Starter called pani puri at Shahi Maharani Indian Restaurant
I liked the food from the start. Everything was delicious, tasty, a little spicy. I liked these pani puri wafer spheres filled with vegetarian mixtures, accompanied by red and green sauces to trickle over the contents. (I had thought they were drinks. My companions told me otherwise.)
We had paper serviettes. And copious water.
Drinks
I looked at the menu of drinks. Around ten dollars for mango lassi. Eleven for strawberry lassi. I am on a diet.
I looked at the more unusual choices, including three savoury options.
Jal Jeera.
Jal means water. Jeera means cumin.
Aam Panna.
Green raw mango juice.
Shikanjvi.
Lemonade from fresh lemon, black salt, sugar and cumin powder.
The menu could do with translations.
Two drinks contained cumin seeds. However, I reckoned the red and green sauces were much the same as savoury drinks.
Getting There
Our Indian friend, Jaya, had booked a table at the Shahi Maharani Indian restaurant by City Hall MRT underground railway station n Singapore. We intended to take the train because the shopping mall is just above the exit to the railway station. However, we were late because of the morning's activities, my Toastmasters International contest in which I was contesting. (I was second in the International Speech Contest and 3rd in the Evaluation contest.) Our taxi dropped us outside the entrance.
We ran into the mall and by the escalators found a touch screen. the restaurant was on Level 3, two storeys above us, because Singapore counts like the Americans with ground floor being floor one. (In the UK the lefts and escalators go ground floor, then one, meaning one up, and so on.)
A statue was outside the door.
Our group was seated at a large round table. This made hearing conversations of those the other side of the table harder. However, since I am cautious about Covid-19, it suited me to have my husband on my left and an empty chair on my right.
The table already had Indian crackers and dips. They were on a huge lazy Susan, or revolving central circle.
Set Meal Success
We ordered the set meal, 'Weekend Fiesta Set Lunch. It cost 38 Sing dollars, plus, plus, (add tax and service charge). The price was dearer than we usually pay for an Indian restaurant, but it was cheaper as well as quicker than ordering a la carte.
The midweek two for one price for a couple is 62 sing dollars plus plus, which is 31 dollars each, 14 dollars cheaper than the weekend deal of 2 x 38 which is 76 dollars.
The dish above was the hors d'oeuvres, for two persons.
Our main courses came with two side dishes. So we had lots of items to try. If you didn't like one, you were sure to like something else.
Kebab Platter
The second course was a kebab platter, a meal in itself. We had chicken tikka, lamb kebab, and my favourite little potato cakes called stuffed tandoori aloo. Aloo means potato.
Main Courses
For main courses, I chose chicken. to be different, giving both of us more tastes to try, my husband chose fish. Both dishes came in thick sauces.
Rice & Bread
The saffron fried rice was in generous sized bowls. Everybody said it was very good, both keen cooks and those who merely eat with eyes, picky and fussy. Yes, we eaters agreed, great taste. The cooks and chefs declared, 'Excellent texture'.
Delightful Dessert
Finally, dessert. The perfect mixture of satisfying sweet and refreshing fruit. I started with the fruit, saving the gulub jamun until last. The fruit was fine. Nothing special. The ice cream was not exciting.
However, the gulub jamun, deep fried thickened milk, they say, was the piece de resistance. The gulub jamun made the dessert special.
The gulub jamun was tiny, about half the usual size when you get two or three balls in a restaurant. Here, we were served only one, but that did not matter. I am on a diet. Besides, we also had ice cream and fruit. Just right. I would go back, just for the dessert.
Verdict
The dessert changes weekly. All the better, if we want to return.
This looks like a dais for a wedding couple. The waiter told me it was the area for the band. However because of covid, bands are banned, in fact all singing is banned in Singapore.
The waiter offered to take my photo in the corner which intrigued me. How thoughtful of him.
Goodbye to the statue. In the good old days staff at Indian restaurants would accompany you to the door, bowing. But with social distancing de rigeur, it is not longer required and not missed.
Verdict
We all agreed we would happily return to this restaurant.
Toilets In The Mall
The toilets were outside in the shopping mall. This seems to be the way in Singapore. A set of communal toilets for all the businesses on that floor.
What of the restaurant location inside a mall? No outside windows but I never noticed. If it rained, I would not know.
I liked the fact that we could look at shops afterwards. Admittedly a bit pricey. Also in the area, Marks & Spencers, Nespresso.
All busy on a bank holiday. The word bank holiday is British. Religious holiday. State holiday. Public holiday.
Useful Websites and Information
Shahi Maharani North Indian Restaurant
tel:+65 6235 8840.
DRINKS & FOOD RECIPES
https://www.asianartisandrinks.co.uk/product-category/spiced-fruit-drinks/ bottled drinks including raw mango juice
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/shikanji-shikanjvi
About the Author
About Angela The Author
The Author - Quick Quotations
Angela Lansbury B A Hons is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books.
About Angela The Speaker & Trainer
Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President Public Relations, Immediate Past President.
Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.
Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK
Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also educational on using Powerpoint for posters.
Next BHA meeting, Wednesday evening, May 5th, 7 pm Singapore
Angela The Blogger
Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:
See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.
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