Rang Mahal
Level 3 Pan Pacific Singapore
7 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square
Tel: 6333-1788

WHEN Rang Mahal underwent a complete face-lift last year, it shed its dark-wood interiors for something more contemporary yet rooted in Indian tradition: clean lines and sleek neutral-toned fittings of stone, antique brass and timber, materials traditionally used to make Indian artefacts.

Designed by award-winning architect Chan Soo Khian, the new look is far more representative of the offerings at this 37-year-old stalwart of Indian fine-dining – food that is 'with the times", yet has a very clear idea of where it came from.

On the menu are ingredients atypical to Indian cuisine such as foie gras, New Zealand oysters and Norwegian salmon. These, however, are baked in a tandoor or cooked in traditional marinades, albeit with olive or vegetable oil instead of ghee for health reasons.

For those who prefer to stick to the traditional, there are dishes like 'Delhi's Famous Kachori" – crisp little flour puffs filled with a tangle of refreshing mint-laced sprouts topped with tangy chutney – and nalli gosht qorma, lamb shanks simmered in a rich gravy with saffron, cardamom and roasted almonds.

Diners can also call on the restaurant's team of experienced chefs – who hail from India's north, south and coastal areas – to prepare fluffy, fresh-off-the-stove breads for them at the mobile live bread bar. The chefs' repertoire includes deliciously fragrant phulka (traditional Indian wheat bread) and olive-and-tomato kulcha (a type of Punjabi bread).

With its combination of fine flavours and chic décor, it's safe to say that Rang Mahal has – to a large extent – fulfilled its aim of successfully combining authentic fare with contemporary ideals. And as a bonus, service here is excellent too.

Samy's Curry (Dempsey)
25 Dempsey Road
Tel: 6472-2080

SAMY'S Curry is a fiery hotspot amid an oasis of cool. Way before the Dempsey area became one of Singapore's trendiest dining enclaves, M Veerasamy was cooking up his signature South Indian fare within the Civil Service Club, one of the buildings at this former army barracks.

In 1982, his son V Maheyndran took over the business, establishing it as one of the go-to places for banana-leaf dining and fish head curry.

He has since semi-retired, leaving the running of the place to his wife and two children, who continue to do a roaring trade in tasty food that's doled out, army-style, onto your leaf as you sit around wooden tables in the non-airconditioned space. (Although Samy's was freshened up a year ago – it had its walls painted, furniture changed and ceiling brought down to make it easier for repairs to be done – it still retains a casual, no-frills look that its regulars love.)

The restaurant's menu, on the other hand, has all the trappings you'd find at a South Indian restaurant (some dishes from the North have made it onto the menu too), from masala crab and curry squid to mutton mysore and cabbage dhal.

Signature dishes include the tender masala chicken marinated to a rich crimson hue ($4.50 per portion) and fat cutlets stuffed with fresh fish and mashed potato ($1.50 per portion). There's also the popular fish head curry (from $17 for a small portion), a mixture of succulent fish and super spicy gravy whose fire you can try to put out with rice, naan or the restaurant's fresh lime juice.

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Muthu's Curry
#01-01, 138 Race Course Road
Tel: 6392-1722

AS ONE of the pioneering Indian restaurants in Singapore, Muthu's Curry opened its humble doors in 1969 and created the tradition of eating with banana leaves upon which waiters would deposit copious amounts of white or yellow rice and curries of various orangey hues.

But now that the second generation has taken over, Muthu's has gone from grungy to chic with the complete transformation of its original outlet as well as its second outlet in Suntec City.

With the use of textured Indian fabric, artworks and an open tandoor, both Muthu's – incidentally, 'muthu" is Tamil for "pearl" – are now smart casual restaurants that you can both dress up or dress down to dine in.

Its claim to fame is the fish head curry – created by its founder Mr Ayyakkannu – and which has since become the symbol of Indian restaurants despite many Indian nationals maintaining that no such dish exists in the motherland.

But if it's a Singaporean creation, all the better since it's one of the most favourite dishes of Singaporean foodies. Muthu's fish head curry is certainly not to be trifled with – rich, thick and in-your-face with its strong flavours and slightly bitter aftertaste.

At Muthu's you can have both South and North Indian cooking, so in addition to the fish head curry you also have masalas, curries and briyanis. And since the tandoor plays a big role in the restaurant, the Northern Indian selection is equally comprehensive.

Expect hot fluffy naans in myriad flavour combinations and, of course, its trademark tandoor dishes like the always-popular chicken tandoori, chicken tikka and different kinds of kebabs. And just as important, you eat in comfortable, upmarket surroundings, far removed from the heat of Little India.

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Tandoor North Indian Restaurant
Basement, Holiday Inn Park View,
Tel: 6730-0153/6733-8333

BACK in the days when Indian food in Singapore meant fish head curry, banana leaves and all kinds of curries and chutneys that you could slop on them without splattering on your shirt, a restaurant opened to offer a different kind of Indian specialty – tandoori.

The wonders of a tandoor clay oven were introduced to Singapore in 1985 when Tandoor offered a cultural as well as dining experience complete with dinner performances. At the time it was considered one of the fanciest joints in town and while it has fallen off the mantle of glamour in the face of new, media savvy upstarts, it is still a place to go for traditionalists who just want well-made naans and juicy tandoori chicken.

The restaurant went through a bit of a makeover last year but the menu items remain the same. Besides its signature tandoori chicken, Tandoor does a succulent lobster version as well as fish – the chefs' experience means that the ingredients are brought out at the precise moment so you don't have to endure the disappointment of an overcooked piece of meat or fish.

But don't turn up your nose at the other dishes – classics like palak paneer, butter chicken, kebabs and the like. Deep fried spicy ladies fingers and spiced grilled fish are also recommended. A daily set lunch and weekend brunch are also available.

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The Song of India
33 Scotts Road
Tel: 6836-0055

MILIND Sovani made his name as the executive chef of top-ranking Indian restaurant Rang Mahal before he decided to strike out on his own in a lush tropical oasis set in the middle of bustling Scotts Road.

In 2008, he turned a black and white colonial bungalow on that stretch into an elegant fine dining restaurant – one of a bare handful of fine dining Indian eateries in Singapore – complete with marble floors, chandeliers, and crisp white tablecloths.

The idea was to serve traditional Indian food, but with a modern twist – not too unlike the current move towards modern Chinese cuisine – where food is not served communal style but in individual platings, and where tasting menus and even a Sunday brunch are offered.

While the food is Indian in origin, what comes to your table looks like something you would be served in a French fine-dining restaurant, with its very Western style presentation and use of ingredients.

For example, foie gras is delicately spiced with star anise masala and pan-fried, while lobster is pan-seared and served with a delicate Kerala moily sauce. Meanwhile, his signature starter would be the stuffed jumbo prawns with crayfish and shrimp in a tandoori marinade.

There's none of that rib-sticking heavy Indian fare here - the food is lighter on the stomach and easy on the eye. Different regional cooking styles are featured, including Lucknow, Goa and Kerala.
Classic dishes like Goan fish curry and roganjosh are tender and delicate without being overwhelmed by heavy sauces, and the tandoori items are among the best in town.

There are two clay ovens in the show kitchen area, which churn out tender and tasty naans, meats and seafood.

To top it off, there's a long wine list – all the more to cement its position in the fine dining league.

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Banana Leaf Apollo
56 Race Course Road
Tel: 6293-8682/6293-5054

IT'S amazing what a thrill first-timers get when they eat off a banana leaf rather than regular crockery, and it's no wonder that the humble banana leaf has acquired some kind of iconic status in this restaurant.

Banana Leaf Apollo has been around since 1974, and even though it has opened a branch in Serangoon Road, the original location still holds strong appeal for those in search of the ultimate Indian food experience in Singapore.

Besides its proud claims of the banana leaf having medicinal value while being hygienic and environmentally friendly, people just go to Banana Leaf Apollo for the food. It's no nonsense, familiar food, featuring a combination of North and South Indian specialities.

The fish head curry is, of course, a big draw – high turnover means that the fish head is generally fresh and even a small $20 version give you a very decent sized head swimming in a pool of gravy that is more tamarind-based which makes it less heavy and cloying than other versions.

Banana Leaf's food is heavily salted and there's nothing at all sophisticated about the cooking – it's just solid, dependable food that doesn't pretend to be anything else.

The naans are good – stretchy with a good bite and perfect for dipping into the rich gravy of the fiery red butter chicken or the mutton mysore. And, of course, there's the free flow of pappadum.

As far as Indian food in Singapore goes, Banana Leaf Apollo remains a tradition among Singaporeans – it's one of the must-eat places whenever foreign guests come to town. It's practically an institution, and looks set to stay that way.

Vansh
Stadium Waterfront, Singapore Indoor Stadium
Tel: 6345-4466

VANSH (which means 'a new generation within the family" – it's sister to Rang Mahal) created a splash when it opened along the Kallang River in 2001 because it resembled no Indian restaurant Singapore had seen before.

Instead of the traditional burnished-gold-and-wood interior, the 70-seater space was dressed in jewel tones of purple and crimson. The usual intricate wood carvings and gilt-framed paintings had been eschewed for funky mosaic walls and avant garde sculptures.

And even the pappadums were presented in an unconventional manner, rolled up like fat cigars and served upright in wine glasses instead of being borne to the plate with a pair of tongs.

Seven years on, the novelty of the décor has worn off a little but the restaurant is still going strong, thanks to some solid cooking from the open kitchen that, ironically, is quite traditional.

There's a range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian regional food that includes biryanis, kebabs and curries. The masaledar chicken biryani ($18) is especially good, comprising tender boneless chicken chunks that are marinated in top-grade spices imported from India and cooked with delicate basmati rice.

A tomato-based dish of baby aubergines ($15) is a tasty, tangy vegetarian option and the firm and flavourful tawa prawns ($25), seared on an Indian griddle, are also a good show of the chefs' culinary skill.

While Vansh is pretty quiet during lunchtime (being in a bit of an inconvenient location if you only have an hour or two to spare), it's a good dinner venue.

Apart from the food, you can have after-dinner drinks at a separate bar area that doubles up as an event space, or – if the weather's fine – take it outside to one of the 28 al fresco seats.

Shahi Maharani
252 North Bridge Road
#03-21B Raffles City Shopping Centre
(Level 3 Fairmont Singapore)
Tel: 6235-8840

SHAHI Maharani translates to 'royal queen" in Hindi, and for the most part this North Indian restaurant lives up to its name, serving fine fare that's royally good.

The extensive menu boasts a full range of well-done, authentic dishes such as crab mirchiwala (succulent lumps of crab meat cooked with diced green peppers, tomatoes and spices served sizzling on a skillet, $29) and raan sikandra (young leg of lamb coated with tomatoes, cashews and spices, from $30 for half).

Don't miss out on the naan here: available in eight varieties, from plain and butter naans to the more uncommon moti (sesame seed) and keema (spicy minced mutton) ones, every type is pillow-soft and wonderfully fragrant.

According to Shahi Maharani, the chefs in its kitchen have 5-star-hotel backgrounds, which explains the consistently good cooking that's been turned out since the restaurant established itself in Raffles City in 2001 (it first started out as Maharani restaurant in Far East Plaza in 1983).

Although Shahi Maharani – outfitted in ornate wooden furniture and gilded trimmings that were mostly imported from India – is starting to look a little tired after seven years at its current premises, it makes up for this with cheerful and efficient service.

At night, a live band strikes up on the restaurant's in-house stage, injecting even more pizzazz into the Maharani's palace.

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Yantra
163 Tanglin Road, #01-28/33 (Access from Tanglin Mall)
Tel: 6836-3088

YANTRA is barely six months old but already it seems to be flying pretty high on the radar of Indian food lovers. Opened by the owners of lifestyle store iwannagohome, Yantra is naturally decorated in a style that is modern chic with an Asian slant.

The highlight of the restaurant is its open kitchen concept where four tandoor ovens specially custom-made in Australia churn out fluffy naans and an arsenal of charcoal-grilled kebabs and other marinated meats and vegetables.

Chefs from India will also entertain by twirling wafer thin discs of dough into the air before cooking it over a dome shaped pan and offering it to you as a delicate 'handkerchief roti".

The house specialities are definitely the tandoor-cooked items. You'll be hard put to decide which would be your favourite – the mild reshmi chicken kebab, cigar-shaped mutton sheekh kebab, achari chicken tikka, burrah chops (bone-in lamb chops intensely flavoured and coated in a thick drip-free sauce) or melt-in- the-mouth galawti kebab – an unusual, creamy soft medallion of pureed meat and spices on top of a small round of prata-like pastry.

The curries are also excellent and a must-have to go with the naans. And because the desserts' sweetness have been toned down, they're safe to enjoy without sending your sugar levels sky high.

Yantra may be a new kid on the block, but it's certainly no pushover.

Kinara North-West Frontier Cuisine
57 Boat Quay
Tel: 6533-0412

'KINARA" in Punjabi apparently means "riverbank", which could explain its choice of location in Boat Quay. Even if the area is losing its lustre compared to other hotspots in town, visitors can still expect a little journey to exotic India once they enter this restaurant.

Understatement is certainly not Kinara's mantra as its decor is full-blown maharajah opulence, with its huge carvings, ancient wooden arches and carved wooden columns. There are three Kinaras in Singapore, including one in East Coast and the other in Holland Village – all are similarly kitted out and share pretty much the same menu.

Check out its signature momos starters of little chicken dumplings infused with Nepalese herb or the malai seekh kebab made of minced lamb heavily spiced with herbs and shaped into a long cigar and cooked in the tandoor. The kashmiri roganjosh features cubes of lamb marinated in 14 spices.

Kinara's naan selection is like a carbo candy shop – every flavour imaginable is available but the kashmiri naan is the most addictive with its startling red spread made from finely minced glace cherries and nuts which you can just eat on its own without any accompaniment.

If you're into biryani, its Hyderabad version offers a generous portion of tender and tasty yellow rice infused with the flavours of the curried lamb cooked in it. There's more but the fun is in surfing through the menu and picking your choices lucky draw style. Chances are, you won't lose.


This article was first published in The Business Times on November 10, 2008.