Iniavans: Comfort food for my Indian friend

With ChinChaiGuy


I hope you realize just how much a part of you food really is. You are what you eat - literally. Don't you find it amazing that a simple thing like milk can eventually turn into hair, flesh, fat, nerves etc etc? Well, that's all a baby eats for the first six months so whatever growth it experiences is all made from that milk! Just as amazing as how corn can turn into a mouthwatering USDA Prime Steak. But aside from being the very building blocks for your body, food has also a big role in programming your personality.

I know myself that even though I love a hamburger, the thing that I really cannot do without is rice and soy sauce. Same thing with my long time best friend, ChinChaiGuy. Being married to a Chinese girl, he has been made to eat Cantonese style steamed fish, herbal soups and the like almost every day. Exquisite cuisine to be sure -- if you are Cantonese. But for my poor friend, what he really wants, even though he is a chin chai (not fussy) kind of guy, is to dig his fingers into some rice and spice!



Now I have eaten in Little India quite a few times and I will say this -- It is good to go with an Indian friend. It's one of the few places in Singapore that I sometimes feel like a foreigner. You know how many times I get the "Pffffttt" look when I ask for fork and spoon? They really can't understand how we "chopstickers" can enjoy our food if we can't lick it off our fingers. So when I am with my friend, he does all the ordering including getting the fork and spoon for me.

Now, even though I call him the ChinChaiGuy, he really isn't all that Chin Chai. He does have restaurants that he would never go back to again and he did take a long time choosing a wife. (Well longer than me anyway and I am not Chin Chai ok?) So I can at least trust that he brought me to a decent place to eat.

This place sells South Indian food and that means lots of spicy goodness. The first thing that I would recommend is the Dum Briyani. For those who complained that the Briyani at Ali Nachia was a little to plain, you would be happy with this one. This is chicken Dum briyani and each and every grain of rice is coated with curry spices. I nearly thought I was eating rice mixed with curry, but then again that is what Dum Briyani is. 4/5

Now all the rest of the curries were pretty good as well. I enjoyed most of them, but you know, I just felt there was not one that stood head over the rest. Not that I can remember anyway, cos after a while, the taste of all that spice becomes un-differentiable and all I could sense was the heat. It was just like the first time ChinChaiGuy invited me to his home in Sec 1 and his mother's curry was so hot that I spent the rest of the night gasping for air in the void deck. My friend, on the other hand, went home truly rejuvenated that day with enough fiery spice in him to prepare an equally fiery Sunday sermon that coming week. Just in case you want to hear what the curry did to the sermon, please click here. (Title of the sermon was: "Is there more to life than this?" It should have been "Is there more to life than curry?)

Conclusion

Overall a pretty decent meal, but then again it tastes much the same as many other Southern Indian eateries in Little India. I am not a big expert when it comes to spicy food and I must admit that I don't really have a favourite place for South Indian food.

So where would you all recommend for a die die must try South Indian joint?

Iniavans Indian Cuisine
37 Chandar Road
Tel: 62965915

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Saravana Bhavan: Intentionally Vegetarian

With iwatch_ueat, Nuffthing and davienne

Ghee Roast "Rocket" Dosa Masala $3

I have said it before and I will repeat it again. Of all the different vegetarian cuisines, the one that would come closest to converting me into a herbivore has to be Indian vegetarian. Yes, it comes closest but I am still far from chanting "Fish are friends, not food"!

Very far.

But you know, the day may come when I finally have to succumb to having to lower my cholesterol levels and protecting my heart. Thankfully, I have not reached that stage just yet.

If you have been to Chennai, you will know of this very famous restaurant chain. If you have not, you might not -- but now you do, like I did. This restaurant was recommended by one of our readers, Raihana Starbuck, who quite kindly shared her family's favourite eating spot with all of us. She said that "this is the only place in Singapore which has food like what it does in India". Having never had the opportunity to visit India, I thought I might go try it out and get a taste of some "real" Indian food.

What struck me most about the place is the apparent mismatch between the prices and the environment. For $3, you could sit down and enjoy the Ghee Roast Masala Dosa in air-conditioned comfort. And the Dosa was excellent, crispy and thin on the outside with a soft fluffy centre. The coconut and onion tomato chutneys tasted fresh and had a nice bite to it. The addition of the Ghee to the Dosa really gave it even more ooompph, which of course does not help if you are eating this to cut down on your cholesterol intake. The only drawback was the (potato) masala which could have been more tasty. 4.25/5


Idli $2.80

Nuffthing asked what this dish was. So I described it to him as "Wha Kor Kueh" in curry, which I thought came quite close. Idlis are steamed rice cakes which is what Wha Kor Kueh is. In retrospect, I think I should have likened it to Putu Piring without the gula melaka. At any rate, the idli is served in their standard dhal and drizzled with ghee which as I mentioned earlier, always adds oommmph to any dish like how pork lard does to Chinese dishes. 4/5


Vadai $2.20 for 2

The Vadais were served fresh and were nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy and savoury within. My only complaint by this stage is that they seem to serve the same dhal for every dish. I was kinda hoping to taste something different. But I guess it is my own fault for not knowing what to order. 4/5


Masala Tea $1.30

Don't forget to wash the whole meal down with some Masala Tea. Masala Tea, like Teh Halia is a wonderful way to finish off the meal as it serves to wash down all that spice and oil and aids in the digestion of the food. Aside from that, the four of us had some fun practicing our Teh Tarik skills on the table. Some Masala Teas can go a little too heavy on the spices, but I found this one just nice. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Well, I really enjoyed the whole experience and managed to save a few chickens in the process. Truth be said, I don't think I have ever had bad Indian vegetarian food. Then again I haven't really looked. Actually I wouldn't mind going on an Indian vegetarian trail to find the best Indian vegetarian food in Singapore. Perhaps you all can write in and let me know?

Update: 7 Sep 2008

Update: 30 Nov 2008

TKY has informed us that the restaurant is now situated at 86 Syed Alwi Road Singapore 207663.

Saravana Bhavan
86 Syed Alwi Road
207663
62977755
7.30am to 11pm daily

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Sitara: On the hunt for the perfect Naan!

With damien, liverpool, iwatch_ueat and introducing our travelling Aussie foodie: Blindate

Butter Chicken $12.50

This restaurant was recommended by one of the many "Anonymous" readers of the blog in the Tandoori Restaurant blog. He mentioned that the food here was similar to Tandoori, but the prices were slightly lower. Now that sounds good to me!

When we got to the restaurant, we discovered that both restaurants were actually under the same ownership! A quick glance at the prices confirmed that the prices in general are around 20% less. The butter chicken costs $12.50 here compared to $15 at Tandoori. Could it be that I could get the same standard food at Tandoori at a 20-30% discount?


Keema Kulcha $4.50

The Keema Kulcha (Naan with minced mutton) was the first to arrive and the sight of the Naan gave us a very good first impression. The Naan bread was soft and chewy, the way it should be. The flavour of the mutton keema was good, though it was quite mild and did not have a strong spicy mutton flavour. You'd be disappointed if you were expecting it to be like a murtabak. 4/5 However, it was great when dipped in the mild, creamy butter chicken gravy. The butter chicken was very good. Mild, creamy and very tasty, it was different from the one at Tandoori, but just as good with the Naan bread. Hard pressed to say which one I prefer. 4.5/5

The plain Naan was a big disappointment, instead of being soft and chewy like the Keema Kulcha, they were stretched too thin and so were hard and un-pliable. Not good, not good. 3/5


Keema Mattar $11

The Keema Mattar here is quite good though again it was a bit on the mild side. Not for those who like their fiery, but for me it was quite good. 4/5


Paneer Tikka $8

At last we come to the Paneer Tikka which is currently my favourite Tandoori dish. I got hooked on this after my visit to Tandoori Restaurant and have been trying to find a cheaper version which is equally shiok. Unfortunately this wasn't it. I was expecting the Paneer to have the same creamy quality as the other side, but it was flat and the tikka seasoning did not have that ooomph. 3/5

Conclusion

Overall, a mixed review. Some stuff were really good, some bombed out. If I were craving for really good Naan, I think I will stick to Tandoori. But if budget is a factor, then this place does serve pretty decent North Indian food at reasonable prices.

Sitara Restaurant
291 Serangoon Road
#01-01 Serangoon Building
(Opp Mustafa's)
62913211

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Sin Hoe Hin KL Wanton Mee: Wanton Mee Challenge Part 3 of 3

With the ieatfamily

$5 portion with extra ingredients

If I asked you where you can find the best Wanton Mee, Little India would probably be the last place you would think about. But hidden amongst the maze of spice shops, restaurants and colourful textile shops is a rather old and run down coffeeshop that serves a mean Wanton Mee.

This is one Wanton Mee that is anything but simple. Every plate is chock full of roasted char siew, fried sui gao, fried wanton, boiled sui gao, boiled wanton, lard bits and watercress. Yes, you heard right, they use Xi Yang Chai (Watercress) instead of the usual Chye Sim and I really enjoyed it! The sight of the black sauce with all the ingredients bathing in it looked so good, I really had to struggle to take the pictures while everyone else were busily tucking into the noodles.

In case you are wondering, the sauce is made up of a special stock, Lee Kum Kee Oyster sauce and this special Thick Black Sauce (pic right) that is only available in Malaysia. Phwa Malaysia really Boleh!



The noodles are specially ordered from a Hong Kong Noodle maker and were excellent although I still felt that Fei Fei's were better. The charsiew is also procured from a "famous" but secret charsiew stall and was also very good. The most enjoyable bit for me was the freshly fried Sui Gao. The Sui Gao is made from pork, prawns, wood ear fungus and water chestnuts and were substantial and juicy. Soak it momentarily in the rich dark sauce and eat with a mouthful of noodles and the familiar Berlinda Carlisle song would start ringing in your ears: "OOooooh heaven is a place on earth!" $3 4.6/5

What is very interesting is that the Lao Ban Niang is Taiwanese! Now, how come it takes a Taiwanese to teach Singaporean how to make Malaysian Wanton Mee? She took over the stall from a Malaysian lady 8 years ago and learnt the ropes from her.

Conclusion

Almost there. I have finally found a Wanton Mee that I can rave about. If you asked me, the perfect bowl of Wanton Mee would have the noodles and wantons from Fei Fei, the sauce and fried sui gao and watercress from this stall and the char siew from Foong Kee. At this moment though, this would be the one Wanton Mee I would bring Anthony Bourdain to if he wants to try Wanton Mee in Singapore. (In your dreams ieat...in your dreams!)

Update: 4 June 2008

The stall has since closed and we are still trying to find them!

Sin Hoe Hin KL Dark Sauce Wanton Mee
12 Rowell Road
7.30am to 1.30pm
62932881
Closed on Tuesdays

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Tandoori Restaurant: There is Naan like you!

With liverpool and iwatch_ueat


In my quest to find the ultimate Briyani in Singapore, I was recommended this restaurant which sells a $11.50 Lamb Dum Briyani which I alluded to in my Hamid's Briyani post. So I have been plotting to try this since before the CNY break. Before I get to the Briyani, let me just highlight some of the other really good stuff here.

I really enjoyed the Paneer Tikka (Cottage Cheese). They use a very special cottage cheese imported from India and there is a marked difference in the texture. You might be wondering why it had to be imported from India? It turns out that this cheese is made from fresh milk straight from the cow and and it is a noticeable difference. The cheese is firm on the outside but soft, crumbly and creamy on the inside. One of the best version of Paneer Tikka I have tasted. $12.90 4.25/5



Butter Chicken is to North Indian cuisine what Har Kow/Siew Mai is to Tim Sum.... for me at least. I never fail to order Butter Chicken with Naan bread when eating at a Tandoori Restaurant. So far I have found that Butter Chicken in Singapore tends to be very spicy. I have never eaten this in India so I don't know what the Gold Standard is. In Australia, Butter Chicken is mild and creamy so I always thought it catered to the Ang Moh taste. The version here is more akin to what I used to eat in Australia and I was told by Restaurant owner, Ceejay, that it is more like what they serve in India than what you usually find in Singapore.

I loved the butter chicken here. It was rich and creamy and dipping a piece of fresh Naan into the sauce is definitely one of my top 10 favourites eats of all time! $15 4.5/5



This picture is for those who are wondering what the inside of the Tandoor (Clay Oven) looks like. After the dough is flattened, it is stuck to the side of the Tandoor and within 2-3 minutes it is ready to eat. The concept of the Tandoor is really a very similar to the oven that Fatty Cheong uses to cook his CharSiew. Charcoal is placed at the bottom of the Tandoor which is essentially a big Clay Urn. However, it is not so simple to get a good Tandoor. A good Tandoor is made from a special Clay that is only found on the banks of a particular river in the Northern part of India (where the cuisine originated from).

The Naans here are very good. Especially good is the Cheese Naan which is stuffed with a mixture of cottage and mozarella cheese. My only complaint is that at $5+ per Cheese Naan, it was hard for me to eat till I was completely satisfied. 4.5/5



We finally come to the Briyani. It was very good but as I had alluded to earlier, it would take a lot for a $11.50 Briyani to beat Hamid's Briyani in terms of "per dollar shiokness". Most of the cost for the Briyani is on the lamb rather than the rice. Unlike Hamid's, this is a Dum Briyani which means that the lamb is cooked together with the rice. The lamb was very tender as they use the meat around the rib area. $11.50+ 4/5

Conclusion

I loved the Naan, Paneer Tikka and Butter Chicken and would definitely be back to eat that. The Briyani I am not so enthusiatic about since I can get more satisfaction out of a $2.50 Briyani at Hamid's. To be fair this is an air-con restaurant, so the prices are higher. However, at $15+ for a small bowl of butter chicken, one's craving to satisfy the palette is limited by the restraining hand of one's wallet.

8/10 (T3.5+V1.5+S2+E1)

Note:
$11.50+ means you need to add an additional service charge of 10% so price of the Briyani is actually $12.65

Tandoori Restaurant
320, Serangoon Road #01-26/27/28
62942232, 62936072
Ceejay Singh 96721090
8am -11am Indian Buffet Breakfast $5 per head
11am-11.30pm daily for ala-carte meals

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786 (Azmi Restaurant): Same food, same coffeeshop since 1944

With mien, smart, accidental foodie, iwatch_ueat, fertilefoodie


For those who want a taste of a blast from the past, head down to the junction of Norris and Serangoon road and you will find an "ancient" coffeeshop run by a whole bunch of Indian Muslims who look like they've been there since 1944!

The shop's specialty are the Chapatis which are still made fresh from flour that is purchased from a flour mill just 2 shops away. You can't get fresher than that!



There are many curries here you can choose from to accompany your Chapati. What I really enjoyed was the mutton curry, potato and cauliflower and the mutton keema. 4.25/5 When you are hungry, a few pieces of whole wheat Chapatis with some curry is sure to hit the sweet spot!



I don't know how long this old man has been doing this. I tried to ask but the situation was like what we Teochews say, Zik Zia Koei Zik Zia Arh (a chicken and a duck). So we were lucky just to be able to eat and pay for the food.

Conclusion

Good food and great place to sit and think about what Singapore was like in the good old days.

786 (Azmi Restaurant)
Junction of Serangoon Rd and Norris Rd
7am - 10.20pm Daily










Acknowledgement: Recommended by mien, who has been eating here since he was knee high!

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Sri Kamala Vilas

After my last blog on Sri Vijaya's Thosai, the MakanGurus at the forum suggested that I also try Sri Kamala Vilas which served, in their opinion, even better Thosais plus they also served a pretty mean Chicken Masala.

Phwa, with a recommendation like that, I rushed down to Sri Kamala's Vilas faster than a guy needing to pee after being stuck in a really cold lecture theatre for 3 hours!



So, how does it compare? Well, the thosai masala is a little different. The curry and the white and red coconut sides are definitely better then Sri Vijayas. I never really appreciated the two coconut side dishes until now. Here it just tastes really fresh and has that extra kick in it. The curry here is also more shiok.



BUT, I prefer the pototo filling and the thosai over the other side. Don't get me wrong, the Thosai Masala here is fantastic and mom loved it. She, like the other makangurus preferred this version. For me, I liked the crispiness of the Thosai as well as the less mushy potato filling over at Sri Vijayas. 4/5



However, the Chicken Masala here is a die-die-must-try! It is as famous as it is shiok. Though it looks fiery, it is maybe 7/10 only the spicy scale, so I can still handle it. Tastewise, everyone loved it and you can see this dish on almost every table there.

Conclusion

Curry wise, you will be able to get meat curries over here and the curries are really good. For just Thosai Masala, I still prefer Sri Vijaya's but that's just me. The Teh Tarik over the at Sri Vijaya is still better as it is done the traditional way. Over here, the tea has already been premixed and comes out of one of those dispensers. Both places have their own strengths and weaknesses, so I guess you have to try both places and decide for yourself!

8.25/10 (T3.5+V3+S1+E0.75)

Sri Kamala Vilas Resaurant (not to be mistaken with Komala's Vilas)
Block 662, Buffalo Road (Tekka Market)
#01-16
Opened daily till 9.30pm



PS: This place is reputed to be TianTianChi's (another MakanGuru) favourite curry place, as well as the Grand MakanGuru's (eslim) place for Thosai.

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Thosai at Sri Vijaya: I'm tempted to go Veg

What I missed most while I was living overseas was a hot cup of Teh Tarik and Roti Prata for breakfast. Oh, you can try to make Teh Tarik yourself at home of course, but it's not going to be the same. Let me explain why.



First, you have to boil water the traditional way and that is in a big aluminium pot.



Next, put a piece of muslin cloth (Make sure its been used at least a few hundred times) over a smaller aluminium pot and pour a mound of fragrant and strong tea dust from a big plastic sack (probably from India, Indonesia or Malaysia but definitely not Lipton) into the pot. Next you add water till all the tea dust floats up and almost overflows. Strain the tea into a big stainless steel cup, add evaporated and condensed milk and get ready to........




T A R I K! (Pull). Pulling the tea adds bubbles into the tea and cools it down. Oh, it also helps if you are Indian. Adds authenticity, know what I mean?




Take a sip and let the sweet aroma of comfort flow down your throat.... gulp, smack, ahhh! Ain't nothing like a really good Teh Tarik. And this is one of the best ones I have tasted! I tried doing this at home with the same ingredients but it is just not the same. 4.5/5



Those who are a bit more adventurous may like to try the Masala Tea. Really good for clearing the palate after a spicy meal. I was told the lassi here is pretty good too, but never got around to try it. Found the spice in the Masala Tea a little to overpowering for me. 3.5/5




Fascinated to see how they actually grind the rice to make Thosai. If you never really liked Thosai before, you will see the light when you try this one. This restaurant is famous for it. They also have pratas but what you see on the tables is the Thosai. Most shops simply buy rice flour to make Thosai. Here you can taste the difference when it is done the proper way.



Please bear with me while I rave about the Thosai. Crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. Never had it so good before. And the curries are so.. umami (savoury), so shiok, so yummy. I don't mind being a vegetarian if all vegetarian food tastes this good.



That potato masala just combines so well with the Thosai. Its not overly spicy, and has the right level of saltiness and just enough tang to get your salvary glands working. The potatoes are also really creamy and sweet (I think they use those local Indonesian potatoes which are small and the flesh is really yellow and creamy). 4.5/5




Conclusion

Still thinking about it few days after the experience. Simple yet Shiokapendous. Best Thosai ever tasted FULLSTOP.

8.25/10 (T3.5+V3+S1+E0.75)

Sri Vijaya Restaurant
229 Selegie Road
63361748
Closed by about 10pm

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