After 25 Years, The Old Raffles Place Has Closed

Alan and Carol Han opened Singaporean restaurant The Old Raffles Place on the corner of Johnston and Wellington streets in Collingwood back in 2000.

When it first opened, the Hans’ diner served coffee and cafe staples like bacon and eggs. But when customers from the Singaporean diaspora started requesting classic dishes from the Southeast Asian country, the couple changed up the menu. The restaurant quickly became beloved for serves like nasi goreng, duck laksa and chye tow kueh (aka carrot cake) – a dish of shredded rice flour coated white radish, eggs and preserved turnip, stir-fried in dark sweet sauce.

“The Old Raffles Place has held its final service,” the restaurant wrote in an Instagram post. “It marks the end of a remarkable era, 25 years, during which a humble family restaurant in Collingwood had the privilege of creating a space for many to connect and make memories in this journey we call life. Thank you all for having been a part of its history.”