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Thursday, September 24, 2015

Karu's Inexpensive Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant, Singapore


Karu's Indian Banana Leaf

Reasonably priced South Indian Meat, Fish and Vegetables Restaurant

What and Where?
On the upper Bukit Timah Road, in a row of unassuming shops.

Sotong (squid)
Masala crabs
Masala prawn

Karu’s Indian Banana Leaf Restaurant

I’d heard so many people praise it.

Chicken liver (3 varieties and three sizes of dish)
The menu says when available, so I was pleased I was lucky that it was available. When available is so much more positive. When it is off you are not disappointed because you were prepared. When it is available you don’t take it for granted but feel really pleased, like you’ve had a treat. Much better than being told ‘sorry it’s off’.

Decor
One large fish shape on the wall. Representing their signature dish. A bit basic. Not as glamorous as the restaurants such as the Apollo and others in Race Course Road near Mustapha’s 24 hour department store and Little India (Little India MRT or Farrer Park).  (Avoid Little India on Sunday when streets are crowded with Indians brought in by bus for their day off).

Karu's has long shared tables which is usual at many mid-price restaurants. You can cosy up to others if you want to chat or ask other customers for recommendations. Or leave a gap between you when it's not busy.

Toilets
Shared basin for men and women in back corridor outside. One ladies cubicle?

Fish head curry
The restaurant card announces above a tiny cartoon of a man carrying a fish head on a flat dish ‘I am the Fish Head King.
The fish head for us (party of four) was served in a deep bowl to hold the fish head and liquid.

Banana Leaf
Your meal is served on a large green banana leaf the size of a tray. The waiter comes around and ladles out rice and other dishes to everybody in turn.

Food
South Indian Food
Lunch - Dinner
10.30 am - 10 pm. 

Menu
Chicken Masala
Chicken Mysore
Pepper chicken
Fish sanbal
Fish roe
Fried Fish

Best Price
What’s best - the price. £7 each including rice, a fish dish, a chicken dish, a chicken liver dish, a potato-filled pancake (masala dosai) and a non-alcoholic drink for all four of us.

Drinks
Great choice and variety. Lassi, sweet, sour and mango. I'll have that next time. I tried a rose flavour drink which was a lurid pink but not much rose aroma. Not much rose taste.

The other lady diner chose a coconut drink which was served in what looked like a white coconut with the brown hairs shaved off. (The restaurant's chiller cabinet behind the bar showed the coconuts in plastic bags. Bought in?)

Lime juice, it said fresh lime juice, hard to tell. It did not have the ginger which is used to spice up drinks in Race Course Road.

The menu didn’t mention any desserts. The restaurant closes at 10 pm so we went home for coffee and our own dessert. 

Karu's indian Banana Leaf Restaurant
808/810 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 678145
Tel:6762 7284. Closed on Monday


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker.

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