Little India! - Page 3

baqthier · July 15th, 2004, 06:03 AM

Thanks for those fresh pics! I've got to go back to that place again..this time at night.

What's the name of this complex?
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/ssc1819/india8.jpg

redstone · July 15th, 2004, 12:16 PM

Tekka Mall.Just completed this year.I wonder what used to stand there as it is a conservatin area...

RafflesCity · July 15th, 2004, 12:38 PM

yup..looks very new but I havent been inside yet

baqthier · July 15th, 2004, 01:09 PM

oh yeah Tekka. I ate lunch at the food court in there.

kiku99 · July 15th, 2004, 08:08 PM

nice and very colorful. we also have a small area similar to this (obviously dirtier

)for Indians in Bangkok. and somehow they own lots of fabric or clothing stores.

heirloom · July 15th, 2004, 08:37 PM

@greg
just curious, but does sterile = unauthentic? it seems to be a very common perception. i've got no opinion on its authenticity, only know that the place seems to feel somewhat like india because it is truly crowded.

i see the the bright and cheerful abdul gaffoor (?) mosque in there

RafflesCity · July 16th, 2004, 04:51 AM

^

Yup I saw it from up there but got lost at street level. Will go back again

Fusionist · July 16th, 2004, 04:48 PM

Nice one. What percent of Singaporeans are of South Asian origin ?

RafflesCity · July 16th, 2004, 06:10 PM

^

About 8%

redstone · July 17th, 2004, 04:19 AM

Shophouses at Syed Alwi Road.

huaiwei · July 18th, 2004, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg

Thanks for this. Although I think that Indian area in KL is more authenthic. Spore little India looks very sterile to me, but this is my opinion only.

Could you perhaps elaborate on this, because I dont really understand how something can be more or less authentic when they were all built by the hands of the same peoples?

huaiwei · August 8th, 2004, 12:03 AM

Staying the Course

Thirty years ago, only a few eateries serving Indian food could be found in Race Course Road. Now, it looks set to be the food belt of Little India

By Clara Chow

THE curry war in Race Course Road has got hotter.

The area famous for its fish-head curry restaurants since the 1970s is serving up new eateries, both from the expansion of old players and the infusion of some new ones.

The two big players - Muthu's Curry and Banana Leaf Apolo Restaurant - are not holding back.

Muthu's spent $7 million to open a 6,386sq-ft place at No. 138 in June. This includes $5.2 million to buy the unit. It is just down the road from its 35-year-old premises at No. 76 and 78.

The new Muthu's boasts contemporary chic decor, an open kitchen concept with steaming tandoor ovens and an artificially misted alfresco dining area.

It has been a hit, judging from the robust lunch crowds.

Managing director Kasivisanathan. A, 33, says: 'It's more modern, more Zen.'

Over at Banana Leaf at No. 54, 56 and 58, renovation plans are afoot for next year.

Having been in Race Course Road for 30 years, it opened a branch with standard Indian-flavoured decor at No. 66 and 68 two years ago.

The eatery's general manager, Mr C. Sankar, 32, says: 'There is more human traffic now because of the opening of the Little India train station in June last year.'

He and Mr Kasivisanathan, first cousins who have both taken over the separate businesses from their fathers, are sticking to their secret family recipes but buzzing with new marketing ideas.

Business has also benefited from the reopening of Race Course Road - site of Singapore's first turf club in the 1900s - as a 980m, two-way road in May 2002. It had been turned into a one-way street in 1998 to facilitate the building of the North-East MRT line, making it harder for motorists to navigate their way there.

New players have moved in to stir up their own pot of opportunity.

Gayatri Restaurant opened in December last year in a 4,000sq ft unit at No. 122.

Owner G. Shanmugam, 41, has a hot arsenal of customer-wooing tactics, such as $10 curry fish-head promotions on Mondays and Wednesdays. It usually goes for $18 upwards.

He tacitly acknowledges a 'curry war' of sorts as he nods towards his restaurant's manager standing outside, inviting passers-by to enter.

When LifeStyle visited the road on two consecutive afternoons, none of the other restaurants was doing this.

But Mr Bala Sundram, 29, owner of the three-year-old KP Pillai Curry Inn at No. 72, plans to hand out curry on spatulas to passers-by next month to entice them.

He says: 'My friends ask me why I've come here, sitting between Banana Leaf and Muthu's. But this is the big league - you only get recognised when you play here.'

Business is doing 'fairly well' although he admits that it has declined over the last six months. He puts it down to the sluggish economy.

Mr Clifford Tan, 53, owner of Delhi Restaurant at No. 60, says business is still good although it pales in comparison to the boomtime of the early 1990s.

'There were long queues then. Customers were willing to wait for an hour for a table,' he says.

He opened D' Delhi Pubb & Restaurant in 1993 at No. 48.

Customers, meanwhile, are pleased at how busy the street has become for those in need of a curry fix.

Marketing director Jacke Chye, 37, who has visited the new Muthu's Curry, remarks that the area is shaping up to look like the 'new Tanjong Pagar or Siglap restaurant stretch'.

'It's good that there are more choices available in this quaint part of town,' he says.

THE HEAT IS ON: The new $7-million Muthu's Curry is a hit with its contemporary chic decor and an open kitchen concept. PHOTOS: ALAN LIM

huaiwei · August 8th, 2004, 12:08 AM

On this Race track

EATERIES you can find along Race Course Road:

Andhra's Spice
28 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 3.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6296-9386

This cosy, six-month-old restaurant has a rustic feel, with mango leaves hanging above the door.

The food is a mix of north Indian cuisine and dishes from the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Hyderabadi chicken dum briyani ($6), steamed in a metal pot, is fragrant and tasty.

However, the Chinese dishes 'adapted' by its Indian chefs are a strange experience. The tomyam prawns ($4) hit hard with a strong peppery taste. And the chicken manchurian ($6) is essentially sweet-and-sour chicken with a curry after-taste.

Jaggi's Northern Indian Cuisine
34/36 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 3pm,
6.30 - 10.30pm (Mon - Sat); 11am - 3.30pm (Sun)
Tel: 6296-6141

A popular eatery that serves Punjabi food like plain, butter, garlic and cheese naan ($1 - $1.50). Patrons wolf down their divine-smelling food under a fluorescent glare in the spartan surroundings.

Banana Leaf Apolo
54-58 Race Course Road
Opens: 10.30am - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6293-8682

One of two stalwarts - the other being Muthu's Curry - in the area, this outfit's signature dish is its fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $21 (medium) and $25 (large).

The dish is less spicy compared to decades ago, which probably suits the tourists who drop in just fine.

Delhi Restaurant
60 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 11.30pm daily
Tel: 6296-4585

Mention Delhi Restaurant and most people will say: 'The posh one, right?'

When the North Indian restaurant opened in 1988, its 'bow-tie and dim-light concept' - as owner Clifford Tan describes it - was considered new in the area.

Inside, Moghul-style and Hindu art hang on the walls, contrasting with the Chinese bamboo-motif tiles. Glass goblets sparkle on pink tablecloths.

The most popular item on its menu is the tender, smoky-flavoured, mixed grill tandoori items - best washed down with Kingfisher beer.

KP Pillai Curry Inn
72 Race Course Road
Opens: 11am - 10.30pm (Mon, Wed - Sun), 11am - 4pm (Tues)
Tel: 6293-8559

This is a cafeteria-like place which dishes out South Indian cuisine. Specialities include hot-plate tiger-prawns masala ($8, $10, $12), dum briyani ($5.50 to $6.50) and duck masala ($3.50).

Our Makan Shop
74 Race Course Road
Opens: 11.30am - 4pm
Tel: 6292-9475

Owner Tony Ng won't reveal the ingredients he leaves out of his Chinese-style fish-head curry to make it different from the version sold at Indian restaurants.

And never mind that the fluctuating prices are slightly higher - averaging at $26, $32 and $42 for small, medium and large respectively. Regulars still fill the eatery, which has retained many of the features of the 1970s, such as wooden booths and jade-green mosaic tiles.

Gayatri Restaurant
122 Race Course Road
Opens: 12.30 - 2pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily
Tel: 6291-1011

The fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $22 (medium) and $24 (large), offers soft morsels of meat swimming in a pale yellow gravy. It's strong with the sourish-bitter flavour of turmeric, but could be spicier. The friendly waiters in this dining hall-like space will teach you how to dig out the eye from a fish-head with panache.

Muthu's Curry
138 Race Course Road
Opens: 10am - 10pm daily
Tel: 6392-1722

The fish-head curry is undoubtedly enjoyable. Priced at $18, $23 and $28 (small, medium and large respectively), it boasts nice flavours - sweet and salty before blooming into a spicy sting in the mouth.

The mark of a cool restaurant is often in how swanky its toilets are, and Muthu's certainly has the best-looking ones on this stretch. A minimalist, black-tiled area equipped with sinks and automatic taps leads to the loos, which are new and clean.

babystan03 · September 11th, 2004, 10:14 AM

^
I've tried Muthu b4......quite nice......

redstone · September 11th, 2004, 02:36 PM

Been to Mustafa.

Occupies 3 buildings, now it has a building to call its own.Mustafa Centre is very crowded and crammed.

Oh, the new building mimicks the shophouses nearby.

RafflesCity · September 11th, 2004, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redstone

Oh, the new building mimicks the shophouses nearby.

Which one?

redstone · September 11th, 2004, 04:13 PM

The new Mustafa building.

Don't know the actual name.

RafflesCity · September 11th, 2004, 04:17 PM

I thought Mustafa Centre was just a boring cheesy looking mall?

You mean they built a new Mustafa?

redstone · September 11th, 2004, 04:21 PM

Yes, a new building built for Mustafa by Mustafa.

It was still u/c in May.

babystan03 · September 12th, 2004, 07:21 AM

I heard electronic stuff at Mustafa is cheaper.....is that true??

July 15th, 2004, 06:03 AM	#41
baqthier RISING LIKE A SPIRE! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Land of The Petronas Towers Posts: 6,304 Likes (Received): 1	Thanks for those fresh pics! I've got to go back to that place again..this time at night. What's the name of this complex? http://mywebpage.netscape.com/ssc1819/india8.jpg __________________ Whatever lah! *7 YEARS OF THE MALAYSIAN FORUM Since 22nd Dec, 2002* - Kuala Lumpur Sky - Penang Sky

July 15th, 2004, 12:16 PM	#42
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	Tekka Mall.Just completed this year.I wonder what used to stand there as it is a conservatin area... __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

July 15th, 2004, 01:09 PM	#44
baqthier RISING LIKE A SPIRE! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Land of The Petronas Towers Posts: 6,304 Likes (Received): 1	oh yeah Tekka. I ate lunch at the food court in there. __________________ Whatever lah! *7 YEARS OF THE MALAYSIAN FORUM Since 22nd Dec, 2002* - Kuala Lumpur Sky - Penang Sky

July 15th, 2004, 08:08 PM	#45
kiku99 ไทย Amazing Thailand 泰国 Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bangkok Posts: 3,357 Likes (Received): 4	nice and very colorful. we also have a small area similar to this (obviously dirtier)for Indians in Bangkok. and somehow they own lots of fabric or clothing stores. __________________ 'BANGKOK-THAILAND' --> Los Angeles --> Melbourne, Australia! --> & now back to amazing Bangkok, Thailand again Bangkok Skyline Links Thai forum \| Bangkok Skyscrapers Info \| Amazing Thailand \| Bangkok City

July 17th, 2004, 04:19 AM	#50
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	Shophouses at Syed Alwi Road. __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

July 15th, 2004, 12:38 PM	#43
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 1	yup..looks very new but I havent been inside yet

July 15th, 2004, 08:37 PM	#46
heirloom Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 6,158 Likes (Received): 0	@greg just curious, but does sterile = unauthentic? it seems to be a very common perception. i've got no opinion on its authenticity, only know that the place seems to feel somewhat like india because it is truly crowded. i see the the bright and cheerful abdul gaffoor (?) mosque in there

July 16th, 2004, 04:51 AM	#47
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 1	^ Yup I saw it from up there but got lost at street level. Will go back again

July 16th, 2004, 04:48 PM	#48
Fusionist unBANNED Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,621 Likes (Received): 1	Nice one. What percent of Singaporeans are of South Asian origin ?

July 16th, 2004, 06:10 PM	#49
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 1	^ About 8%

August 8th, 2004, 12:03 AM	#52
huaiwei The Monkey King Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Singapore 新加坡 Singapura சிங்கப்&#2986 Posts: 11,897 Likes (Received): 0	Staying the Course Thirty years ago, only a few eateries serving Indian food could be found in Race Course Road. Now, it looks set to be the food belt of Little India By Clara Chow THE curry war in Race Course Road has got hotter. The area famous for its fish-head curry restaurants since the 1970s is serving up new eateries, both from the expansion of old players and the infusion of some new ones. The two big players - Muthu's Curry and Banana Leaf Apolo Restaurant - are not holding back. Muthu's spent $7 million to open a 6,386sq-ft place at No. 138 in June. This includes $5.2 million to buy the unit. It is just down the road from its 35-year-old premises at No. 76 and 78. The new Muthu's boasts contemporary chic decor, an open kitchen concept with steaming tandoor ovens and an artificially misted alfresco dining area. It has been a hit, judging from the robust lunch crowds. Managing director Kasivisanathan. A, 33, says: 'It's more modern, more Zen.' Over at Banana Leaf at No. 54, 56 and 58, renovation plans are afoot for next year. Having been in Race Course Road for 30 years, it opened a branch with standard Indian-flavoured decor at No. 66 and 68 two years ago. The eatery's general manager, Mr C. Sankar, 32, says: 'There is more human traffic now because of the opening of the Little India train station in June last year.' He and Mr Kasivisanathan, first cousins who have both taken over the separate businesses from their fathers, are sticking to their secret family recipes but buzzing with new marketing ideas. Business has also benefited from the reopening of Race Course Road - site of Singapore's first turf club in the 1900s - as a 980m, two-way road in May 2002. It had been turned into a one-way street in 1998 to facilitate the building of the North-East MRT line, making it harder for motorists to navigate their way there. New players have moved in to stir up their own pot of opportunity. Gayatri Restaurant opened in December last year in a 4,000sq ft unit at No. 122. Owner G. Shanmugam, 41, has a hot arsenal of customer-wooing tactics, such as $10 curry fish-head promotions on Mondays and Wednesdays. It usually goes for $18 upwards. He tacitly acknowledges a 'curry war' of sorts as he nods towards his restaurant's manager standing outside, inviting passers-by to enter. When LifeStyle visited the road on two consecutive afternoons, none of the other restaurants was doing this. But Mr Bala Sundram, 29, owner of the three-year-old KP Pillai Curry Inn at No. 72, plans to hand out curry on spatulas to passers-by next month to entice them. He says: 'My friends ask me why I've come here, sitting between Banana Leaf and Muthu's. But this is the big league - you only get recognised when you play here.' Business is doing 'fairly well' although he admits that it has declined over the last six months. He puts it down to the sluggish economy. Mr Clifford Tan, 53, owner of Delhi Restaurant at No. 60, says business is still good although it pales in comparison to the boomtime of the early 1990s. 'There were long queues then. Customers were willing to wait for an hour for a table,' he says. He opened D' Delhi Pubb & Restaurant in 1993 at No. 48. Customers, meanwhile, are pleased at how busy the street has become for those in need of a curry fix. Marketing director Jacke Chye, 37, who has visited the new Muthu's Curry, remarks that the area is shaping up to look like the 'new Tanjong Pagar or Siglap restaurant stretch'. 'It's good that there are more choices available in this quaint part of town,' he says. THE HEAT IS ON: The new $7-million Muthu's Curry is a hit with its contemporary chic decor and an open kitchen concept. PHOTOS: ALAN LIM __________________ Majulah Singapura 前进吧，新加坡！Onward Singapore முன்னேறட்டும் சிங்கப்பூர் "My Settlement of Singapore continues to thrive most wonderfully - it is all and everything I could wish and, if no untimely fate awaits it, promises to become the Emporium and the pride of the East" - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, 10th September 1820

August 8th, 2004, 12:08 AM	#53
huaiwei The Monkey King Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Singapore 新加坡 Singapura சிங்கப்&#2986 Posts: 11,897 Likes (Received): 0	On this Race track EATERIES you can find along Race Course Road: Andhra's Spice 28 Race Course Road Opens: 11.30am - 3.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily Tel: 6296-9386 This cosy, six-month-old restaurant has a rustic feel, with mango leaves hanging above the door. The food is a mix of north Indian cuisine and dishes from the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Hyderabadi chicken dum briyani ($6), steamed in a metal pot, is fragrant and tasty. However, the Chinese dishes 'adapted' by its Indian chefs are a strange experience. The tomyam prawns ($4) hit hard with a strong peppery taste. And the chicken manchurian ($6) is essentially sweet-and-sour chicken with a curry after-taste. Jaggi's Northern Indian Cuisine 34/36 Race Course Road Opens: 11.30am - 3pm, 6.30 - 10.30pm (Mon - Sat); 11am - 3.30pm (Sun) Tel: 6296-6141 A popular eatery that serves Punjabi food like plain, butter, garlic and cheese naan ($1 - $1.50). Patrons wolf down their divine-smelling food under a fluorescent glare in the spartan surroundings. Banana Leaf Apolo 54-58 Race Course Road Opens: 10.30am - 10.30pm daily Tel: 6293-8682 One of two stalwarts - the other being Muthu's Curry - in the area, this outfit's signature dish is its fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $21 (medium) and $25 (large). The dish is less spicy compared to decades ago, which probably suits the tourists who drop in just fine. Delhi Restaurant 60 Race Course Road Opens: 11.30am - 11.30pm daily Tel: 6296-4585 Mention Delhi Restaurant and most people will say: 'The posh one, right?' When the North Indian restaurant opened in 1988, its 'bow-tie and dim-light concept' - as owner Clifford Tan describes it - was considered new in the area. Inside, Moghul-style and Hindu art hang on the walls, contrasting with the Chinese bamboo-motif tiles. Glass goblets sparkle on pink tablecloths. The most popular item on its menu is the tender, smoky-flavoured, mixed grill tandoori items - best washed down with Kingfisher beer. KP Pillai Curry Inn 72 Race Course Road Opens: 11am - 10.30pm (Mon, Wed - Sun), 11am - 4pm (Tues) Tel: 6293-8559 This is a cafeteria-like place which dishes out South Indian cuisine. Specialities include hot-plate tiger-prawns masala ($8, $10, $12), dum briyani ($5.50 to $6.50) and duck masala ($3.50). Our Makan Shop 74 Race Course Road Opens: 11.30am - 4pm Tel: 6292-9475 Owner Tony Ng won't reveal the ingredients he leaves out of his Chinese-style fish-head curry to make it different from the version sold at Indian restaurants. And never mind that the fluctuating prices are slightly higher - averaging at $26, $32 and $42 for small, medium and large respectively. Regulars still fill the eatery, which has retained many of the features of the 1970s, such as wooden booths and jade-green mosaic tiles. Gayatri Restaurant 122 Race Course Road Opens: 12.30 - 2pm, 6 - 10.30pm daily Tel: 6291-1011 The fish-head curry, at $18 (small), $22 (medium) and $24 (large), offers soft morsels of meat swimming in a pale yellow gravy. It's strong with the sourish-bitter flavour of turmeric, but could be spicier. The friendly waiters in this dining hall-like space will teach you how to dig out the eye from a fish-head with panache. Muthu's Curry 138 Race Course Road Opens: 10am - 10pm daily Tel: 6392-1722 The fish-head curry is undoubtedly enjoyable. Priced at $18, $23 and $28 (small, medium and large respectively), it boasts nice flavours - sweet and salty before blooming into a spicy sting in the mouth. The mark of a cool restaurant is often in how swanky its toilets are, and Muthu's certainly has the best-looking ones on this stretch. A minimalist, black-tiled area equipped with sinks and automatic taps leads to the loos, which are new and clean. __________________ Majulah Singapura 前进吧，新加坡！Onward Singapore முன்னேறட்டும் சிங்கப்பூர் "My Settlement of Singapore continues to thrive most wonderfully - it is all and everything I could wish and, if no untimely fate awaits it, promises to become the Emporium and the pride of the East" - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, 10th September 1820

September 11th, 2004, 10:14 AM	#54
babystan03 More excitment ahead!!! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 17,790 Likes (Received): 0	^ I've tried Muthu b4......quite nice......

September 11th, 2004, 02:36 PM	#55
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	Been to Mustafa. Occupies 3 buildings, now it has a building to call its own.Mustafa Centre is very crowded and crammed. Oh, the new building mimicks the shophouses nearby. __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

September 11th, 2004, 04:13 PM	#57
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	The new Mustafa building. Don't know the actual name. __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

September 11th, 2004, 04:17 PM	#58
RafflesCity By Spirit Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S I N G A P O R E Posts: 26,215 Likes (Received): 1	I thought Mustafa Centre was just a boring cheesy looking mall? You mean they built a new Mustafa?

September 11th, 2004, 04:21 PM	#59
redstone The Uninspired Architect Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 14,068 Likes (Received): 0	Yes, a new building built for Mustafa by Mustafa. It was still u/c in May. __________________ http://redstonean.deviantart.com/

September 12th, 2004, 07:21 AM	#60
babystan03 More excitment ahead!!! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Singapore Posts: 17,790 Likes (Received): 0	I heard electronic stuff at Mustafa is cheaper.....is that true??

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode