)

We just got back from the Old Raffles and are excited to review our trip there<br/><br/>First of all - this is not a place for Vegetarians. most food is cooked in pig lard. to their credit (probably cos they found it annoying) they state on the menu that it is not a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. Fine. so if you are a vegetarian don't go there because you will find it disgusting.<br/><br/>The man was kind of brash. He had a bit of an Old World feel to him. in fact so did the entire restaurant. There were lots of old photos and news clippings on the walls. kind of interesting to look at. Lots of the pictures are pictures of something relating to the Original Old Raffles in Singapore. It felt like you weren't in Australia, like you were back at the Original Old Raffles in the good old days when vegetarians didn't exist. They didn't have a highchair for our toddler, and didn't give us forks with our noodles (chopsticks are the forks, i pointed out)<br/><br/>The food is pricey for its size, and not particularly tasty, considering that for my lunch nearby at Friends Of The Earth, I got a meal of the same size for a couple dollars cheaper and it was all organic. <br/><br/>We kept using the word Old Raffles for the next half an hour after leaving the restaurant.<br/><br/>We won't return, but we will always reminisce about the Original Old Raffles, and the news clippings of the controversial singapore airlines pilot that for some reason was pinned on the wall.

Probably the best chicken rice I’ve had in Melbourne. The chicken was cooked beautifully and the rice was fragrant. The portion was very generous however it was also the most expensive chicken rice I’ve ever had. The Singapore prawn noodles was also the closest to authentic that I have had. The service though was non-existent. The owner was cold and unfriendly.

Food is good, though tad bit pricey. Disappointing that it is a family restaurant with a homely atmosphere, but no high chair. So, kids are not quite welcomed. I’ve a toddler, so I guess I’ll only visit when she’s old enough to sit in an adult seat at the dinner table.

Great atmosphere! Good place to catch up with family and friends. Absolutely loved the beef randeng and pork ribs! Garnishing wasn't so great as they put raw onion on of the dishes.

The old raffles place is vintage Singaporean and is a personal favourite. They're restaurant is old style homey and that's a part of the reason I love it. It's not perfect and I like that. So the service is quick and friendly and the food is another step up from that. Some people will need to know this place isn't about the glamour but the flavour and that is brilliant. They do amazing hor fun, sweet n sour pork and good fried rice. I love this place for what it is.

Nice place to eat if you are craving for hawker style food. We ordered the char kway kak and the lorong 29 fried Hokkien noodles, chicken rice and the pork ribs special with special sauce. The kway kak was fragrant and have that nice burnt smell that a good kway kak normally have. The lorong 29 noodles also nice and creamy with a sambal that enhance the flavour. The pork special was very crispy and the sweet sour sauce was so delicious. However if you do have allergies you need to be more proactive in asking for the ingredients we ordered a mango pudding for our son and asked if there is any dairy in the pudding, the owner said he will omit the dairy from the pudding, but our son had reactions still from the pudding. It might be a premix and he didn’t realise it. Other than that the food was great!

In this old corner building with a vintage decor, take your tastebuds on a trip to old style Singapore and Penang.<br/><br/>Favourites like the Laksa, Hainanese chicken rice, Char Kuai Teow and Mee Goreng accompany other local gems cooked in Nonya or Assam styles. I ordered the Penang style Char Kuay Teow and Sago Melaka (sago pudding with palm sugar and coconut milk). Flavours galore, tasty and the Char Kuay Teow was so obviously fresh off the wok. Generous with their ingredients, both the main the dessert were delicious and satisfying.<br/><br/>The place is not flash, but the a little chat with the friendly owner brings a touch of warmth to this spot. Over the years I've been here many times with different company. The only imperfection is they don't have the quintessential Chendol to round out the Singapore / Malaysian experience.

This place is my all time favourite! Highly recommend the prawns, amazing meat quality and taste just gets better and better. I love the owners, they are extremely warm and the hospitality is excellent

Amazing food, homey ambience, lovely service and great chat about the good old days in Singapore. Thank you Alan and dear Carol for making my birthday so memorable. My husband and kids enjoyed the Singapore food that they miss so much!

The decor is not flash but the food here was top notch, fresh and flavoursome. Loved the Kallang Roti Beef and Penang Char Kway Teow. Looking forward to trying lots of other dishes on the menu.

The highlight of our dinner wasn't the food or the service - it was seeing a RAT running across the kitchen to the small dining room at the back of the restaurant! At first we thought it could an illusion - I mean seriously a rat in a restaurant? Right after that, the rat made a second appearance. We were horrified and immediately felt disgusted at the cleanliness of the place. It was our first visit and were excited to try Singaporean cuisine after reading good reviews of this place. However, our first dish - the fried carrot cake was served on a plate with pieces of rice left on the side of the plate.  Seriously even if you accidentally dirtied the plate before serving, you could have wiped it off. How can you serve carrot cake with pieces of sticky rice residue at the side of the plate? Second dish was the Singaporean Hokkien Mee. It was completely tasteless and bland, with strong taste of flour in the noodles so it made us wonder if the noodles were properly blanched before stir-frying. We just managed to eat half of the food before fleeing the place after the rat made two appearances. Didn't want to get the risk of food poisoning. Also, the entrance to the restaurant is via the kitchen which is strange. I also had to sit on a chair with broken fabric till you can actually see the sponge in the hole. of the fabric. Gosh, it's unbelievable that this place is still running given the mediocre food, dirty kitchen and run-down furniture. This would be our first and last visit.

The old corner building with its colonial vibe is a fitting home for the old raffles place. Everything you want to find on the menu, reminding you of that last time you were in Singapore. I ate Laksa and it was wonderful.

Came for lunch and ordered the chicken rice and hokkien mee. We didn't have to wait long for our food. The food was mediocre and not very inspiring. My friend enjoyed her hokkien noodles though.

How can this place only score only 3.6? Ok so it's not the cheapest but quality comes at a price and this is 110% worth it. We've eaten in here twice and had takeaway on about about half a dozen occasions and every time it's a huge treat. Thanks guys. Keep up the great work :)

A rare little gem - completely authenic... delicious food and welcoming atmosphere. Alan and Carol thank you so much for having us last night. The baliese pork ribs with the candle was such a special gesture for my parners birthday. Spicy tofu best I've ever had. <br/>Thank you for making us so welcome- a beautiful night... look forward to seeing you <br/>again soon

Fantastic hainanese chicken rice!!! This is just like you get in Singapore!!!! Flavoursome rice coupled with perfectly cooked chicken! The broth was the best I've had!

So glad we found this Singaporean/ Malaysian hidden gem in Melbourne! Their Toa Payoh Chye Tow Kueh tastes just like the ones in Singapore. Can't find another Singaporean Hokkien Noodles in Melbourne that would taste this great either. We missed out on their famous Hainanese Chicken Rice tonight as they ran out by the time we got there (can't wait to try it next time around!). The waitress was exceptionally friendly and helpful too. She sat us down at a comfortable corner spot seeing that we brought our baby with us and even helped us with our order. Exceptional dining experience overall.

The Laksa is fantastic! Almost as good as Laksa King. I actually only got takeaway, but what dropped my score down is the relative expensive pricetag & the 20 minute wait AFTER  the initial 15 minutes they had promised over the phone. Yes, they were busy, but  2 takeaway laksas should not take 30 mins, and if it does, a phone call would have been courteous so I wasn't standing there waiting for 20 mins.  Unfortunately these guys don't do delivery. They were not so apologetic about this either, as nothing was thrown in , nor a discount given.

Our group of 5 came by on a Sunday night. Was told that Hainanese Chicken rice had sold out. Our group tried the Penang Char Kuay Teow, Seafood Laksa, Ginger Beef Noodles. The food was shared across the group with all agreeing that the food wasn't tasty, with only the seafood curry laksa given a pass. Not coming back as there are ample restaurants of similar cuisine but tastes better.

Always reliable and delicious: this place is an old favourite. Beans with tofu and sambal so tasty! Hainanese chicken rice and char kway teow are tops.

What: A Singaporean/Malaysian restaurant worth its salt because the tautology ‘roti bread’ doesn’t exist anywhere on its menu. Bloat score: 4 – If I were lying prostrate on my tummy, it would have looked as though I was levitating. I’ve never really understood what ‘Singaporean’ food means. It’s akin to Tasmania seceding from the mainland and selling Australian food under the moniker ‘Tasmanian food’. Seeing Singaporean food and Malaysian food are effectively one and the same, I visited Old Raffles Place on a Saturday not long ago to assuage my feelings of homesickness.

Such a great local place. Would have to recommend the Singapore Sling to really kick your night off!! Chicken rice is to die for and finishing off the meal with a hot milo is key.

Great asian restaurant I could never get sick of it the hor fun was delicious highly recommend itIt didn't look convincing and it took me by surprise.

This place seems to be open all the time as it's family owned restaurant for over 16 years. It's a shame that parking is an issue around this area. <br/>Food is apparently very authentic according my friends who always order the Hainan chicken.<br/>Chef can make most of the dishes either vego or vegan depending on your dietary requirements without compromising the flavor.<br/>Tried the vegan char kuey teow (stir fried flat rice noodles) and it wasn't too greasy and had lots of veggies. The dish was very filling.

I have been hunting for amazing curry laksa in Melbourne for a year now.. This is hands down the best I have had here. Food is great and staff are lovely.

Had a simple chicken rice for dinner some time ago and it was basic but I was happy with the dish. Real basic decor but that's OK, I kind of like that it doesn't try and be funky.

Only if you"re really missing those quessential Singapore food.<br/><br/>Gotta love the building, same White paint but far from the Raffles in Singapore. <br/><br/>Lobak and other Singapore delish are in the house.<br/><br/>Sadly, service is non-existence. So do you really have to?

Although this place my offer 'authentic' or 'legit' Malay/Singaporean food, and don't get me wrong the food was ok, but it really misses the mark as it lack flavor and seasoning.... and like the decor it seems tired and old.

So so so good. The ribs are out of control. So great. The kind of place that makes me make satisfied noises when I eat there. Excellent, recommended.

Not the most appealing place to look at but my goodness the food was great! The ribs were definitely the highlight and probably the best I've hard to date. Highly recommend!

My favourite restaurant in Melbourne. Unpretentious, friendly and absolutely superb food. Martabak, Chin Chao, Kway teo, Lemongrass and chili chicken, Gado Gado, Indian Mee Goreng, Chicken Rice etc. They are all fantastic. I have ordered most items on the menu and recommend all of them. They never let me down.

Came by here one Sunday having an intense craving for Singaporean food.<br/><br/>We ordered the char kuay teow, the Hainese chicken rice, and fried carrot cake, washed down with teh tarik and bandung. Very legit, very delicious, will definitely return.

A good old singaporean restaurant that serves all the delicious singaporean/Malaysian cuisine that I miss and love. My favourite from this restaurant is their penang char key teow,hainanese chicken rice and fish curry. If you dunno what to order, try these and I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed unless they change their chef. .

Welcoming and authentic family-style restaurant.  Food is authentic as possible.  Price is excellent, portions are full of ingredients and good.  The best dishes we've tried so far were ginger beef noodles, & special combination fried rice.  So natural and delish!  Not over salted at all.  Lets ingredients speak for themselves.  In a class of its own.

Don't be fooled by the look of this place! Raffles is a legit joint serving up a variety of Asian cuisine. The restauranters that own the place are amazingly warm and funny people. It shows they care about their food and their customers. Cheap and most Deff delicious. Get the "carrot cake", sounds weird but is an amazing daikon dish. Check for photos on zomato to see what it looks like. Xx

Heard alot of good things about the char kuey teow here and we left feeling satisfied with it. The hainanese chicken rice was also really good except for the chilli which we felt was lacking some garlic. The katong laksa though didn't tasted like katong laksa which left us a little disappointed. The singaporean carrot cake was good but we didn't manage to snap a picture of it as we were really hungry. Overall a pleasant place to get good malaysian/singaporean food and will return again when around the area.

Came here on a saturday noon and was told that they have run out of hainanese chicken rice (but, they just opened their restaurant for the day). So ordered a plate of Lorong 29 fried hokkien mee. The portion was small, but tasty. I ordered their lime juice, the glass was filled just with ice, barely got to have any lime juice!! Their prices have gone up substantially over the years.  Not going back for sure.

I found this one an average Singaporean restaurant. By the looks of it it seems quite authentic. The interior looks as the name says: old. I had the combination laksa which was OK but nothing exceptional. I've actually had much better ones at Malaysian street food stalls in some food courts in the city. The haianese chicken that my colleague had looked better though :)

Whenever I am craving a taste of home, I go to The Old Raffles Place. How can one go wrong with a name like that. The owner is Hainanese, and makes the most authentic chicken rice that you could find in Melbourne. Their array of Singaporean delights never fails to satisfy.

Not bad, but far from great. Food is authentic enough, and I can honestly say it was formerly one of the better Malaysian/Singaporean restaurants in Melbourne - several years ago. Now there are more interesting, cheaper, and friendlier alternatives. Fit out is simple, but it does suit the venue.<br/><br/>Far from good value for money in my opinion, still a reasonable option if you aren't wanting to travel.

Nothing special. Decor felt really out of date and needs a freshen up. The service was possibly the worst aspect, or lack of service. The food wasn't bad though and the menu had a few different offerings.

Excellent food with casual service and hilariously out of place music (ala piano version of Titanic theme). Chicken rice was almost perfect, while the char kway teow and hor fun were brilliant. Tasty and no fuss.

The food here is authentic and amazing. The decor is mildly run-down yet pragmatic. The service is attentive, polite and friendly. I would rate this some of, if not the, best singaporean cuisine in Melbourne so far. We will definately be back soon. Recommend the char kwey tao.

Best hokkien mee in town, and that's coming from my singaporean wife. I've been to the other singaporean restaurants around eg newton circus but this one overall is better. Word of warning bring cash, they don't accept credit cards or eftpos, instead they have a private ATM that charges fees. A bit of a stingy move, but despite that a worthy sacrifice if you want authentic singaporean food. The nuances between malaysian and singaporean food can be recognised here and for that alone I think singaporeans will appreciate this place over a malaysian restaurant.

Easy seating and parking for Sunday lunch, less so for weekday dinners. <br/><br/>Char kuay teow quality went down substantially since last visit a year ago. Could be wrong but prices appear to have gone up.

Food was authentic but tasted mediocre.<br/>Portion was okay.<br/>Service was good.<br/>Price was cheap.<br/>Ambience was normal.<br/>Decor was okay.<br/><br/>Eh, nothing special to note.

I took a forkful of the Hokkien Mee. It tasted like pork lard croutons.

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…

This is a pretty low scorer on Urbanspoon. Granted, it is not off a high number of raters but it's clearly a bit divisive. So, what's the story here? Is it good or not? The punters seem divided and in some ways, so am I.<br/>The stand out dishes here are the Char Kway Teow and Chicken Rice. They are also one of the few places that have Char Kway Kak, and Chye Tow Kway which are very traditional hawker dishes from Singapore.

The punters seem divided and in some ways, so am I. This is a basic eating house with not a whole lot of atmosphere. In fact, the most interesting thing is watching the quirky characters and other people crossing the intersection of Johnston Street and Wellington Street. I have been here many times and I believe that the standout dishes here are the hawker style dishes, including the Char Kway Teow and Chicken Rice. However, you need to be prepared to put up with brusque nonchalant service.

And so began my love affair with Old Raffles Place. Conveniently, when I moved to Melbourne I was living in Abbotsford for years and Old Raffles Place became my go-to spot for Hainanese chicken rice.

A great find! A lovely place for dinner that is reasonably priced and generously portioned. Win.

I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely L-O-V-E curry laksa. It's got to be one of the best inventions of all time as far as I'm concerned. However, finding my perfect laksa is a bit of a challenge! I like it sweet, but still spicy, with a combination of rice & egg noodles and lots of broccoli and tofu. I have eaten laksa in many restaurants around Melbourne, and to be honest I have been left disappointed more times than not. Until last week that is... Not being swayed by appearances, Mr B and I hit up The Old Raffles Place ( 68 - 70 Johnston St Collingwood ) after a few beers at [one of our] local pubs. I of course turned straight to the soup section, where I made the pleasant discovery that the menu contained an entire section devoted to laksa - happy days! I ordered the Bishan Vegetable Laksa ($15) which promised "bountiful seasonal vegetables & tofu simmered in a mild spicy coconut soup". Check it out, they totally delivered the goods. The soup was the perfect mix of sweet an

While it seems that every other Asia cuisine is well represented on Australian restaurant strips the combination that is Singaporean food is rarely seen

Quick takeaway for lunch and we are craving Char Kway Teow! We hit Old Raffles Place for our takeaway order! There are no airs and graces and a fair few flyers making sure you all know there is a cash only policy, no pushchairs and no doggy bags!! I am fine with all of that!! So I grab our bags of hot foodie fun and head back to the office super fast!! The Hainanese Chicken Rice Set is a generous serve of chicken with rice & soup served with homemade chilli sauce – more than enough for 2 to share! Chicken is lovely and loving the chilli!! Penang Char Kway Teow isn’t pretty and it isn’t the best i have had but its a good lunch and again a big serve! Sometimes you just want something tasty and fast!

The bright red formica tables and laminated menu are reminiscent of the 70s. We ordered a hot and sour soup and some roti to start with. The roti was good and not too greasy and the curry sauce had a good fragrance and kick to it. I would prefer it if they could get rid of the layer of oil that's floats on the top as it stops the roti from soaking up the actual curry sauce.

Mr M and I stopped by at local favourite the Old Raffles Place one night after work for a quick meal. I really enjoy the grandeur of the menu at Old Raffles, it is divided into amusingly named sections, so you can order from "the vegetable farm", "the but

Really good Char Kway Teo ($12). That is all. Chicken rice ($15) served cold. Who would like eating cold steamed chicken. Ayam Fish ($24.50) no flavor & cheap frozen fish. Service is dependent on who u were waiter is. We were served by the boss lady first. Not a very pleasant experience. Later a young chap kind of made for it.<br/>Overall a pricey affair with no authentic experience. Will probably just take away char kway teo.

Good menu. Raffles has a great variety of dishes. Reasonably priced and good sized servings. Very friendly staff.

The food was so-so. The service was very poor.

Yummy authentic Singaporean food. Can't go wrong with old raffles place! Authentic tasting Singaporean / Malaysian food.<br/>Chicken rice is a must try, and most of their fried noodles are pretty good too.

Very nice Hananiese chicken rice. Our family ordered a whole hananiese chicken rice and it was delicious. My boy ate 2 bowls of the chicken rice and he gave thumbs up for their chicken. Quite a big portion for family of 4. However, we don't quite like the chendol and Rojak. Will go back for other dishes!

Reliable local. Fantastic noodles. Chewy, sweet desserts. Cheap cocktails. Fast service. No frills fill up.

Yummy!. So delicious! great atmosphere and friendly service....food amazing! will go back to try other dishes....

NOT GOING BACK !. Omg.......... Cannot even describe how bad the service was. Although food taste pretty good but very pricey due to small portion.

Been meaning to go here for years because everyone says it's good. Finally did a few weeks back before a gig at the Tote. The very definition of cheap and cheerful. Loved it. We all did. I had Mee Goreng. Top notch Mee, and I'd know. I've now decided I've eaten so much of the stuff that I'm an expert. The owner was a classic, some good quality banter as he took the orders. It's not fine dining, but when you walk in you know it's not going to be. Ambience - slightly lacking. Food - superb.

Pleasantly surprised and a taste of home!. Finally found a place with lovely Singapore food: old raffles place in collingwood! <br/><br/>1. hainanese chicken rice: chicken was soft and tender; rice was fragrant! MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE.<br/><br/>2. old coach road 2012 sauvignon blanc: strong but still matchable with the spicy food we were having... <br/><br/>3. bbq squids with sambal: surprisingly good; squids were fresh and mix of pineapples which added to its tangy-ness.<br/><br/>4. oh so familiar jalan kayu roti prata: crispy and rich curry! <br/><br/>5. katong chicken laksa: the laksa was just the way i like it to be; i want my thick beehoon! boohoo! T_T

Very pricey and not anything spectacular.. Found the food very average, the kambing soup was good. Chicken rice was very dry and the the kway teow extremely oily. Not like it is in Singapore. Additionally, it was extremely expensive! Not what you expect for the area and the look of the establishment and average food. Overall not happy at all.

Very pricey, for the small portions. We had fried radish cake, old colonial curry roti prata and hainanese chicken rice. The fried radish cake came in large chunks, not crispy at all, was doused in large amounts of sweet sauce - not like in Singapore. The curry was ok, nothing special. The hainanese chicken was dry - I think Chinabar does a better version! Overall, average food but came at a fine dining price - prob never go back again.

Enjoyed!. Great food, cant go pass the Hainanese Chicken. It was amazing. Check the specials well, it may not be for everyone.

The fried hokkien noodles is my fav, truly authentic taste, belachan chili goes really well w it... other dishes were good too... thumbs up.. my all time favourite

Average. Only eaten there once... It was okay. We had satay, roti Prata and stir fried carrot (turnip) cake . The carrot cake was the most decent out of the 3, at least it was tasty. The roti was like cardboard and the satay was a dry roll of meat. Very uninspiring. <br/>Half the advertised dessert menu was not available (which was disappointing I wanted to have ice kachang- that's my benchmark dish at Malaysian restaurants.) we had the fried banana w ice cream- it was nothing special.

Yep, happy with that!! Really nice food, loved every dish! Very nice staff.

Raffles Place is our new found diamond in Melbourne city. Food here is excellent and most authentic. We had the Lor 29 fried Hokkien Mee which was very flavorful with generous serving of prawns and pork belly. The Lobak is meaty and is old style with a home made sweet sauce - like eating at an old coffeeshop in Singapore. Our tauhu goreng sauce is so good we scraped everything from the plate. Pulot Hitam ($3) was so fragrant with creamy coconut. We are definitely going back.

I have driven past this place very often and always wonder how is the food like. Tried it for the first time tonight. We ordered 2 of their claimed signature dishes, Hainan Chicken Rice and singapore Hokkien noddles. The food was very disappointing. The chillies sauce for the rice is hot but tasteless, the rice was a bit dry, they mixed the rice and chicken on the same plate and poured soy source on top of it, the rice has becomes too salty due to the soy sauce. The soup came with the dish was cold. The Chicken itself was ok. Instead of using cucumber , they put tomatoes and lettuce which is not suppose to be in this " original Hainan chicken rice" . The Hokkien Noddles is very bland and tasteless. We won't be back !

Choose wisely. Finally got around to giving this Old Place a go, and was really dissapointed. I wouldnt go back, cos nobody got time for that, but if youre thinking about it definitely give it a go, I think I just chose wrong. DONT GET THE GADO GADO OR THE RAFFLES SPECIAL CHICKEN AND RICE. If I find myself back there I would probably opt for a noodle dish or laksa.

First and the last time. We were delighted when we accidentally spotted this familiar name and that on the menu items that meant somethings to us. Ironically, it may be these that have raised our expectations resulting in a low rating for the food that was served. That will not be something that will draw us back as we have tasted better ones elsewhere of lesser price.<br/>On top of it, the disappointment from the difference in serving attitude rendered to us and the "ang-mos". When we walked in, one of the staff (may possibly be the boss as we heard him seemingly giving orders to others), treated us with indifference but when a group of "ang-mos" walked in, he got up and greated them personally and brought them to their table. Not a very nice experience at all.

Taste of Singapore. Great taste from street food of Singapore to top restaurant fare. Comes with the nostalgic old charm and images. Very friendly owner and staff. Highly recommended

Overated. By rave reviews from some friends who have been there, it was quite an anti-climax for me. I could discount it to Singaporean taste buds, maybe? Anyways, was excited about trying this authentic eatery, and rounded a group of friends for a nice Sunday lunch. We ordered dishes to share - Satay with peanut sauce, Char Kuey Kak, Emperor Pork Ribs, Nyonya Beef and Combination Curry laksa. Satay was a little too salty, and lacked flavour. Probably not marinated long enough or the spices were just lacking. Peanut sauce was good (my friend ate it with her rice). Char Kuey Kak, which is a fried carrot cake dish, was very close to home although it was a bit too wet. Taste was extremely close though. The Emperor pork ribs were also quite authentic (sweet and sour taste) and was probably one of the better dish of the day. Nyonya beef was not as I expected. It was dry fried with a chilli paste and lemongrass. Tasted like a vietnamese dish rather than nyonya. The Curry laksa was the biggest disappointment as it lacked flavour. We also ordered the iced coffee, teh tarik, teh ais and iced milo. All the drinks were ok, but a bit too diluted for my liking. <br/>I should probably try the place again as I see a busy crowd, including seniors who were probably from Singapore or Malaysia (from the sound of their accents). Maybe have dishes instead as they seem to fare better than their hawker fare.

Really old place but nice food. We found this place when we visited a Thai restaurant nearby. <br/><br/>We felt like we're transported to a traditional (old) Singapore eatery and we're unsure of the quality of the food. However, we were surprised that regardless of the many MANY chicken they have there we can't order them as they're 'ordered'. Boo! Who knew that we can pre-order hainanese chicken.<br/><br/>We ended up ordering Kwetiau and Laksa which were good. But too bad we couldn't have the chicken.

Strangely Nice. Old photographs of Singapore with 180 degree views of Johnson v. Wellington corner, the Hainanese Chicken Rice was respectable.

Nice, comfort food. Liked the noodle dishes. Laksa was not bad, either. My sis liked the chicken rice, but noted that it was a bit salty. We also ordered some roti and curry, but the roti looked flat and a bit tough. <br/><br/>Dessert was simple, Asian fare. Ice kachang was huge, and good to share.<br/><br/>Service was okay. We went late at night, after the dinner service rush, so the food was delivered very quickly. However, the waitress said in the previous night, some customers had to wait for 45 minutes for the meals!

Laska was good. Sat night in March. Ordered the combo laksa, roti, and chicken skeweres. All the food was nice and service prompt. We got there quite early so were one of the first people at the restaurant. The laksa is very clean - not overly oily or heavily flavoured - so it was quite a change from other laksa's we've had before. Overall was good, price was fair and lots of parking around on the roads.

Really really yum. Friendly people, delicious murtabak, rotti and more. Not the cheapest around but on the mark!

Great!. This place has great chicken rice! The rice is flavourful, the chicken is soft and tender. The chilli is a little sweet but overall its amazing! <br/><br/>A little pricey though but worth it.

Overrated to the max. This place is consistently overrated, considering the steep prices. Laksa is disappointingly bland and mild (order the chicken and your dish will lack any vegetables). Beef rendang is way too overpowering and unbalanced, BYO is steep and service, provided by the owner, is abrupt at best.

I'm reluctant to write a review because I don't want this beautiful restaurant getting ridiculously busy. The sambal kan kong makes me happy, And the lemongrass king prawns, with a touch of kaffir lime, so divine you'll burn your mouth wolfing the generous, succulent delights down. Try the whole barramundi and the beef rendang.

Worst experience ever.... As a local, I still can't believe how packed this place gets when I walk past. I usually hate to make a scene about bad service when at restaurants, but my experience at Raffles was so awful I refused to pay for my meal!<br/>After ordering and waiting 45 mins, I asked the waitress when my meal was coming & watched as my forgotten order was hurriedly prepared. The raw egg of my noodle dish was so appalling that I made a complaint to the owner. After a heated exchange, he let me leave without paying, forever traumatised. <br/><br/>Avoid at all costs!

Slowest take away ever. Food is very average but its the only place in Collingwood with hainese chicken rice so i've said bugger it and went a few times and put up with the bad service and high prices. <br/><br/>Also tried ordering take away on the phone around 3 times before i gave in. All 3 times i was told 15 mins food would be ready, only to find that the order was taken but food hasn't even started to be cooked (not because they were busy it was dead, but because they were too lazy to start), and had to wait another 20mins to get it. To make it worse after i turned up once and found that the order wasn't started, it took the owner (who is always dismissive) another 5 mins (was just walking around doing nothing) to tell the cook who then started the order. Annoyed to say the least.

Mobile review. The best Black Pepper prawns in town - massive crunchy prawns with a spicy, but not sweet black pepper sauce. I could eat these every day.

After reading the good reviews I thought I would give it a try. I think the place is overrated and nothing flash. Also charging $20 for a laksa? I've had better!

Nice low-FI decor. Had a laksa. Not bad. $15 for a big bowl. Soo much chicken. Will come back to try more but the soup was so so.

Yum. On the way to a show,myself and partner decide to pop in try try this place.We were greeted by an elderly asian man who didn't seem to friendly.Being a quiet night we were served promptly.I ordered their signature dish of hianese chicken and my partner the chicken curry. My meal came out 8 mins before my partners ,but both dishes were delicious and authentic in flavour .Will definitely be going back.

Disappointing. My friends and I are on the search for Melbourne's best Laksa and had heard great things about Raffles...<br/><br/>Unfortunately Raffles did not live up to our expectations - the broth was very coco-nutty and lacked real flavour, and the spice… well it was non-existent.<br/><br/>My chilli loving friend who asked for it extra spicy and chilli's on the side was promptly told that Raffles doesn't have fresh chillies and only has a pickled version - what type of Malaysian/ Asian restaurant does not stock fresh chilli?!?!<br/><br/>Also if you order a non-vegetarian laksa i.e Chicken - you don't get any vegetables at all ...NONE<br/><br/>Out of the all places in Melbourne this was the most disappointing for me

Expensive, under whelming, lack flavor, and just plain disappointing..insults further with small portion size.

Great food but a bit pricey. I love the food there! totally authentic feel. <br/>the food was a bit pricey though.

Taste and portion has definitely gone downnnn compared to the last time I was here.. When conpared to other malaysian/singaporean restaurants available in Melbourne, for the price you pay, it is not worth it, full stop. Looking at the table, portion is probably a third to half of what you get in other restaurants for less $. I tried to overlook portion size, but what irked me most is, taste is blend compared to my raving review here on urbanspoon a few months back.

Very good laksa. I tried this place a few months back and wasn't wowed. The seafood laksa was good but I decided to try around. After trying Blue Chilli, Rice Queen and a few of the Asian restaurants on Vic St I have to say that Old Raffles is BY FAR THE BEST. Very good serve of seafood, or veg if you get the vegetarian opton, the spring rolls were fresh and crisp, not oily and fillingless. I've resigned to the fact that a good laksa costs $15, no longer $10 - but it's worth paying the difference. I'm glad I gave it a second chance and will definitely be returning regularly for laksa in the future.

The hokkien mee, both version of char kway teow and mee goreng is horrendous. I have never tasted the noodles cooked this way before. The restaurant was once well known for it's authenticity. Looks like it lost it's charm.

The best Singaporean Restaurant in Melbourne. It's very hawker style so don't expect fancy. Those craving for that authentic Singaporean taste would find this restaurant satisfying. I'm drooling as I think of the dishes - especially rojak! :)

Totally Authentic. This place has the best Singapore hawker food that can be found in Melbourne. Authentic char tow kuey, char kway teow, indian mee goreng... the list goes on. The portion for the seafood dishes are generous and well priced, everything is so fresh. The ambiance is homely and sincere. I have been back many times over the years, and it never fails to please.

OMG - The Laksa is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!. Authentic? Hell yes!<br/>Best Laksa in town? Damn straight<br/>Spicy and creamy and the right combination of everything. I'm addicted and have to have one every week.<br/>Oh God, I love you Old Raffles Laksa!<br/>Try the spicy deep fried calamari too, it will blow your head off, sooooooo good.<br/>Oh and the fish curry is amazing as is the prawn curry, seriously you can't go past this place!

Started off bad and got worse.. It was not a busy night at all, but still spent ages waiting for a seat with my partner with the staff seemingly oblivious to our presence. Meal took one hour to come without an explanation. Rice was cold, beef rendang overly salty and the seafood hotpot had chunks of uncooked fish! Admittedly we weren't charged for this dish, and it may have been a bad night, however this was way below satisfactory.

Quality?!. Quality not in line with a traditional Singapore food

Been coming here for years and the quality has dropped. Especially with takeaways. The food isn't fresh and cheap cuts of meat are used especialliy beef. And this doesn't transalate into their pricing ...$18-21 for mains is what you pay in a good Italian restaurant without lino tablecloth!! Overpriced for not very good food.

Two thumbs up. As far as foreign cuisine in Australia goes, this is as authentic as they come and is probably among the best Singaporean fare you will find outside Singapore itself. The roti prata, chye tow kuey (carrot cake) and char kway teow (fried broad rice noodles) all hit the right notes. This no-holds-barred Singaporean food can be fiery and greasy and is best chased down with a cool crisp beer. Toast to the affordable and reasonable prices too.

Only place in Melbourne that serves authentic Singaporean char kway teow (the sweet kind-hurray!

Not bad. Could do with more vegetables in their dishes but may be this is just Singaporean style.

Great place to enjoy a casual meal their menu is extensive and fairly well priced for what you get. At times during their busier parts it can feel quiet cluttered having to weave between people.

Most original singaporian food in this town.

The restaurant is divided into 2 parts, the kitchen & the dining area. The walls are painted pink and is lined with old colonial photos of Singapore and write ups from Elizabeth Chow. The furniture is old and colourful but it just gives this place a lot o