Award-winning Chef Hemant Oberoi was recently in Singapore to promote Indian haute cuisine at Town Restaurant at The Fullerton Hotel. For those who are not familiar with him, Chef Hemant has been the personal chef to many Prime Ministers and Presidents, and is currently a consultant for Taj Group in India.
At Town Restaurant which is featuring Indian cuisine for its buffet for a limited time, Chef Hemant explained how he intends to bring the best of India into his dishes. Hearing him describe in person about the inspiration of his dishes made me appreciate the efforts put into the final creation of each dish.
Mango Lassi. Photo © Becx
I was given a glass of thick and smooth mango lassi before the meal. Lassi is a great alternative to neutralize the fiery aftertaste from the chillies and curries, which would be served later during the course.
Amuse Bouche. Photo © Becx.
Chef Hemant’s dishes include the best of North and South India. We started with the amuse bouche – Avocado in Panni Poori Tamarind dressing. To eat this dish, instead of using a fork and spoon, try using your thumb and finger to pick up the panni poori and pop it into your mouth. According to a lovely Indian lady sitting beside me, she advised that using fork and spoon will cause the panni poori to crack and fall all over the place. Using hands will avoid the mess, and it tastes better this way too.
Makai Shorbha. Photo © Becx.
The second dish was Makai Shorbha, or roasted fresh corn soup. Served with some pieces of popcorn on the soup dish, the roasted fresh soup was poured directly on our plates and served hot immediately.
Varqui Crab. Photo © Becx.
One of my favourite dishes of the day is Varqui Crab, made up of Tellicherry pepper, curry leaf crab and tandoori shrimps. The meat of the curry leaf crab was extremely sweet and fresh without any grainy texture. The shrimps were properly coated with tandoori sauce, but they were not as sweet as the crab.
Galouti Kebabs and Ganderi Kebabs. Photo © Becx.
Andhra Chicken Pulao, Beef raj Mirch, Guchi aur khumb, Uppu Kari and Dal (Indian chicken rice, beef, morel mushrooms, lamb curry and yellow dal). Photo © Becx.
The Andhra Chicken Pulao (Indian Chicken Rice) came with sides but it tasted as good on its own too. For the Beef raj Mirch (stew beef curry) and Uppu Kari (curry lamb), I chose to eat them with naan as the flavours stood out more.
Chef Hemant Oberoi with tray of Atta Chicken (chicken wrapped in chapatti dough). Photo © Becx.
The Atta Chicken (chicken wrapped in chapatti dough) was one interesting dish. Chef Hemant brought out a freshly baked Atta Chicken, which he cracked open the dough and sliced up the chicken to serve.
Masala Chai Tea Crème Brûlée and Kulfi Ice Cream. Photo © Becx.
What’s the best way to wrap up a meal? With desserts, of course! Indian desserts are well known to be über sweet; while Kulfi Ice Cream has been toned down slightly in terms of sweetness, I found it to be a bit too sweet for my liking. The Masala Chai Tea Crème Brûlée tasted really wonderful though.
If you are a fan of Indian food, do check out the Art of Indian Dinner Buffet. It is currently available at the Town Restaurant until 22 August 2015. The buffet will also includes local favourites like laksa, satay, bak kut teh and chicken rice.
Sun to Tue: S$55++ per adult and S$28++ per child (6 to 11 years old)
Wed to Sat: S$69++ per adult with a seafood selection, or $89++ per adult with a free flow of draught beer and Singapore sling, and S$34++ per child
Town Restaurant
The Fullerton Hotel
1 Fullerton Square
Singapore 049178
Tel: +65 6877 8128
Email: [email protected]
