really good northern indian eating at this very nice restaurant in holland village. this place suits its locale – they’ve got nice al fresco dining out on the boardwalk (in case you want to brave the sudden surge of haze we’ve just gotten), and even the interior is beautifully and ethnically decorated (still, I’d rather eat out than in).
it’s refined eating – expected, given the locale and its clientele – all tandoori and creamy curries with properly-blistered naan, and it’s not inexpensive. for a chill meal on the weekend, it’ll do you plenty good.
situated right across from haagen dazs, it’s also prime spot for people-watching on the weekends – especially when you’ve got a papadum in hand. freshly fried (you can still see the tell-tale layer of grease atop, though not in an unpleasant manner) and fragrant with cumin.
we very much enjoyed their tandoori meats: the ajwaini machli tikka were turmeric-yellow, well-seasoned pieces of fish cooked flaky and tender, and our always-order dish of chicken tikka were more brightly orange pieces of white-and-dark meat that were meaty (as opposed to fatty) and moist (oh, such a terrible word BUT CAN YOU FIND ME ONE BETTER?).
we have a soft spot for murgh pastoom, or butter chicken, and it was good here – creamy, cut through with the tomato paste, and with tender chicken pieces strewn between.
the manager’s recommendation of murgh korma also proved a good contrast in flavor, and was exotic to us with its creamy yellow gravy of ground nuts and saffron.
I don’t seem to have managed a photo of the naan, probably because my family quickly finished our basket of butter, garlic, and cheese naans – these were well-risen, decently pockmarked with blister spots, and generously slathered with butter. if you’re not a naan person (as I’m not), they have two roti options that could be right up your alley.
so if it’s not already obvious, I very much enjoyed the food here. well-seasoned, rich without being cloying or overly fatty, and very flavorful. dining al fresco also mitigates any potential clothes-smells, but for this place – the food might almost be worth any of that trouble.
Kinara at Holland Village
24 Lorong Mambong
Singapore 277683
tel +65 6467 4101
$$.5: 30-40 per person
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