Annalakshmi

Chomp Venue:
Annalakshmi
133, New Bridge Road
#B1-02, Chinatown Point, Podium A
(Exit E of Chinatown MRT)

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To celebrate my brother's wife's birthday, we went to Annalakshmi, a vegetarian Indian restaurant, to have dinner today :). Right outside the restaurant, I was greeted by the beautiful doors with intricate carve works and two tall dolls.



As I stepped into the restaurant, this familiar and distinctive Indian smell hit me, and I saw quite a lot of customers, already seated and engaged in their chatter. The whole atmosphere was comfortable, laid-back and homely.

Looking at the menu, I wondered idly why there were no prices stated beside the items. After we placed our orders, my brother said that there are no fixed prices for the food served here. Customers will eat what they want and pay the amount they deem fit. Waaa. Doesn't it sound like a good deal for poor students without much disposable income? Heheh. All the staff here are volunteers. This restaurant's main aim is not profit but service, its philosophy being to serve, love and give.

And... the best thing was that the food was GOOD.


Mango Lassi. This is a yoghurt drink in Indian style. Mmmm~ The yoghurt was rich and the mango flavour was strong. Thick frothy yoghurt kicked off the meal with a good start.


Mysore masala - Dosai filled with spiced potatoes

Oohlaa. This was our first dish and my favourite:DD. The dosai was soft yet crispy, and not one bit oily. The potato filling was fabulous!! The crispy ends of the dosai without filling tasted great, not one bit soggy or flour-y. The potato (tasted like curry potatoes) filling was also crunchy cos there were some unnamed nuts in it. YUMMMMMMMMMMS.


(clockwise from the top)
Dum aloo - Boiled potatoes stuffed with mild spices, fried and served in a tomato base.

Kadai Vegetable - Vegetable curry

Garlic Nan

Gobi Manchurian - Fried cauliflower fritters cooked in a spicy sauce


Butter nan

Dum aloo looked fiery, but it wasn't too spicy, plus the gravy went well with the nan:). Kadai vegetable didn't exactly have visible vegetable in it, but maybe the vegetables were blended and added into the curry. But the curry tasted great all the same, it wasn't bland, neither was it too overpowering. Gobi Manchurian looked like the Chinese sweet and sour pork=p. Like the other dishes, although these were fried, they weren't the least bit oily. As for the nan, I preferred the garlic ones, which were more fragrant.


Paneer palak - Cottage cheese with spinach

This mossy green dish may look really green, but they worked for our palates. The cottage cheese was very mild, and went very well with the (perhaps) blended spinach. Tear out a small piece of nan, smear some paneer palak on it, send it into your mouth. Tear another piece of nan, dip it in the Kadai vegetable, let your mouth do some exercise. Tear a third piece of nan, scoop some dum aloo onto it, savour the combination. In between these bites, chow on some gobi manchuria fritters. Chompp.

My stomach growls in response as I type this. I will be back for more to feed my expanding stomach X).