Flavors & Spices of India: Restaurant review

Review Of Indian Restaurant in Singapore - The Banana Leaf Apolo

03:50

Don't know about men but way to my heart is definitely through my stomach i.e through good food.😋😋😋

After procrastinating for years I am finally re starting my food blog today. Yeahhhh💪💪😃

Don't know was I more nervous when I first started or am I today. While seating alone in this Bistro today am dealing with my fear of solo eating/drinking. Yes, I hated eating along and probably this was one of the many reason why I was not doing restaurant and event review for so long. Was doing micro blogging though in Instagram but didn't really walk up to a restaurant manager saying I am food blogger and wanted to write a review on your restaurant so could you mind spending next few minutes with me sharing details about the kind of food you serve.

Feels like today I am more grateful to the community I had back when I started blogging. Offers always came to me I never had to approach any one.

But today I did, without anyone's reference I entered the restaurant and talked to the manager and in next few minutes we were seating together and he not only shared all the necessary information but also laid a beautiful table for me to take pictures and taste.

This is what happen when you stop procrastinating and take action.

Now , talk about India and the first thing that comes to our mind is ' The Great Indian Food'. Food that make you go drool over richness of its spices, authenticity and variety. And to taste such authentic Indian food in Singapore, today I am at Banana Leaf Apolo - A 47 yrs old restaurant in Singapore serving South and North Indian Food. As of now they have 4 branches in Singapore and their 5th one will be opening soon in May.

When asked about the name why Banana Leaf - their reply was very informative. Though from India I could hardly remember having food in Banana leaf but have always heard about its benefit and tradition.

Though this leaf is used all over India to serve food but it is more popular down South India. Banana leaf rice is a traditional method of serving rice dishes in South Indian Cuisine. And to maintain this tradition they not only named the restaurant as Banana Leaf but also serve food in Banana leaf.

I totally enjoyed eating in today and realized when food is served in Banana Leaf with lots of love it just add so much to your experience.

Though they serve both Vegetarian and Non vegetarian dishes from South and North India, I specifically loved their South Indian Thali - that comes with 8 kind of curries including yogurt and Payasam (sweet rice pudding) along with one Chapathi and Rice.

Their other specialties are Fish head Curry , Chicken Masala, Prawn Masala and lamb Shank. Also don't miss out on their Signature dishes like Veg Kolahpuri and Paneer Makhni.

So if you like Indian Food or want try this unique experience of having steaming hot Indian food in Banana Leaf you know exactly where to go in Singapore.

Note : Do not leave the restaurant without trying their Filter Coffee.

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Authentic Bengali dishes

The Newly Renovated 6th Ballygunge Place.

01:27

Bengali food has inherited a large number of influences,like the Jews brought Bakeries to Bengal, Marwaries contributed their sweet making skills and the exiled families of Wajid Ali Shah brought different flavors of Mugalai Cuisine. The Babu Renaissance fueled the development of these culinary strands into a distinct heritage . Keeping this rich heritage in mind recently 6th Ballygunge Place, our very own authentic Bengali restaurant in Kolkata has renovated their 100 year old property and I got an invitation through Kolkata Food Bloggers to review their revamped decor and enhanced ambiance on 15th of January. So without wasting much time I reached at the venue with two other fellow bloggers Indrani from Recipe Junction and Urmi from Ume's Kitchen. https://www.facebook.com/kolkatafoodbloggers

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6th Ballygunge Place is one of those restaurant in Kolkata which serves authentic Bengali cuisine . Chef Sushanta Sen Gupta along with his two friends Aninda Palit and S Ramani came together to start Kolkata's first standalone eatery specializing in Bengali cuisine called Savourites. They started their journey by serving office lunches to all high-end IT companies and Banks including Wipro and Bank Of America. Soon they took their next step forward and came up with their restaurant 6 Ballygunge Place,which was a bungalow of a former Rai Bahadur. This 100 year old property recently renovated by Abin Design Studio in collaborations with Square Consultancy Services. The project involved a total upliftment of exterior,addition of floor area to house extra dinning space and terrace.The interiors of the restaurant will take you through the different phrases of Bengal.The 84 seater hall is now expanded into three floors along with the terrace and a reception at the first floor. The architects have beautifully used the props which will help you to understand the ninetieth century Bengal. The first floor interiors is all about Zamindari era,there is a huge hand fan at the reception and even the walls are beautifully decked with hand crafted fans in different colors.

The so called Babu culture in Bengal came into being as a result of intimate interaction with the British in the late 18th and 19th century in Kolkata. The interiors of the 2nd floor of 6th Ballygumge Place will allow you to peek into the typical envision of the so called Babu or the colonial cuture of Kolkata. Here Mamoni Chittrokar has done a wonderful job in recreating the renaissance Bengal through her paintings ,be it on walls or on chairs. The 2nd floor also has a private dinning section,where you can witness the world of Cinema during that period,they have hanged pictures of actresses like Madhobi Mukerjee,Sharmila Tagore and Aparna Sen along with antique cloaks and lamp shades.

The paintings that you can see in this pictures are augmented by wooden louvered fenestration that allow filtered sunlight to create an interplay light and shade that enlivens the interiors.

Fashion designer Sarbori Datta who is known for her magic in creativity has designed the crockeries of the restaurant. The outfit of the staff is also designed by her.

The Banquet hall is in the third floor of the building, and one can also utilize the terrace for marriages,cocktail parties or any kind of family or friends get together. The banquet hall also has a very classy colonial interiors.

In short the newly renovated 6th Ballygunge place is a perfect destination for food lovers who can treat their taste buds with all the flavors of Bengal and get nostalgic with the ambiance.

Bengali cuisine is a blend of sweet and spicy flavors and chef Sujoy Halder knows exactly how to blend this two flavors and create extraordinary dishes like Lau Dogha Dea Achari Ilish Mach, Bhuna Chingri , Khosa Mansho, Mochar Pathuri, Til Pethe , Dab e bhapa puli and the list is never ending. The two continental dishes Roasted Lamb With Brown Sauce and Grilled Fish taste heavenly.