Old School Delights (OSD) has new outlets at The Esplanade Mall and City Square Mall.
Old School Delights (OSD) at Upper Thomson is a retro school-themed cafe. It rides on the psychological phenomena where we tend to remember more good times and less negative things as we get older. No matter how much we might have disliked school, we would still tend to gush when a cafe is dressed up to remind us of school.
Old School Delights has a rustic interior design featuring mosaic wall tiles, blackboards and paraphernalia from the 70s. There are many interesting details, well thought out and well put together, which help to evoke memories of old schooldays.
The menu features simple traditional favourites like curry chicken, laksa, nasi lemak and hainanese chicken cutlet. There are banana cake, butter cake and other desserts for those who want something sweet.
Their signature dish is the Mee Siam ($5.80). The secret recipe is one handed down by a grand-aunt of the cafe owners. The rempah (spice paste) for the gravy is what made the Mee Siam at OSD special. The rempah is made from fresh ingredients, grounded and slow cooked each day. The Mee Siam was presented with big pieces of tau kwa and strips of tau pok. The thick gravy was slightly spicy and had a good combination of sweetness and sourness. The bee hoon was cooked just right – soft but not soggy. The Mee Siam tasted good. The nostalgic atmosphere must have enhanced the pleasure of eating the simple dish.
The OSD Chendol ($4.50) is the type with a base of coconut milk, and shaved ice drizzled with gula melaka added. Served this way, you could taste the distinct elements of the Chendol. The jelly had a nice green colour and was irregular in shape (quite unlike those factory-made jelly you find in some food courts). The OSD Chendol was not too sweet and had just the right amount of coconut milk. It was not exceptional, but was a refreshing and enjoyable dessert.
The staff was friendly and the atmosphere was warm and relaxed. Old School Delights certainly did bring back memories of recess time in the school canteen.
We probably would not go out of our way just to eat at Old School Delights. However, if we are in the area then OSD would be a good place for simple traditional local dishes or snacks. There is a popular roti prata house along Upper Thomson Road near OSD; so perhaps, “First To Prata Then To School” !
Ratings:
Food: 3
Service : 3
Value : 3
Atmosphere : 4
Overall Rating : 3 TOPs
Average price per person for lunch : $13
Old School Delight
215M Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 574349
Opening Hours:
Tue – Fri: 11:30 am – 10:30 pm
Sat – Sun: 11:00 am – 10:30 pm
Nearby Stations : Marymount
#Street fact – Thomson Road is named after John Turnbull Thomson, the Government Surveyor and Chief Engineer for the Straits Settlement from 1841 to 1853. The Scot was responsible for extending road network into Singapore’s interior.
The Ordinary Patrons
Singapore Food Blog by Ordinary People looking for Places to Eat
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What a cute place! Mee Siam looks real good 😀
Yes, it is a very nice place and we love the detailed touches they have added – such as the table numbers on little toy boxes, with actual retro toys inside, paper bags and the old biscuit tins.
This looks like such a cute place to eat! I’m going to go to Singapore next month and I’ve heard great things about the food- what are some of your recommendations? Thanks in advance 😀
Hi, there is truly a wide variety of interesting and good food in Singapore. Things that you should try are Chilli Crabs, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa, Satay and Peranakan dishes. Head to Tiong Bahru market or Maxwell Road market for the Singapore food centre delights. Chepati in Norris Road would also be a great experience. Alternatively, go to Tangs Market right in Orchard Road which offers a good selection of Singapore traditional street food in air-conditioned comfort. Nice restaurants we would recommend would be Fordham & Grand at Craig Road and White Rabbit at Dempsey. Let us know the area you will be staying in and we can point you to places nearby or easily accessible from where you will be. Cheers.
Oooh, thank you so much for your advice! I think I’m staying near Orchard Road but will definitely be going to the food centres and also try out chilli crab and roti prata etc. I’ve heard that there’s also ice cream served in bread that’s served in stalls on Orchard Road- that sounds pretty interesting!
Once again thanks for the advice and if you ever come to Hong Kong I’d be happy to give you some food suggestions 😀