I love to eat Indian food but North Indian cuisines isn't usually the first things that comes to my mind because I have limited knowledge on what to order. The most common dish would be the usual roti prata, roti john and my recent favourite butter chicken masala. Also, it's not as easy to find authentic Northern Indian cuisines compared to basic Chinese food.
To my very pleasant surprise, I received an invitation to
Copper Chimney for a food tasting session as they recently just got a revamped look with a new menu to boost. This is definitely a chance for me to get to know more about North Indian and Indian Chinese cuisines so that I know what to order next time.
Located at 100 Syed Alwi Road, which is just right opposite the 24 hours Mustafa Centre, Copper Chimney offers authentic North Indian as well as fusion Indian Chinese dishes. The restaurant was also recently awarded with the halal certification to cater to the growing halal market.
Walked through the doorway and saw two rows of dining area that stretched all the way to the back. With such big and long dining tables, the restaurant was big enough to accommodate big groups of family and friends. Warm lights filled the space which emits a sense of coziness. We got the table with white light and it made photo taking easier.
At the end of the restaurant, patrons can view the kitchen to see the chefs at work through the transparent glass panel.
True to its name, the furnishings like the tiles, lamps and cups were all made of copper. This is a two-storey shophouse and the private second floor dining area is reserved for those who wish to hold meetings, corporate events or parties there.
The Menu is carefully curated and featured a variety of Halal North Indian and Chinese Indian cuisine to satisfy the locals as well as international patrons. If I were to choose the dish on my own, I would choose those with photos as it was made more appealing with the 3D effect. Now I will share the dishes that were selected for us during the food tasting session.
We were first served with the
Mango Lassi (S$7.00) and
Mint Calamansi (S$6.00) in tasting cups to try out the flavours. The Mango Lassi was somewhat like a yoghurt drink and was thick and creamy while the Mint Calamansi was really refreshing.
We started off with the
Masala Roomali (S$8.00) which was a great communal sharing dish to start off the actual meal. It was made with a thin and crispy bread filled with onions and tomato topped with a Masala seasoning, The unique point of the dish was that it was baked over an inverted oven to get this shape and the way to eat it was to break it to smaller pieces.
It was love at first bite for me and I wouldn't have ordered this on my own. The different flavours simply exploded in my mouth and it was very good to bite.
Next up, we were served with the
Salmon Fish Tikka (S$18.00) consisting of bite size Salmon meat cooked using a searing Tandoor oven of over 400 degrees. It's amazing that even though some part of the skin was burnt, the flesh inside is still pretty tender. Dipped into the mint and yogurt sauce to get a further enhanced flavour.
The
Kurkuri Bhindi (S$5.00) was another perfect snacks for diners. It was deep fried lady fingers and could be enjoyed on its own or paired with rice and dhal. Some people hates to eat lady fingers due to the stickiness but this crispy snack would make you fall in love with this vegetable!
The first main we tried was a rice dish called the
Sultani Seekh Rice Platter (S$29.00). Made with premium basmati rice cooked to perfection, the briyani rice was mixed with raisins and accompanied by long sausage like chicken and lamb kebabs. I really loved the briyani rice as it was not sticky however, the kebabs meat was a bit tough. We also felt that it would be better if this was served in a round plate instead of the rectangular plate as it's a bit difficult to scoop and would spill out from the sides.
The next main was a rice and noodle dish known as the
Triple Szechuan Rice (S$15.00). This was also an iconic food that could be commonly found in the street of Mumbai where fried rice, hakka noodles and spicy gravy come together. This was one of their Chinese Indian cuisine with a fusion of Chinese and Indian ingredients. This dish was spicy and diners could choose from the vegetarian, chicken or prawn option for this fusion delicacy.
It was time to clear our palate with the
Masala tea (S$4.20). One of the typical Indian beverage, it helps in digestion and relieves bloating which was just in time after a heavy meal. I personally didn't quite like the taste of the spices and herbs in my drinks. I still preferred the Mango Lassi which was served earlier on.
What came next was the Naans, Curries and White Rice. We were served with three different type of curries namely the
Lucknow Murg Korma (S$16.00),
Chicken Lababdar (S$15.00) and
Madras Prawn Curry (S$17.00). Every one of us at the table each had a different favourite and mine had got to be the Madras Prawn Curry which was light and fragrant with a hint of sweetness from the prawns. It went super well with the basmati rice too. If you preferred something less spicy, you would love the Lucknow Murg Korma which was more savoury with the butter chicken fused with spices and topped with a touch of saffron. The Chicken Lababdar was a spicier alternative.
For naan, we tried the
Plain Naan (S$4.50), C
hilli Cheese Naan (S$6.50) and the
Garlic Naan (S$5.00). They all tasted well and even better after dipping into the curries. For the Chilli Cheese Naan, green chilli were used.
We ended our hearty meal on a sweet note with two traditional Indian desserts being served in at the same time. The
Jalebi with Rabdi (S$8.00) was a freshly made, deep-fried crunchy snack shaped like a pretzel. Coated with a layer of sugar syrup. You could dip it into the condensed milk called Rabdi to balance out the flavour. The
Pista Rasmalai (S$7.50) was made of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) soaked in sweetened milk with lots of crushed pistachios. This dessert was both creamy and sweet. Being a sweet tooth, this two dessert really complete my meal and even though I'm already full, I could still finished up the dessert.
It was really an enjoyable dinner together with friends. Thanks Ck for sending me this group photo. After this tasting session, I found myself more confident to try out Indian food next time. Shall treat this as a guide on the name of the different dishes.
I'm glad to know that Copper Chimney Express outlets are also available in Asia Square and Marina Bay Financial Centre which is so near to my workplace. I can definitely go there during my lunch time the next time I'm craving for some authentic Indian food. Thank you so much for the invitation and arrangement.
A small little fact to know, Copper Chimney was also the only North Indian cuisine operator in the Formula One (F1) Race in Singapore from 2013 to 2016.
Visit and follow Copper Chimney's
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Copper Chimney
Address
100 Syed Alwi Road
Singapore 207676
Nearest MRT station: Farrer Park
Parking: Public carpark @ 44 Sam Leong Road, Singapore 207934
Seating Capacity
Ground Level: 85 Pax
Level 2: 60 Pax
Reservations/Contacts
Tel: (+65) 6294 8891
WhatsApp: (+65) 9238 1272
Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday: 11:30am to 12 midnight
Friday to Saturday: 11:30am to 1am
Sunday: 11:30am to 12 midnight
Payment Methods
Visa/MasterCard/Cash
XOXO
