Restaurant Review : The Mango Tree, Singapore

Indian coastal cuisine includes both Konkani and Malabari cuisine. Thankfully it is highly under-rated and not as commercialized as North Indian Mughlai cuisine (read available at every nook and corner). Many people do not have a taste or liking for seafood and specifically for seafood cooked in coconut oil / cream which is the standard medium of cooking in this cuisine.

Having heard about Mango Tree in Singapore for many years, I had not got around to visiting the place. However, couple of weeks back the boredom with fish tikkas and Jumbo style pepper crabs got the better of me and I promptly decided to dine at The Mango Tree. Noting the address from the website, we set off for Marina Cove at East Coast Road only to find the said restaurant does not exist there! I called the restaurant to be promptly informed they had shifted a fair distance away 3 months back to a new premises in a Katong mall ! I was appalled and suddenly not very sure if I wanted to trek to the new destination. After all, if you cannot update your website with this basic information, how can I be sure of your culinary prowess? Deciding to give it a try nonetheless, we arrived at the swish new mall 112 Katong to find the restaurant thankfully does exist here.

Located on the 3rd floor of the mall the bright decor shows off the newness of the restaurant. We were greeted with a polite smile and on being told their website wasn't updated which resulted in inconvenience for us, a staff member duly noted the same. A whole range of brass crockery is displayed in the passageway leading to the indoor and outdoor seating areas. We decided on the quieter outdoor seating under fans overlooking one of Singapore's most expensive landed houses, as the staff keenly informed us.

For appetizers we started off with The Mango Tree Tandoori Platter and Meen Pollichathu. I highly recommend the Tandoori platter with its mix of chunky fish kebabs, chicken seekh kebabs and tandoori prawns and priced at SGD 24, the portion is just right for sharing amongst 3 diners. I tried the Meen Pollichathu for the first time outside Kerala where it is a staple and popular dish. In Kerala, Pearl Spot fish or Karimeen (as it is locally known and hence the dish's name) is baked in banana leaves. However, this being Singapore Karimeen is unavailable and thus, pomfret or similar fish is used. If you've never had Meen Pollichathu in Kerala, you will love this preparation. Even otherwise, it is a decent dish to order.

For the main course, we ordered Mouli Jhingadi, Crab Masala, Appam and for some North Indian flavour, a portion of Murg Makhani and Lachha Paratha. Prawns are called 'Jhinga' in regional Indian languages and the Mouli Jhingadi dish was described in the menu as tiger prawns cooked in coconut gravy. The traditional Malabari coconut gravy dish is called 'Prawn Gassi'. Expecting this to be the same preparation, the Mouli Jhingadi was a bit of a disappointment. The prawns were large but instead of the tomato gravy cooked in coconut oil as in the original version, here the gravy was thick coconut cream and that too not of the Indian coconut which has a distinct flavour and is easily available in Singapore. The cream used was the ubiquitous 'Kara' brand of coconut cream which is a staple in Thai cooking. I did not particularly relish the mish-mash taste of curry leaves in Thai coconut cream being passed off as Konkani cuisine and would desist from ordering the dish next time.

Another disappointment was the Crab Masala. The dish is an excellent part of the Malabari menu and is traditionally served without any shell or claws. It is extracted crab meat sauteed with tomatoes, onions and southern spices for which Kerala is famous. I specifically checked with the waiter to ensure that the crab meat is served without the shell. Unfortunately contrary to what we were told, I was aghast to see the whole crab arrive dunked in copious amounts of tomato gravy. I'd like to believe I am an expert crab eater so I did extract all the meat but still it was not something I was prepared for at a Malabari cuisine outlet. The appams accompanying our meal were superlative and hot off the girdle. They were of the right fluffiness and size and we ordered more as we went along with our dinner.

While Murg Makhani fits just as well into a Konkani menu as an American burger, I must say it was excellent. Definitely has to be the best Murg Makhani I've had in Singapore and the Lachha Paratha complemented it perfectly. The smoky taste of Australian First Drop Chardonnay worked beautifully with our order and at SGD 66, was priced very well too. In fact, the small wine list at Mango Tree is quite attractively priced overall. We rounded off our dinner with a portion of Mango Kulfi to share and it was quite good.

Despite my quibbles about some of the dishes, I would still highly recommend a visit to The Mango Tree. My quibbles have more to do with my expectations from some of these dishes since I have been an avid fan of Konkani cuisine for many years. The food menu is exhaustive and I reckon more inputs from the waiter should be taken before placing your order. Don't let the original Kerala recipes dictate your choices here and you'll be fine. The service is polite and unintrusive. Small touches like placing an antique looking wash basin styled in brass in the outdoor area earn Mango Tree plus points. The music volume could be turned down a little but that was a minor aspect. At SGD 200+ The Mango Tree is not cheap but portion sizes are generous and the ambience genuinely relaxing. And yes, I checked the website recently and whilst it has been updated, it seems to have been done by a child - the new address has simply been added to the old one! Check out the new 112 Katong mall and drop into The Mango Tree for a different taste of India.

Airline Review : Air Asia

Think budget flights and images of crammed seats, smelly aircrafts come to mind. This needn't be the case always. Definitely not when you are flying Air Asia. The airline has been a success story from the word go. From 2001 when an erstwhile sick state owned Malaysian airline was re-relaunched as Air Asia to its successful (and oversubscribed) IPO it is not difficult to see why Air Asia is the success story it is.

Whats going for the airline :
1. Cheap fares. Sometimes they have promotions which can give you a real bargain.
2. Connectivity. Excellent connections from Singapore to Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Thailand can be better covered with only Bangkok and Phuket being catered to from Singapore.
3. Clean aircrafts. Cleanliness is usually the biggest sore point with budget carriers but Air Asia is an exception. Discarded bottles, food packs etc are taken away before landing thus sparing time for a quick vacuum before the next take-off.
4. Food is quite tasty by airline standards.
5. You can save 30-50% if you pre-book add-on services like extra baggage, meals on flight etc.
6. BIG loyalty program helps to tie budget flyers to Air Asia.

What can do with some help :
1. On-time performance can improve. Occasionally my flights have been delayed for no apparent reason other than 'technical issue.' If the issue really is serious, then the aircraft should be pulled out of service and sent for a thorough maintenance check.
2. Difference between preferred morning / evening slots and graveyard slots can be quite hefty. I understand this is part of the budget pricing exercise but in low season this can be adjusted in my opinion.
3. Like all budget carriers, leg space and seat size is wanting. But that is not such a big issue in my view since the budget pricing makes up for the inconvenience of a crammed seat.

Overall rating : 8/10. This has to be the numero uno budget carrier in the Asian region and it is not without justification that Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes is one of the most respected figures in the aviation industry today. If you fly budget, fly Air Asia.

Book Review : Battle for Bittora by Anuja Chauhan

A wave of new generation Indian writers is deluging Indian readers. Each one claims to offer a unique insight into 'their' world. So if it was the self-lived IIT life that introduced Chetan Bhagat to success, Anuja Chauhan's popular book ' Battle for Bittora' claims to offer readers a behind the curtains look into the dirty world of Indian politics. Chauhan should know about politics, being the daughter-in-law of veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva.

'Battle for Bittora' is set against the backdrop of India's largest exercise in wasteful expense : Lok Sabha elections. The main protagonist, Sarojini Pande is forced to stand for elections by her pushy 3 times MP grandmother who has ambitions of keeping the Lok Sabha Bittora seat in the family. Sarojini standing on a Pragati Party (fictionalized Congress) ticket is pitted against her childhood friend turned lover Zain Altaf Khan who is contesting on an IJP (fictionalized BJP) ticket. The preparations for the election and what happens behind the scenes is what forms the crux of this book. Reading the acknowledgements at the end, you know 'Battle for Bittora' draws heavily from Chauhan's personal life with most of the setting being a snapshot of Chauhan's own upbringing and childhood. Peppered with real life incidents with a liberal take on politicians (you'll know who all are being talked about in each instance) and actors ('Salmon Khan'), Chauhan's breezy writing style does elicit occasional laughs from you.

Whilst Sarojini Pande's character is shown to be a weakling who comes into her own as the story progresses, other characters are not half as well developed. Some of them are caricatures of politicians' side kicks we see on TV. In my opinion, the overall plot is immature and unreal. Written in Hinglish, the book is clearly intended for an Indian audience only as there are no footnotes for meanings of Hindi words, or explanations of cultural references which an international audience would need. Overused cliches, poor editing and rose tinted glass views of a very complicated Indian political system strike this book off a serious readers' reading list. Considering the book has been hailed as good 'time pass' fare, movie rights for the book have been purchased. I suggest you wait and spend money on the popcorn then rather than buy the book now.

Restaurant Review : Tiffin Room at Raffles Hotel, Singapore

The two centuries old colonial styled Raffles Hotel is Singapore's most iconic landmark apart from being one of the world's most renowned hotels. The Singapore Sling cocktail was invented at the hotel's Long Bar which has been frequented by Ernest Hemingway and Somerset Maugham in the past. Steeped in this kind of history, expectations from any Raffles Hotel experience are sky high. The hotel has a large number of restaurants and bars in its spacious compound. The hotel's main dining room - Tiffin Room - is a tradition being continued at Raffles of being an Indian curry house. Today it is a popular hangout for tourists and I've also frequented it on few occasions.

The restaurant is located by the main hotel entrance and reeks of opulence. High ceilings, tall pillars, large windows and solid teak wood tables lend an authentic old world charm to the place. The all-white ambience is accentuated by black and white photographs on the walls and waiters dressed in crisp white uniforms. This is a buffet only restaurant (no a la carte) and the menu never changes. Which is good and bad. If you want a safe dining option, you can always count on Tiffin Room but not too frequently since you'll be having the same salads, the same appetizers, the same main course and the same desserts each time! Lunch buffet is priced at SGD60++ and dinner buffet at SGD75++ per person. Dress code is smart casual which means shorts and toe revealing footwear for men is a complete no-no.

The lunch buffet is from 12 noon to 2 pm after which high tea commences. Salads on offer are a mix of greens, vegetables and chilled seafood. Appetizers are potato patties, lamb seekh kebabs and mains range from popular Indian dishes like Palak Paneer (spinach with cottage cheese), Baingan Bharta (mashed eggplant cooked in spices) to seabass fillet cooked in tomato gravy, chicken tikka masala and lamb curry. Whilst the dishes are not culinary feats, the lamb curry is definitely outstanding. Rice options include plain steamed rice and chicken biryani. An assorted basket of freshly prepared naan breads will be brought to your table. There is of course a wine list to choose from. It has a very limited selection though and with a bottle of Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc priced at SGD 108++, you know you are paying more for the ambience than the wine. The real scene stealer here are the desserts. For anyone with a sweet tooth and fondness for Indian desserts particularly, this is heaven. On offer are Kheer (rice pudding), Sewai (vermicelli in milk) and various other sweets.

Service is attentive and polite. After every course, when I returned to the table my napkin had been neatly folded on the chair arm-rest and old plate and cutlery cleared away. If you so wish, the staff will even get a dish from the buffet in a smaller bowl for you to be able to help yourself on the table. Not something I have observed in other buffets. Just a word of caution : looks like they prepare a particular quantity of food per buffet session. On more than one occasion, I have seen a food tray empty with no sign of it being refilled ! So be on time to be able to taste all that is on offer. More often than not, Tiffin Room will be offering 20-25% discounts on certain credit cards. Remember to ask for special credit card promotions when settling the bill.

A visit to Tiffin Room is ideal for celebrating special occasions as they have a corner of the restaurant earmarked for big groups. Occasionally you can step into Tiffin Room and gorge away in decadent opulence. I only wish they experimented with the menu once in a while to draw me back more often.