COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – BF Paranaque is a foodie’s haven. It is teeming with fast food chains, established restaurants and promising startups. They also cover a lot of cuisines, from the usual Korean and Japanese to less popular ones like Singaporean.
Sir Raffles Food House is an example of a restaurant that offers authentic Singaporean cuisine in the area (if not the only one). Craving for something different – meaning not Jollibee or Tropical Hut – my three friends and I ended up checking out Sir Raffles Food House one late Sunday night.
The place is cozy-looking; the tables and chairs are nothing fancy, the tablecloths are plain – a little tacky even, and there is a TV set. Interestingly, there are also some stuff for sale, like perfumes, little toys, and souvenirs from Singapore.
We were the only ones in Sir Raffles that night. Good because we could choose where to sit, bad because that could mean that the place is bad. Ronnie Teo, the owner, welcomed us and suggested dishes to try. A waitress, garbed in a dress with pretty prints, instantly approached us and asked for our orders. It didn’t take long before our first few orders arrived. Impressive.
The Roti with Curry Dip (P85) was just right. But when we got to taste the Laksa Soup (PP295), we knew we made the right choice; it was very strong and tasty, and it didn’t scrimp on ingredients.
The Nasi Goreng (P395) was a meal on its own, but it became even more special when we partnered it with their Hainanese Chicken (P295).
I have to highlight Mr. Teo’s nice gesture, too: he gave us a couple of free stuff, from a side dish of fired beansprouts in fish sauce to a dessert made of milk, ice, beans and corn kernels. He even gave us pens!
I (with or without my companions that night) will definitely go back to Sir Raffles. Apart from their very satisfying Naicha (P85), they also have no service charge and they don’t put MSG on any of their dishes.
And there are lots of other dishes that I want to try, such as Popiah or Singapore Spring Rolls (P150), Prawn Flavored Fried Chicken (P295), Bamboo Shell with Black Bean Sauce (P195), and Mixed Mushroom Soup (P295).
They also have a bunch of exotic offerings like Salt and Pepper Frogs (P350), Soya Pigeon (P595), and Grilled Stingray (P395).
My only issue is that a lot of their dishes (Bak Kut The, Char Kway Teow, Bak Chor Mee) don’t have a translation or a description, which is bad for those who are not familiar with Singaporean dishes or are too shy to ask the waitress or the owner about it. Not much of a deal-breaker though.
They don’t have much to offer, too, when it comes to desserts, just Pulut Hitam (P45) and Agar-agar Jelly (P55). Good thing their Naicha is really, really good.
Sir Raffles Food House
298 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City
Tel. 826-0105
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Coconuts Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Manila. No freebies here.
