4 best Indian buffets in Singapore

Mention Indian cuisine and it conjures up images of rich, aromatic curries, fiery orange chunks of tandoori items, and sweet, sweet desserts. Those who love their Indian food will swear nothing tantalises quite like the rich, spicy flavours of South Asian dishes.

From the Mughal-style cuisine of the North to the spicier and coconut-laced specialities of the South, a delectable buffet feast awaits at four of our favourite Indian restaurants. The naan and roti are baked in the tandoor only upon ordering, so that you can enjoy the Indian breads piping hot.

Vegetarians aren’t left out and have a mouth-watering variety to choose from. Chaat lovers can also get ready to chomp away as some of these restaurants serve chaats (Indian street side snacks) as part of the buffet.

Rang Mahal | EDITOR’S PICK | BEST NAAN & DESSERTS

Level 3, Pan Pacific Singapore

Tel: 63331788

Available: Mon-Fri: 12pm-2.30pm

The buzz: First opened in 1971 at the old Imperial Hotel, Rang Mahal is the oldest fine-dining Indian restaurant in Singapore. Since its move to Pan Pacific Hotel in 1998, it has been constantly reinventing itself – be it the interior or the menu. With its contemporary Indian-inspired interior awash in neutral tones and ambient lighting, Rang Mahal ranks as one of the most beautiful restaurants in town.

What’s special: The lunch buffet ($58, sun-fri) has a starters section with some of the most refreshing salads and fancy canapes you’ll find at an Indian restaurant — make sure to try the sweet-sour blueberry raita (yoghurt). As with any Indian buffet worth its salt, there are the must-try biryani staples here. Since the buffet menu/offerings changes daily, it could be lamb biryani one day and mutton another, but regardless, the rice is always fragrant.

The main courses are a good mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. There’s paneer offered (on the day we went, it was paneer makhani, orcottage cheese in a butter chicken-like gravy) as well as — who can forget — kebabs.

We can also say without hesitation that their naan is the best we’ve tried. Plain, garlic or butter, the naan is baked to perfection, slightly crisp at the base yet fluffy and soft inside. The desserts department is also a droolsome spread, featuring traditional Indian sweets with a twist. There are masala brownies with a soft hint of spices, strawberry shrikand (a creamy yoghurt concoction) and classics such as mango barfi (a type of milk candy), gulab jamun and chena pyaas (small balls of milk dumplings).

Tandoor

Basement 1, Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre

11 Cavenagh Road

Tel: 67300153

Available: every Sunday: 12pm-2.30pm

The buzz: This smallish basement restaurant has been a fixture of the hotel since 1985 and is among the stalwarts of the Indian fine-dining restaurant scene. Classical sitar music plays in the background, which adds to the authentic experience of dining here.

What’s special: Their Sunday brunch buffet ($52) is a wide spread of classical Northern Indian faves such as chicken tikka (boneless pieces of tandoor-bake chicken), mutton biryani and samosa chaat. The vegetarian options are excellent, with four to five varieties ranging from subz pudina biryani (traditional vegetable briyani flavoured with fresh mint leaves) to Palak Panner (cottage cheese with spinach).

We also gravitated towards the chaat corner where a chef was on hand to dish out a selection of Indian street food such as pani puri (a fried hollow crisp filled with ingredients such as potatoes, chickpeas or beans with tamarind water) and papri chaat (crispy crackers garnished with an addictive combo of potatoes, chickpeas, spices and chutneys, and drenched in yoghurt). Another “live” station is the South Indian corner with its array of dosais (plain, filled with potatoes or in a cone shape). There are also at least two types of South Indian snacks like vadai on display. It’s quite a spread at this one, so come hungry Sunday afternoon.

Yantra 

#01-28/33 Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road

Tel: 68363088

Available: Mon to Thurs: 12pm-3pm

The buzz: An uber chic fine dining restaurant that looks even more beautiful in the evening when the lights dim and tea lights come on.  Their a la carte dishes are pricey (their garlic naan costs $10 and their tandoori avocado, $30+), so you wouldn’t expect their weekday lunch buffets to be very wallet-friendly. We were wrong. Their lunch buffet from Mondays to Fridays is a real steal at $33 while Saturday’s and Sunday’s brunch is at $52 (with a spread of 25 dishes and includes beverages!). Their buffet dinner on Sundays to Tuesdays ($52) even comes with a complimentary glass of wine.

What’s special: For just $33, you get quite a variety of Northern Indian-style vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes including two kinds of soups, starters, tandoori items, main courses, biryani and desserts.

Lest you think it’s the usual North Indian suspects, the buffet surprises you with unique items such as the Ab-e-Hayat (literally translated as “water of heaven”), a light vegetable soup cooked in coconut water and tandoori chaat (a melange of veggies and fresh fruit such as apples, guava, bell peppers and tomatoes coated in tandoori spices and roasted).

If you love tandoori meats, you’ll relish the chicken malai kebab – moist, chunky boneless pieces coated in a cheese marinade. Special mention must be made of the dum biryani (one veg and one meat) – the aromatic and fluffy rice is presented in huge brass pots with a layer of flour covering the top to seal in the saffron- and spice-rich flavours. Very addictive, and don’t say we didn’t warn you!

We know how notoriously sweet Indian desserts are, but Yantra’s two offerings on the buffet table are worth a try. The suji halwa and rice kheer are rich and satisfying without being too sweet.

The Courtyard 

1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178

Tel: 6877 8129

Available: Mon to Fri: 11.30am-2.30pm

The buzz: The Courtyard at The Fullerton Hotel offers two lunch buffets at opposing sides of the hotel: the Japanese Buffet at the North Courtyard, and the Indian Curry Buffet, which offers creamy curries in dishes such as Gosht Do Piaza (Lamb Curry with Sautéed Onions) and Jhinganisha (Prawn Curry with Saffron). The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, which houses the restaurant, sometimes brings in chefs for special collaborations for their buffets.

What’s special: You can have your fill of an Indian curry buffet that includes carving stations brimming with tandoori fish, Indian-spiced lamb chops, chicken tikka and more. There is a live station serving up fresh roasted masala thosai, and an array of piping hot curries like Sali Gosht (tomato-based lamb curry) Chana Masala (chickpea curry) and Gobi Keema (minced cauliflower with onion-tomato gravy).