Where to go for the finest Deepavali meals in Singapore
By: Alyssa Chung
Song of India
For this year's Deepavali celebration, consider a Michelin-starred feast at Song of India. Chef Manjunath Mural expertly conceives a four-course menu that weaves traditional Indian recipes with local flavours. For starters, you'll get to munch on juicy tandoor-cooked laksa chicken kebab as well as sambal barramundi tikka, marinated in homemade sambal sauce.
The menu's highlight is the Deepavali Song’s Art Palette, a superb tasting platter that includes Nargisi quails kofta (quails eggs stuffed with minced mutton); Mangalorian prawn gassi (tiger prawns topped with creamy coconut sauce); fluffy basmati rice and Murg malai khumb (chicken roulade). The dining experience will take you across India, from Mangalore to Hyderabad and Kashmir. You will then be served an assortment of sweet treats such as paan and pistachio kulfi (homemade betel nut and pistachio kulfi), saffron gulab jamun cheesecake, as well as The Song of India 2019 mithai collection – beautifully crafted festive sweet treats. The four-course tasting menu at $79 is offered during lunch and dinner from 26 October to 2 November. A vegetarian option is also available.
If a buffet brunch is your thing, then the restaurant is serving a sumptuous Deepavali Sunday brunch buffet with an elaborate set-up of more than 20 dishes including signature items from Hyderabad, Southern Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan. The spread will include Malabar fish curry comprising seabass stewed in an aromatic curry of coconut, tamarind and spices; and chicken dum briyani. For this occasion, Chef Mural will also specially set-up a live cooking station serving freshly made authentic Bombay-style street food. The brunch buffet priced at $46.90 per person is available on 27 and 28 October.
33 Scotts Road, Singapore 228226
Tel: +65 6836 0055
http://thesongofindia.com
Thevar
For a unique celebration, head to modern Indian restaurant, Thevar, which will be presenting a special Chef Tasting Menu for Deepavali. Available from now until end of October, the six-course menu is priced at $98, and eight-course at $128. Expect a range of unique dishes such as chilled mango and chilli lassi oysters; duck and foie gras kebab, masala buttermilk puri (flatbread) and sambar croquette. You’ll also get to tuck into ultra tender tandoori lamb, partnered with coriander chutney as well as Chettinad Chicken roti, the chef's specialty. This traditional spicy chicken from Chennai is cooked with aromatic garam masala, then shredded and served with a roti-style flatbread. Sweeten the special occasion with carrot halwa kulfi and chocolate paan Cornetto.
This one-year-old restaurant at Keong Saik Street is helmed by Chef Mano Murugan who hails from Penang. To watch the chef and his team in action, request for a counter seat. But if you’re dining in a group, reserve one of the high tables that can sit four.
9 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089117
Tel: +65 6904 0838
Tiffin Room
Over at the beautifully-restored Tiffin Room, guests can enjoy a decadent North Indian buffet experience this year. This Diwali Buffet Extravaganza is crafted by Tiffin Room’s award-winning chef de cuisine Kuldeep Negi and available from 21 to 28 October. Look forward to exclusive festive delicacies not usually found on its regular menu, including an excellent selection of vegetarian specialties. For an interactive touch, two popular street snacks will presented at live stations. They include Golgappa papdi chat, made of fried hollow crisp filled with potato, tamarind and mint water, and Ragda patties, a famous Mumbai-style snack of potato, chickpeas plus sweet and spicy chutneys.
Special highlights on the massive buffet spread include Mughlai lamb chop, marinated with green papaya, yogurt and spices, and succulent barramundi fish cooked in a coconut, cashew nuts and almonds gravy. Mop these up with a range of fluffy naan or tandoori parantha. There are vegetarian dishes too like Zafarni paneer tikka (Indian cottage cheese marinated with saffron yoghurt and spices) and Gucchi dhingri subzi comprising morel and white mushrooms in a cashew nuts and onions gravy. Round off your meal with Kesar rasmalai or soft milk dumplings perfumed with rose and saffron milk as well as mango sandesh, a popular Bengali treat made of milk and mango, and homemade pistachio kulfi among others.
If you are there for dinner, you'll have the chance to tuck into specialties like Murgh tandoori (grilled boneless chicken leg, marinated in garam masala, yogurt and spices), and Mastane gucchi kebab (morel and white mushrooms and cheddar cheese kebab served with mango salsa).
Raffles Hotel Singapore,1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 6337 1886
https://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/tiffin-room/
Rang Mahal
For this festive period, venerable fine dining Indian Rang Mahal is rolling out a Diwali buffet lunch. Corporate Chef Milind Sovani and his team will prepare a buffet spread of festive favourites from various regions across India. And this will be available from 26 to 28 October. The meal is priced at $88 per person inclusive of a selection of non-alcoholic drinks or $108 per person with free-flowing house pour wines, beer and non-alcoholic drinks.
Highlights on the menu include Kesari malai kofta (cottage cheese dumplings in rich saffron gravy), Kashmiri lamp chop roganjosh (braised lamb chops in a robust curry) and Hyderabadi vegetable biryani. There will also be an exciting showcase of three savoury live stations: a Gujarati Kadhi Khichadi Station, Chat Station and Chennai Express with a variety of dosas. The dessert spread will include Rang Mahal’s specialty crispy kesar jalebi with rabdi (saffron flavoured jalebi), Mango Shrikhand (fresh mango and yoghurt delicacy from Gujarat) and a selection of mithais (bite sized sweet confections).
Rang Mahal's collection of handcrafted mithais features a range of healthy ingredients and wholesome flavours without the addition of any preservatives or food colouring. They are made in small batches so you can enjoy them at their freshest. Flavours include coconut barfi with a touch of cardamom, pistachio barfi with a dusting of gold, and Gud Til Gajak, Rang Mahal’s signature sesame and jaggery brittle. From now until 28 October, Rang Mahal’s mithais are available in two classic gift boxes, priced at $68. What's great is that 10% of profits from the mithai sales will be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation this year.
Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039595
Tel: +65 6333 1788
