Muthu's Curry

Muthu's Curry
138 Race Course Road

7 Dempsey Road

3 Temasek Boulevard
#B1-109 Suntec City

http://www.muthuscurry.com/


Delicious North Indian & South Indian Curries

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $40 per person.


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Muthu's Curry is a food institution of sorts in Singapore, with a long history that stretches all the way back to its founding in 1969. Founder Mr. Ayyakkannu S., nickname "Muthu", who hails from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, South India, was also responsible for creating their signature fish head curry dish, made with a secret blend of spices. Today, the legacy of Muthu's Curry has passed down to his sons; elder brother and CEO Mr. Kasivishvanaath A., along with younger brother and Operations Director Mr. Srinivasan A., guard the secret family recipe for their fish head curry to this day, creating the spice mixture by themselves.

Ambience at Muthu's Curry befits a fine dining restaurant. Decor is elegant yet sophisticated, without being gaudy. The brightly lit, spacious interior features long communal dining tables, on a glossy black tiled floor, with yellow and wood booths, black wooden chairs, and wooden white topped tables. Stained glass in colourful patterns, a large chilled wine cabinet display, along with an open display kitchen, lends a touch of opulence. You do get the feeling like you should dress up to dine here, although no dress code is required!

Service at Muthu's Curry is friendly, efficient, engaging, and rather memorable. Staff converse fluently in English and Tamil, and appear cheerful, enthusiastic, and too honest in their statements. Without being asked, staff will offer recommendations, even telling you what they like or dislike about the food! Sometimes, they will recommend large groups to order several small dishes instead of large dishes. I also notice staff are quick at clearing up once guests have departed, but will usually leave empty dishes on your table unless you request for it to be removed.

Food at Muthu's Curry is distinctly South Indian, though they've expanded the menu, and offer some North Indian dishes as well. Generally, I find dishes to be above average in taste, and consistent in quality. Recipes are authentic Indian, with the exception of several dishes where the level of spicy / chili heat seems to be toned down. Portions are big, even a small portion is sufficient for sharing between 3 - 4 people, with a large portion easily accomodating up to 10 people! Prices reflect a mid-range fine dining status befitting a restaurant, budget about SGD $40 per person for a meal here.


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Muthu's Curry Signage

Muthu's Curry Exterior

Muthu's Curry Interior

Seating

Table Setting

Show Kitchen

The pretty in pink Lassi Strawberry (SGD $6), and bright sunny Lassi Mango (SGD $7) is properly thick, and fruity without being overly sweet. Pairs well with the spicy curry dishes!

Lassi Strawberry & Lassi Mango

The complmentary Papadum is crisp with good lentil flavour, and staff helped us refill it on request. I like dipping it in curry!

Papadum

Oddly, the White Rice (SGD $3) here is made with Thai jasmine rice, instead of typical Indian basmati rice. The difference in texture and taste is stark, and I personally feel it doesn't go too well with curry. Better to order the Biryani Rice (SGD $4) instead, which actually uses basmati rice, and is aromatic and tasty from the use of spices. Both types of rice are served on a banana leaf along with 2 varieties of vegetables, all of which can be refilled at no extra charge.

White Rice

Biryani Rice (SGD $4)

The Assorted Naan Basket (SGD $14) comes with a single serving of 4 varieties of naan bread; plain, butter, garlic, and kasmiri. Perfect for sharing with at least 4 or more people! The Plain Naan is thick and slightly fluffy, warm and fragrant, and makes a good base for the more savoury, spicy dishes. The Kasmiri Naan has a balanced portion of dried fruits studded throughout, which lends a slight sweetness to the naan bread, good enough to eat on its own.

Assorted Naan Basket - Plain Naan

Assorted Naan Basket - Kasmiri Naan

The 2 South Indian vegetables served along with rice are Cabbage Pesarapappu & Brinjal Pickle. Love the crunchy, savoury with a slight sweetness cabbage pesarapappu, and its bright yellow colour from turmeric. The brinjal pickle isn't as sharp or sour as elsewhere, making it more palatable, though it still requires pairing with rice! However, I think the large chunks of brinjal could have been further cut into more manageable, bite sized chunks instead.

Cabbage Pesarapappu & Brinjal Pickle

The signature Fish Head Curry (SGD $22 / $27 / $32) is consistently good. A large, fresh, fish head, with a good amount of meat, is stewed together with the curry, which infuses it with flavour. This makes it tastier, as opposed to other restaurants, which may cook the fish head and curry separately. The curry here is savoury and spicy, with notes of sour, that makes it so tasty and addictive! Highly recommended!

Fish Head Curry

Muthu's Curry offers a variety of North Indian and South Indian curries, and generally, they do both to an above average standard. I personally liked the Butter Chicken (SGD $12), which has tender but small chunks of chicken, in a creamy, fragrant, savoury sweet curry. The Palak Paneer (SGD $9) I felt was decent, the spinach curry could be more savoury, and more smooth. I didn't like the Chicken Chettinadu (SGD $10), which isn't as spicy as it should be, and the fragrance which should be imparted from the garlic wasn't there, resulting in a somewhat bland dish.

Curries

Butter Chicken

Palak Paneer (SGD $9)

Chicken Chettinadu (SGD $10)

Felt the Tandoori Chicken (SGD $13) was above average, it's notable for its moist, tender texture inside, and a slightly smoky, savoury taste on the outside. Glad that it doesn't have a burnt taste, and is not dry. This bone in chicken is served with a sharp mint sauce on the side, but I find this overwhelms the more delicate smoky flavour, so I recommend not pairing it together.

Tandoori Chicken (SGD $13)

The crunchy Bhindi Fry (SGD $9) is incredibly addictive, and makes for a great bar snack! The spice coating lends a wonderful savoury flavour to the fried okra / lady's fingers, and a satisfiying crisp texture. Best eaten when hot, as it softens when it cools! Highly recommended!

Bhindi Fry (SGD $9)

The Lamb Rack Ananas (SGD $18) was easily among the better dishes of our meal here. Heard it was originally offered as a limited time special, but became so popular they added it to the regular menu! No surprise, the lamb is tender and moist, with only a very slight hint of gamey taste, masked by the stronger flavour of spices and yoghurt. The grilled tandoori pineapple is amazing, juicy and sweet within, it has a smoky, sweet caramelised surface. Highly recommended!

Lamb Rack Ananas (SGD $18)

Only available in December as part of their festive Christmas special, I was initially worried when I heard about the Tandoori Turkey (SGD $18). Regular roast turkey is usually dry, let alone a version roasted in a tandoor oven! Luckily, this turned out pretty good, the turkey was moist within, with meat that comes off rather easily from the bone. Surprisingly, it was even more tender and tasty than their Tandoori Chicken! Good!

Tandoori Turkey (SGD $18)

Personally felt the warm syrup of the Gulab Jamun (SGD $5.50) was too sweet, but it does remind me of the authentic ones I've had in India... those were really sweet too! The fried dough balls are soft without being mushy, with a slight bouncy texture, and soak up the syrup really well. Good!

Gulab Jamun (SGD $5.50)

Loved the Kulfi Mango (SGD $5.50), the fruity, sweet flavour of the mango is intense, and the texture is creamy and seems rather hardy, taking quite awhile to melt. In contrast, the Kulfi Pistachio (SGD $5.50) was already melting when it was served, and quickly dissolved into a puddle. We also felt this was rather sweet, though the pistachio taste is pronounced.

Kulfi Pistachio (SGD $5.50)

Kulfi Mango (SGD $5.50)

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