Chennai cabbage ($5)

Bell liked this dish and had eaten it many times. She was surprised when I told her that I had not eaten it before. The indian vegetable dish that I usually eat is palak paneer, and besides I don’t really fancy cabbage. This dish was the spicest dish we had. Despite it’s mild appearance, it was quite spicy. I don’t know where the spicyness came from as I didn’t see any chilli.

Butter chicken ($10)

We had the butter chicken because we wanted some gravy to go with the rice. Bell wasn’t sure which dish had gravy so I suggested the butter chicken because it’s the only dish I know for sure that has gravy. Even though I had eaten it many times, I still liked it. The chicken is tender and the gravy goes well with the rice.

Tandoori chicken ($11)

Bell liked the tandoori chicken which was tender and not too dry.

We also had sambal sotong. Forgot to take the photo for that. It was surprisingly not very spicy and the sauce was watery, definately not the same kind of sambal sotong that chinese cooks.

Muthu’s Curry
138 Race Course Road
#01-01
Tel: 63921722

Mao Mao and I met Redhead at Little India. As usual with all gatherings involving Redhead, it was a last minute arrangement. We went shopping at Mustafa before going for dinner. Mustafa is so big that I felt a bit lost inside and we only went to the supermarket section. I was a bit disoriented when we exited the building and almost walked off in the wrong direction.

Redhead declared that she wanted to eat palak paneer so as long as the restaurant we are going to has palak paneer, all is fine. I brought Mao Mao and Redhead to Kashmir where I had eaten previously with LSW, KKH and Twin. I thought it would be an enjoyable dining experience for them. And the food’s not bad too.

After we sat down, a staff came with a copper pitcher and bowl for us to wash our hands. Then we dried our hands on the towels provided by the waiter. Redhead asked with a little apprehension, “Are we expected to eat with our hands?” I pointed out that there were spoons and forks on the table so we could use them to eat. After we washed our hands, a staff passed us the menu. We spent a long time choosing our food.

Sweet lassi ($4)

I ordered a sweet lassi. The lassi was nice as there wasn’t an overpowering yogurt flavor. I’m the only one who ordered a drink as Redhead and Mao Mao just had plain water.

Papadums with sauce

After we placed our orders, the staff gave us a plate of papadums and a container of green sauce. Judging from the color, I thought the sauce would be either minty or spicy. It turned out to be neither, even though Mao Mao commented that it had a refreshing taste. The sauce was cold and salty and all of us liked it a lot. We put lots of sauce on our papadums and finished half of the container along with the papadums.

Kabargah ($12)

We ordered a mutton dish called kabargah. It’s mutton that was boiled in milk and spices, then fried. There were 4 pieces of meat on the plate. The meat was a little tough, but I think that’s because it’s mutton rather than the cooking. Although the meat was a little tough, it wasn’t dry so that’s a good thing.

Murg tikka labbabdar ($11)

For the other meat dish, we had murg tikka labbabdar which was chicken cooked in tomatoes and onions. I like the gravy which was full of tomato flavor. Mao Mao felt that this dish tasted better when you eat it with rice rather than naan.

Palak paneer ($10)

To tell the truth, I was a little tired of palak paneer after eating it so many times. I didn’t eat much of it but the rest did and enjoyed it.

Other foods that we ordered but missed the camera:

Chilly cheese naan ($4)
The naan was described as more salty and cheesy than spicy by Mao Mao. I took a bite and there was a tinge of spiciness but it wasn’t as salty as Mao Mao said it was.

Garlic naan ($3.50)
I did not eat this so I don’t know if it’s good or not.

Rice ($4.50)
I felt like eating rice so I ordered a serving of rice even though I was rather shocked at the price. $4.50 was expensive for a bowl of rice. It turned out to be a big serving, enough for 2-3 persons. The rice used was the long grain basmati rice. I thought the rice was nicely cooked and the grains of rice were not stuck together. Mao Mao said the rice smelled different from the rice Chinese eat.

Masala tea ($3)
Redhead ordered a cup of masala tea after the meal. The masala tea was okay and we felt that there was a weak taste of spices. I would have preferred the spices to taste stronger.

Altogether we spent $19 each for dinner.

Kashmir
52 Race Course Road
Tel: 62936003

It was around 8pm when we finally went for dinner. We decided to go to Muthu’s Curry for dinner. It’s a festive season and we were in a mood to indulge ourselves so we ordered quite a few dishes.

The restaurant was filled with people and the waitress who took our orders was so busy that she forgot to key them in. So we waited for quite a long time and had to ask another waitress to check on our orders. That’s when they discovered that our orders weren’t keyed in yet. The staff was very apologetic about it and a few of them, including the waitress who forgot our orders, came to apologize and told us that they have asked the kitchen to cook our orders first. They also came around later to make sure that our orders arrived.

Apart from that hiccup, dinner was quite enjoyable.

Tadkaa daal ($8)

For vegetables, we had tadkaa daal ($8) which was a lentil gravy with some chilli and other spices like cumin and mustard seeds. The lentils were cooked until almost everything is soft and mushy. It’s not really spicy even though chilli is added.

Mutton vindaloo ($10)

We ordered the mutton vindaloo ($10) which was quite nice. The dish contained mutton and potatoes with a spicy gravy. The mutton was very tender and the potatoes quite nice too. Because the mutton and potatoes were about the same size and colour, Bell mistakenly took two pieces of potatoes when she wanted to take the meat. “It’s fate,” I told her and she glared at me.

Cheese chicken kebab ($13)

The cheese chicken kebab ($13) came with a green sauce which I did not like very nice. I felt that the chicken was flavorful enough and do not really need the sauce. But that’s my personal opinion because I noticed Bell do eat the chicken kebab with the sauce. The chicken was tender and juicy which was somewhat of a pleasant surprise because I was afraid that it would turn out too dry.

Butter naan ($4 each)

We ordered a butter naan each ($4) to go with the dishes.

Mango lassi ($6 each)

For drinks, we ordered a mango lassi each ($6).

Pistachio kulfi ($5)

For dessert, I had what I usually order, pistachio kulfi ($5). It came a bit melted but much easier to eat because it is no longer rock-hard.

Strawberry kulfi ($5)

Bell had the strawberry kulfi ($5) which she enjoyed as well.

Muthu’s Curry
138 Race Course Road
#01-01
Tel: 63921722

Muthu’s Curry
138 Race Course Road
#01-01
Tel: 63921722

We ordered quite a lot of food. 3 of us had briyani rice while KKH had naan. All of us has a glass of lassi. The lassi was nice and thick.

The chicken in the chicken tikka masala dish was very tender. The chicken was marinated in yoghurt, tandoori powder and spices. The gravy wasn’t spicy at all. It was KKH’s husband’s favourite dish.

Instead of ordering palak paneer, we decided to try something different and ordered butter paneer. It was cottage cheese in non-spicy gravy. It tasted a bit bland because the cottage cheese was tasteless.

My favourite dish was the murgh vindaloo which was mutton with potatoes in gravy. It was a little spicy. The mutton was very tender and the potatoes were tasty.

For dessert, each person had a pistachio kulfi. I still like the kulfi at Muthu’s Curry best because it wasn’t too sweet. The kulfi was hard as rock and all of us had difficulty eating it at first. It was better after it thawed and softened. The texture of the kulfi was a little grainy and not as smooth as normal ice-cream because of the finely chopped nuts. It tasted full of pistachio and sweeten milk.

We spent around $25 each. It was a little more expensive than other meals we had along Race Course Road but we also ordered more food today, with briyani rice and desserts.

We ordered the dishes we want at the counter, paid for them and carried them back to the table using a plastic tray. There were no labels identifying the food so we kept asking the owner whether he had this dish and this dish. Each table had a pitcher of plain water and metal cups can be collected from a side table.

Jaggi’s Northern Indian Cuisine
34 Race Course Road #03-05
Tel: 62966141

All of us ordered mango lassi. It was thick and creamy. There was a strong taste of mango but almost no yogurt taste.

We ordered some butter naans to go with the dishes. The naans were made after we placed our orders and then delivered to our table. The naans were warm, buttery, a little bit oily and soft.

We also ordered a fruit naan to try. This time the fruits used were candied fruit found in fruitcakes. The was a generous amount of diced candied fruits found inside the naan. LSW and I did not like it very much as we felt dried fruits tasted better.

One of the dishes that we usually ordered is palak paneer. Despite it being a common dish found in many restaurants, every restaurant made it slightly differently. I found the palak paneer served in Jaggi’s a little bland.

We also ordered butter chicken, another dish we usually order. The gravy was creamy and the chicken was tender. We felt that the spices used were not as strong as other restaurants we ate at.

The mutton curry was a little spicy. The mutton was nice and tender.

Strangely what I liked best was this vegetable dish of cauliflower and potatoes called aloo gobi. There were more cauliflowers than potatoes and everything was coloured yellow because of the turmeric. The cauliflower was cooked until very soft. I like the potatoes best because they had a slight sweetness.

The meal cost about $50+ so each of us paid $14. Overall the dishes were not too bad. The food is mild and do not taste strongly of the spices that were usually used in Indian cooking. It felt like the food was cooked in such a way that most people would be able to accept it.

We were shown to our table and a waiter came with a pitcher of water and a bowl. Both the pitcher and the bowl were made of copper. At first I thought it was for drinking, then the waiter told us it was for us to wash our hands. We placed our hands over the bowl and the waiter poured water over them. This was the first time I got such a treatment at a restaurant and it made the experience felt pretty luxurious.

Kashmir
52 Race Course Road
Little India Conservation Area
Tel: 62936003

More on the food after the jump

Left to right: sweet lassi, mango lassi and salty lassi

For drinks we ordered all 3 types of lassis available. The salty lassi had some spices mixed into it and there was a strong yoghurt flavour. Twin likes salty lassis so she enjoyed it. The rest of us took a sip and concluded that it’s an acquired taste. The sweet lassi was a sweet version of the salty lassi and I felt the yoghurt flavour was counterbalanced by the sweetness so it does not come across as strongly. The mango lassi had the least yoghurt flavour and tasted like blended mango.

Butter and kashmir naans

We ordered 2 butter naans and 1 kashmir (fruit) naan. The kashmir naan was not listed in the menu but waiter informed us that it was available when LSW asked him about it. The naans came in a basket and wrapped up with cloth. The butter naan was warm and soft. I did not eat the kashmir naan but I managed to sneak a peep at inside. Instead of candied fruits, the chef added dried fruits. From what I saw, it looked like there wasn’t a lot of fruits in the naan. But LSW seemed to enjoy it so maybe it tasted pretty nice.

Bhuna gosht

We asked the waiter to recommend a lamb dish and he suggested bhuna gosht which was lamb cooked with onion, tomato and indian spices. It looked spicy but actually isn’t. The meat was tender and there was no strong mutton smell.

Palak paneer

The palak paneer is a popular and well-known dish among my friends. Whether we eat at an indian restaurant, someone would sure ask for it. This dish is pretty tasty and it was more like a thick gravy (without any vegetable taste).

Murg makhni (butter chicken)

The murg makhni or butter chicken is another favourite among friends. I’ve eaten this dish at a few restaurants and every restaurant cooked it a bit differently. Kashmir’s version had a thick, creamy gravy. It was a bit salty but it goes well with the naans. The chicken was very tender. KKH and I liked the gravy so much that we took a few spoonfuls to drink, causing LSW to laugh at us.

Spices to cleanse the palate

After we called for the bill, the waiter brought a small tray to the table. There were toothpicks and a bowl of spices. I was most intrigued by the spices and Twin said it works like an after dinner mint. KKH and Twin put some into their mouths. I had not tried it before so I only put a little bit my mouth. It was very effective and in a moment my mouth was filled with minty freshness.

Altogether we spent $64 for dinner.

Garlic and kashmiri naans

Redhead, Mao Mao and I met for dinner at a restaurant in Little India. Zaika Restaurant was located at Race Course Road, along the same stretch as Banana Leaf Apolo and Muthu’s Curry. It was about 10-15 mins walk from Little India MRT. It was a small restaurant that opened sometime early this year. The interior was brightly lit and furnishings were simple.

We were the first customers in the restaurant. Throughout the whole time we were in the restaurant, we only saw 3 other customers. So noise level was very low. Although the restaurant played some Indian songs from Indian movies, the volume was so low that you have to really pay attention to notice it.

There was only 1 waiter. He was a thin, middle aged man with a laid-back manner. Despite his laid-back manner, he had pretty fast reflexes. We witnessed his speedy actions because Redhead accidentally tipped over a bottle and he managed to grab it before it smashed in pieces on the floor. Besides the waiter, we spied 2 cooks in the kitchen and a cleaning staff. And that seemed to be all the people working in the restaurant.

Zaika Restaurant
38 Race Course Road
Tel: 63417621

More on the food after the jump

The menu had both North and South Indian cuisines and there were descriptions for each dish. It was a bit confusing at first as the descriptions were above the name of the dish and not below it.

Butter and plain naans

We ordered the naan basket ($9.50) which contained plain, butter, garlic and kashmiri naans. I liked the butter naan best as it was soft and fluffy. It was the first naan we ate so maybe that’s why it was more soft and fluffy as by the time we ate the rest of the naans, they had cooled down. The kashmiri naan contained nuts and candied fruits, like those you find in fruit cakes. Because of the fillings, the kashmiri naan is heavier than the rest of the naans and the dough is also harder and more dense. Mao Mao called it a fruit cake-kind-of-pancake.

Palak paneer ($11.90)

The palak paneer ($11.90) was quite nice although Mao Mao said that compared to the rest of the dishes, this dish had the least flavour. But since the other dishes were salty, to me this sort of even things out.

Butter chicken ($12.90)

I asked for butter chicken ($12.90) which at moment was my favourite indian dish. The butter chicken in this restaurant was not spicy. I liked the gravy which goes very well with the naans. The chicken was deboned and tender. It seemed that there wasn’t enough of this dish to go around and I had to scrape the last drops of gravy from the bottom of the pot.

Amritsari machli ($9.90)

We had amritsari machli ($9.90) which was fish that was marinated and then shallow fried. There was a thin crispy outer layer and the fish meat remained soft and moist.

Tandoori chicken ($11.90)

Mao Mao was greedy and wanted to try the tandoori chicken ($11.90) so she added this dish even though we had almost finished the meal. It turned out to be more moist than we have expected. Mao Mao thought it wasn’t the normal way tandoori chicken was cooked as tandoori chicken tended to be drier. The meat was moist and tender and it tasted ok to me, so even though it wasn’t real tandoori chicken, it was still a fairly tasty dish. We couldn’t finish all the chicken because we were so full by then so Mao Mao dapao the leftovers home to give to her husband. He said it was quite nice.

The food was generally okay although it also tended to be quite salty. All of us felt thirsty after dinner and I drank 3 cups of water when I got home.