Tiffin Room @ Raffles Hotel Singapore - Unveils A Refreshed Menu With An Expanded Selection Of North Indian Dishes

Tiffin Room at Raffles Hotel Singapore has recently unveiled a refreshed menu with an expanded selection of North Indian dishes put together by award-winning Chef de Cuisine Kuldeep Negi. Helming Tiffin Room's kitchen for over a decade, Chef Kuldeep continues to draw inspiration from the royal culinary heritage of the Maharajas and his travels through various regions of North India. From the new menu, you get to enjoy a diverse range of chaats, appetisers and mains that identify with the warm and rich flavours of Tiffin Room.

You can opt for the customisable Mera Dabba (my box in Hindhi) Experience, an elevated set meal that comprises a selection of appetisers and main courses presented in an iconic four-tiered custom-made copper tiffin box. The set meal is complemented with delicately flavoured rice, tandoori bread, chutneys and pickles.

Aloo Dal Tikki Chaat 4.5/5

We started with a hearty street snack Aloo Dal Tikki Chaat. Dressed in a mouth-watering blend of mint chutney, yoghurt, tamarind and spices, these crispy potato and yellow lentil patties burst with piquant and zesty flavours.

Achari Macchi Kebab 4/5

Murgh Jaitun Seekh 3.5/5

From the non-vegetarian appetisers, we tried Achari Macchi Kebab featuring uniformly moist pieces of spiced tandoori-grilled grouper fillets laced with a hint of smokey flavour. On the other hand, the Murgh Jaitun Seekh is a very spiced-forward grilled minced chicken mixture of green olives, cheddar cheese, saffron, and spices.

Gucchi Methi Mattar Malai 5/5

For the mains, both the vegetarian dishes were superb, especially the lesser-known Gucchi Methi Mattar Malai - a creamy and cheesy morel mushroom curry accented with sharp flavours of fenugreek leaves and a blend of spices. Traditionally, white button mushrooms are used, but I thought using these morel mushrooms was brilliant. The creamy curry clings to each of the honeycomb caps of the mushroom, akin to how spiral pasta binds with the sauce. Hence you will get the full flavours of the curry each time you bite into the mushroom.

Aloo Gobhi 5/5

The other vegetarian main is one of Mera Dabba staples - Aloo Gobhi, a classic cauliflower and potato delight. Every floret and potato chunk was tender and soft, fully flavoured by a blended yoghurt, garlic, and masala onion gravy.

Balti Gosht 3/5

Kadhai Prawn 4/5

The other two mains were Kadhai Prawns and Balti Gosht. The prawn curry was bright and robust with coriander seeds and onion-tomato masala. There were slices of bell peppers in the curry, which also punctuated the curry with some fruity sweetness. The latter was a curry of lamb leg cubes flavoured with brown onion, tomato, and spices. Again, the curry was good, but the lamb leg cubes were a tad dry.

Malpua with Rabri 4/5

For desserts, we had the Malpua with Rabri, a pancake originating from India. It had a dense and enjoyable chewy texture topped with condensed milk and mixed nuts for an added crunch. Best to go with a cup of masala tea.

Kulfi Falooda

The other dessert is interesting - Kulfi Falooda, featuring a homemade cardamon-infused Indian ice cream assembled with vermicelli noodles, rose syrup and mixed nuts. Eating the chilled vermicelli noodles was reminiscent of having a bowl of refreshing shredded grass jelly dessert. The nuts soaked in the mixture gave a contrasting chewy texture to the dessert. A rather odd combination, but it works!

These vegetarian and non-vegetarian North Indian delicacies and selected dishes are available for delivery or takeaway on Raffles Grab & Go.

Photograph and written by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Tiffin Room
Raffles Hotel
1 Beach Road
Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 63371886
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Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm - 145pm
Dinner: 630pm - 845pm

Direction:
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Junction of North Bridge Road and Bras Basah Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit F. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Rang Mahal @ Pan Pacific Singapore - Reinvents Indian Cuisine With New Menu That Showcases First-of-its-kind Indian Dishes

The award winning fine dining Indian Restaurant, Rang Mahal at Pan Pacific Singapore has launched a brand new menu, reinventing Indian cuisine with a modern spin on Indian classics. The new menu is put together by their new award-winning Chef Milind Sovani, who has returned to Singapore after leaving his previous role in an award winning Indian restaurant in Singapore to explore the various regions of India for the past five years.

Amuse Bouche 4/5

I really got a glimpse into Rang Mahal's interpretation of modern Indian cuisine from the Amuse Bouche. I never knew Indian cuisine has reached a stage of such refinement. The little red roes are actually chutney caviar while the foam is made from yogurt.

Tomato Saar, Mulethi Herb Foam 4/5

We started with the Tomato Saar, Mulethi Herb Foam ($20). The type of tomato soup I knew is thick and creamy but the version here is light and airy. The tomato soup is poured over a dollop of mulethi (liquorice root) foam which boasts antioxidants as well as medicinal properties that help to cure sort throat, cold, cough etc. 

Bombay Pani Poori 4.5/5

A delightful and fun dish is the Bombay Pani Poori ($25) which consists of crispy semolina puffs served with stuffing (moong bean sprouts, onions, chillies) and spiced water (blend of chutneys, spices and herbs). Diners can have fun stuffing the moong bean sprouts into the poori and then pour the spiced water into it. Have it in one bite to get an explosion of flavours.

Roomali Masala Papad 3.8/5

The Roomali Masala Papad is probably the biggest papad that I have seen, as big as a whole wok. This is the part when you need to get your hands dirty, tearing the gigantic papadum apart which has been topped with lentil crispies, onion, tomato, chilli, sev and special spice blend. While I enjoyed the crispiness of the papad, I felt that the onion flavour comes across a bit too strong.

Tandoori Duet of White & Green Asparagus 3.5/5

A vegetarian dish on the menu is the Tandoori Duet of White & Green Asparagus ($35). The white and green asparagus are lightly grilled in tandoor. This is paired excellently with the red beetroot sauce, yellow mustard sauce and green mint sauce.

Subz Moilee 4.2/5

Another vegetarian dish is the Subz Moilee ($36), a southern India dish that features an assortment of vegetables in a rich, creamy, Kerala-style coconut curry. This goes very well with a plate of white fragrant rice.

Butter Chicken Bao 4/5

I thought the Butter Chicken Bao ($42) is rather innovative. Adopting the dim sum form and using the Chinese bun, this has transformed into another way of appreciation the classic butter chicken. It brought a change as well as the stereotype perspective of Indian cuisine.

Tandoori Fondue - An Ensemble of Kebabs 4.2/5

While the butter chicken bao is influenced by Chinese cuisine, the Tandoori Fondue - An Ensemble of Kebabs ($58) takes a Western approach in a fun way. The chicken kebabs are marinated with holy basil, kasuri fenugreek, cashew cheese and Punjabi chicken tikka and presented in a fondue style for some dipping fun.

Dhuwandaar Lamb Chops 4.2/5

One of my favourite dishes of the night is the Dhuwandaar Lamb Chops ($42). I enjoyed the beautiful aroma of the special spice blend along with caramelised pineapple and ginger garlic marinade that is rubbed onto the Australian lamb rack. This is further accentuated by smoking it with garam masala and applewood for a sweet overtone.

Parsi Kheema Per Eeda, Maska Bao 4.5/5

A very hearty traditional dish from Mumbai is the Parsi Kheema Per Eeda, Maska Bao ($55) that boasts a Parsi twist. It features spiced minced lamb (kheema) with soft eggs and buttered (maska) buns. The best way to enjoy this is to tear the bun apart and stuffed the kheema and eat it like a sandwich.

Gulab Jamun Flambe 3.5/5

The Gulab Jamun Flambe ($25) is served flambe style with Drambuie liquor. The gulab jamuns drenched in rose saffron nectar syrup is usually very sweet but this is toned down and balanced with generous portions of fresh fruits.

Lychee Kulfi 4.5/5

Made of natural ingredients, the Lychee Kulfi ($20), a traditional ice cream is very refreshing with surprises of fresh lychees within.

After dining at Rang Mahal, it definitely opens my eyes how Indian cuisine has evolved and given a modern touch to traditional homecooked, street and gourmet classics dishes.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Rang Mahal
Pan Pacific Singapore
Level 3
7 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039595
Tel: +65 63331788
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Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line), Promenade (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 230pm, 630pm - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Copper Chimney @ Syed Alwi Road (Little India)

Many of you may not be foreign to Copper Chimney which has been around for 10 years at Syed Alwi Road, Little India. The restaurant recently has gotten a fresh new interior and revamped its menu offering Chinese Indian and North Indian cuisine under the new leadership of CEO Vikram Natarajan, who took over the reins two and a half years ago.

Salt and Pepper Babycorn (Dry) 4.2/5

Dinner at Copper Chimney started with some light bites. The first dish, Salt and Pepper Babycorn, Dry ($9) already got me excited and looking forward to find out more about Chinese Indian or Chindian cuisine. The babycorn is lightly battered, fried to a crunchy bite. It is then stir fried in garlic, peppers, and soya sauce. The taste is very similar to XO sauce. This is an addictive dish.

Chilli Paneer (Dry) 4/5

When the Chilli Paneer, Dry ($10.50) was served, the first instant that came to our mind is chai tow kway. The cottage cheese cubes coated with the chilli sauce is another delectable bite which I can find a familiar taste to Chinese cooking.

Malai Chicken Tikka 4.2/5

Next we had the Malai Chicken Tikka ($12) which impressed us with the well marinated and tender inner fillet of the poultry. The owner shared with us the importance of the marination and the used of hung yogurt, garlic and ginger etc for the flavourful chicken.

Szechwan Fried Rice 3.5/5

Szechwan Noodles 3/5

The owner shared with us that he has grown up with Chindian cuisine and the popularity of it, usually in the form of street food vendors have spread to even metro cities like Mumbai. Copper Chimney probably is the only India restaurant in Singapore offering Chindian cuisine. We tried the Szechwan Fried Rice ($11) and Szechwan Noodles ($11) on the menu. Yes it is spelled as Szechwan not Szechuan. I definitely can taste the similarity of the dishes to Chinese cuisine. However compared to Chinese cuisine I think it is still lacking that wok hei aroma. The spicy level can also up a notch since the dishes are named after the state in China known for its hot and spicy dishes. Nevertheless, both are still hearty dishes, especially using basmati rice's long grain for fried rice.

Gobi Manchurian (Wet) 4/5

Gobi Manchurian, Wet ($9) is another Chindian dish that adopts the Chinese cooking technique and seasonings. The lightly battered cauliflower is fried to a crunchy bite. We went for the wet version as the Indians like to eat the rice with the gravy. There is also the dry version if you want to try.

Veg Jaipuri 4.2/5

I simply adore this rich and creamy Vegetable Jaipri ($10) with an array of vegetables. This vegetarian dish is so addictive that I kept going back for more.

Mutton Roqanjosh 4/5

Butter Chicken 4.5/5

The next two dishes, Mutton Roqanjosh ($12) and Butter Chicken ($11.50) are best to eat with some Rumali and Naan. The mutton is cooked to a nice beautiful fork tender while the spices infused gravy is just too good not to wipe them clean with the Rumali and Naan. The butter chicken was also outstanding. It was not overly sweet. The smooth and creamy gravy with the tender chicken has a perfect match made in heaven..

Lychee Kulfi 4.8/5

If you have the chance to visit Copper Chimney, I would recommend you to have the Lychee Kulfi ($7). The frozen dairy dessert infused with Lychee, tasted just like ice cream, is so refreshing. They have other flavours such as Pistachio and Rose too.

Sizzling Brownie & Ice Cream 3/5

The Sizzling Brownie and Ice Cream ($7.50) definitely caught a lot of attention when the chocolate syrup is poured over the brownie filling the whole restaurant with the beautiful chocolate aroma. The restaurant even got a few orders from the other guests after seeing what we had.

Overall I find the Northern Indian food at Copper Chimney is outstanding. The Chindian cuisine adds an interesting offering to the menu. I personally felt some of the Chindian dishes need bit more fine tuningto win the palate of the Chinese.

Copper Chimney

100 Syed Alwi Road

Singapore 207676

Tel: +65 62948891

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Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:

Sun-Thur: 1130am - 12midnight

Fri-Sat: 1130am - 1am

Direction: 

1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to the traffic junction of Kitchener Road, Rangoon Road and Serangoon Road. Cross the road and walk down Serangoon Road towards Mustafa. Turn left onto Syed Alwi Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]